A look at the Defence news 26 February - 3 March
Last week, military clothing and equipment was stolen during transport from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom. The military goods were intended for Ukrainian military personnel undergoing training in the UK, and were stolen from the commercial truck transporting them.
War veteran Max Wolff added to British memorial wall
On 27 February, the name of Dutch World War II veteran Max Wolff was added to a memorial plaque in Portsmouth, England. This is the port from where the fleet departed for the large-scale landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944. D-Day was the start of the liberation of Western Europe. On 6 June of this year, it will be 80 years since the troops landed on the beaches of Normandy. To mark the start of the official commemorations, the British added 12 names to the plaque, one from every other allied country that took part in the operation. The Normandy Memorial Wall displays the names of the British fallen.
General Eichelsheim visits Czech arms manufacturers supplying Ukraine
The DITA self-propelled howitzer is a modern artillery system that can hit targets dozens of kilometres away. Ukraine urgently needs weapons of this kind. The Netherlands therefore recently ordered nine units for delivery to that country. The weapons are part of a large Dutch order for Ukraine that will be fulfilled by 2 arms manufacturers in the Czech Republic. Netherlands Chief of Defence General Onno Eichelsheim paid them a visit last week.
Military personnel clear oil on Bonaire
Nearly 20 military personnel have been helping to clean up the oil spill on Bonaire since the end of February. The clean-up operation was started following a request from the public administrative body of the Caribbean island. The substance presumably came from a ship that capsized off the southern coast of Tobago on 7 February.
The Netherlands to donate watercraft to Ukraine
Hezbollah arrests 3 Dutch servicemen
3 Dutch service personnel were recently detained by the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. This took place while they were carrying out reconnaissance in a suburb of the capital city, Beirut. They returned to the Dutch embassy unharmed through the agency of the Lebanese army. The 3 are part of a Defence team that has been in the country since mid-October to support the Dutch embassy, if required in light of the current security situation.