Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part nine. Dutch Spitfires.

 

The Supermarine Spitfire was also employed by the Dutch. The first Dutch unit to be equipped with the Spitfire was the No. 322 (Dutch) Squadron. This unit was formed in June 1943 from Dutch staff from other Royal Air Force's units, specially No. 167 Squadron which was notorious for having many Dutch personnel. 
Since its inception, the squadron was active operating from RAF Woodvale, in Liverpool and patrolled over the Irish Sea in the defensive fighter role. In December 1943 it was sent to RAF Hawkinge, in Kent, to provide aerial coverage for sea convoys. 
Two months later, they were sent to Scotland to undergo some training and then, in April 1944 they were sent to Acklington to take part in Operation Overlord and its preparations. In June 1944 the unit was allocated to anti V-1 (German flying bomb) defence and, in August they were assigned to the ground support and bomber escort roles. Since January 1945 the unit operated from Dutch air bases, until April 1945 when they were rebased to Varrelbusch. 
On 7th October 1945 the unit was disbanded at Wunstorf, Germany, but a new 322 squadron was created by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF) after the war.

During 1946-1948 the Netherlands bout a total of 55 Spitfire Mk.IX and three Spitfire T.IX. The Mk. IXs were given tactical numbers preceded by the letter 'H'. Of those, 35 fighter (H-1 to H-35, plus three T. IXs (H-97 to H-99) were assigned to training units in the Netherlands. 
The remaining Mk. IXs, were shipped to Java where they took part in combats against the Indonesian rebels.
Oddly enough, during a packaging error in England one Spitfire received a complete tail section from a Seafire and on another curious note, the first Spitfire assembled in the Dutch East Indies, MH434, is still flying nowadays in the colours of The Old Flying Machine Company.
The personnel of 322 Squadron arrived in Java in October 1947. During the Indonesian War of Independence, the Spitfires were used to attack ground targets and to supply Dutch ground troops from the air. After Indonesia achieved independence, the whole Dutch East Indies Air Force went under the rule of the newly founded Indonesian Air Force, except for 322 Squadron which was never formally assigned to the Dutch East Indies Air Force and it remained part of the Lucht Strijdkrachten (Netherlands' Air Force), so in December they flew back to the Netherlands with all their equipment. 
On Dutch soil the 322 squadron continued to employ the Spitfires, transferred from the fighter school (Jachtvliegschool), as that unit had switched to jet trainers. In 1952 fifteen Spitfire Mk. IX were sold to Belgium.
Additionally, back 1946 and 1947 a dozen or so of unserviceable Spitfires of various marks (Mk V, IX, XI, XIV, XVI, XIX and 22) were purchased or leased for technical personnel training.

Sources:
1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire Part 3 (translated)
2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._322_(Dutch)_Squadron_RAF
3rd http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/RAF/322_wwII.html
4th https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#Netherlands