Carl Heinrich Wilhelm Anthing was a German officer, in Dutch service under several successive regimes, starting with the Dutch Republic, and followed by the Batavian Republic, the Kingdom of Holland, and the First French Empire, to end up in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, where he led the Indies Brigade, both at Waterloo, and finally to the Dutch East Indies, where it would be the core of the future Royal Netherlands East Indies Army.

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. Elements of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Government Navy were also stationed in the Netherlands East Indies.