German invasion of the Netherlands
On the 10th of April 1940, Britain and France repeated their request that the Dutch enter the war on their side. The government of the Netherlands refused again. This refusal came after years of a policy called strict neutrality. Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn believed Germany would not violate Dutch neutrality. He held this view from 1933 until 1939. Senior officers made no effort to mobilise public opinion in favour of improving military defence. The Dutch hoped that the restrained policy of the Entente during World War I might be repeated. They tried to avoid the attention of Great Powers. A state of emergency was declared on the 19th of April 1940. Most civilians still cherished the illusion that their country might be spared. Reports of the presumed actions of a fifth column caused widespread fears. Countermeasures were taken against a possible assault on airfields and ports. Large sums, almost 900 million guilders, were spent on defence. It proved very difficult to obtain new matériel in wartime. The Dutch had ordered some equipment from Germany, which deliberately delayed deliveries.
The Royal Netherlands Army possessed only 39 armoured cars and five tankettes by May 1940. Their air force operated a fleet of 155 aircraft. Seventy-four of these 155 aircraft were biplanes. Only 125 aircraft were operational. The production potential of the Dutch military aircraft industry remained unexploited due to budget limitations. Before the war, the army did not hold summer field manoeuvres between 1932 and 1936. Service time for conscripts increased to eleven months in 1938. In 1940, there were only 1206 professional officers present. The infantry used about 2,200 Schwarzlose M.08 machine guns. Eight hundred Vickers machine guns were also available. Most Dutch infantry were equipped with the Geweer M.95 rifle adopted in 1895. There were but six 80 mm mortars for each regiment. This lack of firepower seriously impaired fighting performance. The army mostly used telephone connections. Only the Artillery had been equipped with 225 radio sets. Volunteers were equipped with Oerlikon 20 mm cannons for air defence. By its own standards, the Dutch Army in May 1940 was unfit for battle.
Hitler decided on the 17th of January 1940 to conquer the whole of the Netherlands. Hermann Göring insisted on a full conquest because he needed the Dutch airfields against Britain. The plan Fall Festung aimed to capture the government at The Hague. Paratroopers would land near airfields around The Hague. They intended to capture Queen Wilhelmina and the High Command. Bridges at Rotterdam, Dordrecht, and Moerdijk would be secured simultaneously. A mechanised force called the 9th Panzer Division would relieve the airborne troops from the south. The attack on Rotterdam was considered the Schwerpunkt or focal point of the campaign. The German population generally disliked violating Dutch neutrality. Colonel Hans Oster passed information about the attack date to Major Gijsbertus J. Sas in March 1939. On the 9th of May, Oster phoned his friend saying just Tomorrow, at dawn. Dutch troops were put on alert. The main effort of Fall Gelb would be made in central Belgium between Namur and Sedan. The attack on Fortress Holland was only a sideshow of this feint.
On the morning of the 10th of May 1940, the Dutch awoke to aircraft engines roaring in the sky. Kampfgeschwader 4 traversed Dutch airspace and disappeared to the west before turning east again. Oberst Martin Fiebig led KG 4 to hit the naval airfield at De Kooy. He destroyed 35 aircraft, most of them trainers. Fiebig himself was shot down and spent five days as a prisoner of war. One wing hit Amsterdam-Schiphol where the Dutch lost a third of their medium bombers. Another wing attacked The Hague airfields where I./KG 4 destroyed half of the 21 defending fighters. Jagdgeschwader 26 and Zerstörergeschwader 26 shot down 25 Dutch aircraft. The Dutch were left with just 70 aircraft by the end of the day. Between 04:30 and 05:00 local time, paratroopers landed near the airfields. German Ju 52 transport planes suffered heavy losses. Twelve Heinkel He 59 seaplanes crowded with two platoons landed in Rotterdam. They captured the Willemsbrug bridge over the Nieuwe Maas. The military airfield of Waalhaven was attacked by airborne forces. An infantry battalion stationed there was overwhelmed. The Royal Netherlands Navy intervened but the destroyer HNLMS Van Galen foundered after being bombed.
On the 11th of May, General Winkelman faced two priorities regarding the German airborne troops. The planned counterattack by the Light Division against the airborne troops on IJsselmonde failed. In North Brabant, the situation swiftly deteriorated. The French commanders expected Dutch resistance to gain them four days to build a defensive line. They learned that the best three divisions had been moved north. The withdrawal of the Peel Division from the Peel-Raam Position meant leaving behind well-entrenched positions. The eastern bank of the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal was higher than the western bank. A sector near Heeswijk was left undefended because an order never reached the troops. Germans crossed the canal around 13:00 without opposition. By the end of the 11th, the Germans had crossed the Zuid-Willemsvaart at most places. At dawn, reconnaissance elements of the 9th Panzer Division surprised Colonel Schmidt and took him prisoner. Dutch troops in the province lost all unified command. At 16:45 they reached the Moerdijk bridges themselves. Gamelin ordered a complete withdrawal to Antwerp of all French troops in North Brabant at 13:35.
On the 12th of May General Winkelman remained moderately optimistic until his hopes were dashed during the day. German armoured cars penetrated thirty kilometres further west and made contact with the southern Moerdijk bridgehead. This cut off Fortress Holland from the Allied main force. On the 14th of May, the Luftwaffe bombed Rotterdam. The General Staff knew it could not stop the bombers. They threatened to bomb other Dutch cities if forces refused to surrender. The General Staff ordered the Royal Netherlands Army to cease hostilities. The battle lasted from the 10th of May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on the 14th of May. Dutch troops under French command in Zealand continued to resist until the 17th of May. Germany completed its occupation of the whole country on that date. The last occupied parts of the Netherlands were liberated in 1945.
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Common questions
When did the German invasion of the Netherlands begin in 1940?
The German invasion of the Netherlands began on the 10th of May 1940. On that morning, Kampfgeschwader 4 traversed Dutch airspace and paratroopers landed near airfields between 04:30 and 05:00 local time.
What was the military strength of the Royal Netherlands Army before the war ended?
By May 1940, the Royal Netherlands Army possessed only 39 armoured cars and five tankettes. Their air force operated a fleet of 155 aircraft with only 125 operational units available for combat.
Why did Hitler decide to conquer the whole of the Netherlands in January 1940?
Hitler decided on the 17th of January 1940 to conquer the whole of the Netherlands because Hermann Göring needed the Dutch airfields against Britain. The plan Fall Festung aimed to capture the government at The Hague using paratroopers.
How many days did the battle last during the German occupation of the Netherlands?
The battle lasted from the 10th of May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on the 14th of May. Dutch troops under French command in Zealand continued to resist until the 17th of May when Germany completed its occupation.
Which cities were targeted by German airborne forces during the invasion of the Netherlands?
German airborne forces landed near airfields around The Hague and captured the Willemsbrug bridge over the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam. They also attacked the military airfield of Waalhaven while securing bridges at Dordrecht and Moerdijk simultaneously.