Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,994
Bezuidenhout is wiped out!
On May 10, 1940, the first day of the so-called "Fall Gelb", with which the Hitler armed forces began the attack on France, 12,000 German paratroopers 22nd Airborne Division landed in the Dutch city of The Hague ...:
The German leadership hopes to occupy the capital from the air in a flash and to take the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and her family, who are in the city, hostage in order to force Holland to surrender!
They need a march through the Netherlands and Belgium with as little combat as possible in order to attack the French army in the rear.
But especially in The Hague, the resistance of the Dutch army is well prepared and is being conducted effectively!
Right at the beginning of the war the Germans suffer a heavy defeat (hidden from their own population), almost half of the "Junkers 52" transport machines are shot down before they can drop their soldiers!
The capital's garrison only gives up when the Dutch government officially surrenders. The time gained by her soldiers in this way enables Queen Wilhelmina to flee to Great Britain with her relatives - and from there to call for the fight to continue underground, which the Dutch make a lot of use of.
When she arrives in London, the Queen demonstratively carries a Dutch steel helmet with her to show that the fight against the Germans continues!
The Hitler Wehrmacht can only occupy the city on May 15th ...:
The city itself remains almost unrevered during the fighting, although the German air force attacks targets on the periphery.
It becomes the German administrative center of the now occupied Netherlands, the "Reichskommissar" Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart resides here ...:
The Hague survived the further course of the war unscathed, the Western Allies refrain from area bombing - they obviously want to spare the Dutch capital.
There would have been plenty of worthwhile goals, the city was almost crammed with high and highest management staffs!
**continued next post**
On May 10, 1940, the first day of the so-called "Fall Gelb", with which the Hitler armed forces began the attack on France, 12,000 German paratroopers 22nd Airborne Division landed in the Dutch city of The Hague ...:
The German leadership hopes to occupy the capital from the air in a flash and to take the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and her family, who are in the city, hostage in order to force Holland to surrender!
They need a march through the Netherlands and Belgium with as little combat as possible in order to attack the French army in the rear.
But especially in The Hague, the resistance of the Dutch army is well prepared and is being conducted effectively!
Right at the beginning of the war the Germans suffer a heavy defeat (hidden from their own population), almost half of the "Junkers 52" transport machines are shot down before they can drop their soldiers!
The capital's garrison only gives up when the Dutch government officially surrenders. The time gained by her soldiers in this way enables Queen Wilhelmina to flee to Great Britain with her relatives - and from there to call for the fight to continue underground, which the Dutch make a lot of use of.
When she arrives in London, the Queen demonstratively carries a Dutch steel helmet with her to show that the fight against the Germans continues!
The Hitler Wehrmacht can only occupy the city on May 15th ...:
The city itself remains almost unrevered during the fighting, although the German air force attacks targets on the periphery.
It becomes the German administrative center of the now occupied Netherlands, the "Reichskommissar" Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart resides here ...:
The Hague survived the further course of the war unscathed, the Western Allies refrain from area bombing - they obviously want to spare the Dutch capital.
There would have been plenty of worthwhile goals, the city was almost crammed with high and highest management staffs!
**continued next post**
