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 Wehrmacht begins the attack on France, 12,000 German paratroopers of the 22nd Airborne Division also land in the Dutch city of The Hague...:
The leadership of the Hitler Wehrmacht hopes to take the capital by air and take the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and her family, who are in the city, as hostages in order to force Holland to surrender!
They need a march through the Netherlands and Belgium without a fight if possible, in order to be able 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 led effectively!
The Nazi Wermacht suffer a heavy defeat (which the Germans don't tell to their own poeple) and almost half of the "Junkers 52" transport planes are shot down before they can deploy their soldiers!
The capital's garrison only gives up when the Dutch government officially surrenders. With the time saved by her soldiers, Queen Wilhelmina was able to flee to Great Britain with her family - and from there called for the fight to continue underground, which the Dutch made good use of.
On her arrival in London, the Queen demonstratively carries a Dutch steel helmet with her to show: the fight against the Germans continues!
Only on May 15th the Hitler Wehrmacht can occupy the city...:
The capital itself remains almost unscathed in the fighting, although the German Luftwaffe is attacking targets on the periphery.
It becomes the German administrative center of the now occupied Netherlands, the "Reichskommissar" appointed by Hitler, Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart resides here...:
The Hague survived the further course of the war unscathed, the Western Allies refrained from carpet bombing - they obviously wanted to protect the Dutch capital.
There would have been plenty of worthwhile destinations, the city was almost stuffed with high and highest Nazi leadership!
At some point the German occupiers also noticed that The Hague was being spared - and they set up a dozen such "bomb-proof" launch pads for their V2 rockets in the vicinity of the capital, with which they used England, the invasion ports in France, Antwerp in Belgium and - unsuccessful! - shoot at the Rhine bridge near Remagen, which was conquered by the Americans...:
** continued next post **
On May 10, 1940, the first day of the so-called "Fall Gelb", with which the Hitler Wehrmacht begins the attack on France, 12,000 German paratroopers of the 22nd Airborne Division also land in the Dutch city of The Hague...:
The leadership of the Hitler Wehrmacht hopes to take the capital by air and take the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and her family, who are in the city, as hostages in order to force Holland to surrender!
They need a march through the Netherlands and Belgium without a fight if possible, in order to be able 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 led effectively!
The Nazi Wermacht suffer a heavy defeat (which the Germans don't tell to their own poeple) and almost half of the "Junkers 52" transport planes are shot down before they can deploy their soldiers!
The capital's garrison only gives up when the Dutch government officially surrenders. With the time saved by her soldiers, Queen Wilhelmina was able to flee to Great Britain with her family - and from there called for the fight to continue underground, which the Dutch made good use of.
On her arrival in London, the Queen demonstratively carries a Dutch steel helmet with her to show: the fight against the Germans continues!
Only on May 15th the Hitler Wehrmacht can occupy the city...:
The capital itself remains almost unscathed in the fighting, although the German Luftwaffe is attacking targets on the periphery.
It becomes the German administrative center of the now occupied Netherlands, the "Reichskommissar" appointed by Hitler, Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart resides here...:
The Hague survived the further course of the war unscathed, the Western Allies refrained from carpet bombing - they obviously wanted to protect the Dutch capital.
There would have been plenty of worthwhile destinations, the city was almost stuffed with high and highest Nazi leadership!
At some point the German occupiers also noticed that The Hague was being spared - and they set up a dozen such "bomb-proof" launch pads for their V2 rockets in the vicinity of the capital, with which they used England, the invasion ports in France, Antwerp in Belgium and - unsuccessful! - shoot at the Rhine bridge near Remagen, which was conquered by the Americans...:
** continued next post **
