How did the Dutch fare in World War II Didn't they fight but fold in five days?

Question

Was there a determined and organized resistance?
Were they as compliant as the Vichy?

Bill & Diana S:
I didn't mean to be offensive.
I am part Dutch.
The Dutch Military surrendered, is that better?

Answer 1

At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, the Netherlands declared itself neutral once again as in World War I. In order to flank the French defences on the Maginot Line and to pre-empt a possible British invasion, on May 10, 1940 Germany invaded the Netherlands, starting the Battle of the Netherlands, and Belgium. Given the historically good relations with its much larger neighbour, the invasion came as big surprise to most Dutch, but the army had been warned by Hans Oster, a German officer.

The poorly equipped Dutch army was quickly defeated by the Germans. At the Afsluitdijk, the Grebbeberg and Dordrecht the Dutch Army offered strong resistance. A German airborne landing at The Hague, intended to capture the Dutch royal family and the government, failed. The royal family and government escaped to Britain to continue the fight (although some saw this as an act of cowardice).

On May 14 the Germans demanded the surrender of the port of Rotterdam, threatening to bomb the city. Soon after the ultimatum it surrendered. However, bombers that had already been sent were not called back and the city was thus still heavily bombed, resulting in approximately 800 deaths and 78,000 homeless. This was supposedly caused by a communications difficulty. After this bombardment the Dutch army surrendered, but the battle continued in Zeeland for a few days, until the bombardment of Middelburg forced Zeeland to surrender as well.

People were hoping to be liberated quickly by the French and British, but after the evacuation from Dunkirk, where the Allies's armies barely escaped being surrounded, France surrendered. The new regime in Vichy began collaborating with the Germans. The government of Prime Minister Dirk Jan de Geer was invited to return as well. He wanted to accept this invitation but Queen Wilhelmina did not approve it.

The Dutch navy, merchant navy and the oil reserves of Dutch East Indies were of great importance to the British. After Germany forced Vichy France to hand over Indochina to Japan, Queen Wilhelmina was afraid the same thing would happen to the East Indies. She herself dismissed her Prime Minister and assigned another (Pieter Gerbrandy), who did want to continue fighting.




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Answer 2

johnslat left out a few things.

There was a strong resistance to the occupying Germans in the Netherlands during World War II so I would not say that the Dutch "folded" after the government surrended. Queen Wilhelmina and some of her government moved to England where the Dutch government continued in absentia. Dutch soldiers and naval personnel also fought with Allied Forces during the War.

I'm not Dutch but I do find your term offensive. The Dutch government did what they did in an attempt to save human lives in their country. And although there was a Vichy government in France there were still many French who continued to fight the German occupiers throughout the war in the resistance movement as well.

Answer 3

There were two sides to Holland's involment in the war. Dutch troops fought bravely but were doomed from the start against the more powerful, better led, and better trained Germans. No one with any sense should think the Dutch simply folded after 5 days! They were overpowered by a stronger force and there was little they could do to stop it. After the occupation, the Dutch government did what it could to clandestinely assist the Allies while still trying to protect the lives of its citizens. A large number of Dutch Jews were smuggled out of the country with help from Dutch authorities. On the other side of the coin, there were a large number of Dutch Nazis who supported Hitler and even sent two infantry divisions to Russia to fight alongside the Wermacht. It should be noted, however, that no attrocities were ever connected to these Dutch troops.