1434:. After a few more marines fell, the remainder retreated. Some were killed while falling back. Others found shelter underneath the bridge, but were unable to leave again. The rest of the marines found shelter under the bridge at the northern end. They were soon engaged in a firefight with a small group of Germans also taking shelter there. The Germans in the insurance building launched suppressive fire at the group. They retreated, leaving behind some casualties. After the war, the German occupants of the insurance building admitted that they had been on the verge of surrender. They were very short on ammunition, half of them had been wounded, and they had reached the point of utter exhaustion. But just when they were about to yield, the marines disappeared.
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destroyed—had to decide the fate of the defence of
Rotterdam. The Mayor and his aldermen insisted that the city had to capitulate. The Colonel sent them away. He realised that his decision would not only decide the fate of Rotterdam, but possibly that of the whole country. After a brief moment of deliberation Scharroo made the decision to capitulate, which General Winkelman approved of by means of his direct representative, Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson. The latter would convey the Colonel's decision—which he had sanctioned on behalf of the CIC—to General Winkelman later that afternoon. The General concurred.
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Student—who had just opened the meeting, ran to the window and about the same time—was hit by a bullet in the head. He fell, still conscious, but was severely wounded. It took the skill of a Dutch surgeon to save his life. He would recover, but he remained hospitalised until
January 1941. The German soldiers considered the fact that their famous General had been shot a yellow act of Dutch betrayal. All Dutch soldiers and officers—including civilians present—were lined up by the outraged SS in order to be executed on the spot. Machine guns were positioned in front of them. However,
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1279:) in the center of the island. The continuous battle for the northern river bank caused the Germans to withdraw to the large National Life Insurance Company building, at the head of the traffic bridge. Due to the bad firing angles, the Dutch had on the building, the Germans were able to hold the building without much difficulty. Dutch troops occupying nearby houses were forced to fall back, due to accurate and sustained mortar fire. That stalemate—commencing in the afternoon of 10 May—would remain unchanged until the surrender of the Netherlands on 14 May.
1422:) had arrived and tried to approach the bridge. The Germans responded with fierce anti-tank fire, crippling one of the cars. Although the damaged car was able to retreat, it could no longer contribute to the assault. The second car stayed at a safe distance and was not able to challenge the Germans in the National Life Insurance building. Since the commander of the mortar company convinced the Colonel that his mortars would not be able to lay effective fire on the high building, the assault on the eastern side of the bridgehead was cancelled.
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1185:. He sent them to the bridges in Rotterdam. The Dutch had not stationed many soldiers in the southern part of the city. One unit was made up of butchers, bakers and about 90 infantrymen, the latter being reinforced by riflemen who had withdrawn from the airfield. The Dutch troops hid in houses that were on the route to the bridges. There they ambushed the approaching German troops. Both sides suffered casualties. The Germans managed to bring up a PaK
1410:—was ordered to destroy every German pocket of resistance on the north end and next occupy the northern bridge approach in order to secure the area and prepare the bridge for destruction. He formed a company—a little over 100 men—of his most experienced marines. Another company of navy auxiliary troops—also with a strength of about 100 men—was provided as back-up. These two companies were supported by two batteries of 105 mm
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because the
Colonel feared actions from landed Germans against the city from these directions. His small staff was very much occupied with the numerous reports about phantom landings and treacherous civilian actions. These activities occupied the staff to such an extent that no plans for organised counter-measures against the German bridgehead were drawn up for 11 May.
1256:)—to assist the defenders at the bridges. Twice, the gunboat attacked the Germans at the traffic bridge on the north side of the Noordereiland (an island in the river), the second time accompanied by the motor torpedo boat. About 75 shells of 75 mm (2.95 in) were unleashed on the invaders, but with little effect. During the second attempt, the
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progress on 10 May. All Dutch attempts to seize the building failed, but so did all German attempts to resupply or reinforce the occupants. Germans that tried to reach the building by crossing the bridge by motorbike or car were either shot or forced back. The bridge had become a no-go area, dominated by machine guns from both sides.
1374:, the Germans bumped into a guard squad of a Dutch command post and when two armoured cars appeared to support the Dutch defenders, the Germans backed off and took a detour. The majority of von Sponeck's group succeeded in reaching the village Overschie, where they joined up with German survivors of the Ypenburg battle.
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for positioning some of their machine guns. These positions attracted Dutch attention; soon, mortar and machine gun fire was aimed at the German positions on the ship and the adjacent installations. Many fires broke out and the ship itself caught fire as well. The
Germans quickly evacuated the vessel
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At 04:00, the fighting resumed around the bridgehead. The German spearhead was still formed by their occupation (about 40 to 50 men) of the
National Life Insurance building north of the traffic bridge. This building and its occupation had become isolated from the balance of the German forces by Dutch
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The Dutch troops in the north of town were alerted by the roaring of planes overhead. The garrison headquarters were temporarily manned by only a
Captain, who had the troops assemble and coordinated the distribution of ammunition. Many small detachments were sent out to the bridges, the three railway
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von
Choltitz's adjutant took charge of an assault on the Dutch position but was mortally wounded in the process. When the Germans looked for another route to the bridges to bypass the Dutch stronghold, they managed to find a wedge that advance troops had created along the quays. It was at about 09:00
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At the same time, a Dutch battalion was assembling for their surrender, as ordered by the German military authority. For security reasons a huge white flag was waved to also arriving SS men. Suddenly, the German SS battalion, seeing so many armed Dutch troops in the square, started shooting. General
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Lackner. Due to the dense smoke, the formation had been ordered to lower the flight plan and as such the angle with the
Noordereiland in the south decreased dramatically. There was not a chance that the red flares—if at all seen—would be spotted in time before the bombs would be dropped. Indeed, the
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Panic struck German soldiers on the
Noordereiland, most of which were totally unaware of the events being played out between the top brass of both sides. They feared being attacked by their own bombers. Von Choltitz ordered red flares to be launched, and when the first three bombers overhead dropped
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It was clear to the Dutch senior officers in
Rotterdam that with the failed action against the bridges, all hope would have to be fixed on a successful defence of the northern river bank. In order to achieve such a firm defence, seven infantry companies were ordered to form a screen along the river.
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The original German plan called for a task force from Waalhaven to attack the town and seize the bridges over the Nieuwe Maas using the advantage of surprise. When the plans were evaluated, it was decided that the chances of the taskforce being able to achieve success were rated below the acceptable
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On the morning of 14 May, General Schmidt prepared a quick note in the form of an ultimatum, which was to be handed over to the Dutch commander of Rotterdam. The text of the ultimatum was set in Dutch. Three German negotiators carried the ultimatum to the Maas bridges. The three men held the banner
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From the northwest, a full platoon of Marines advanced along the Nieuwe Maas and reached the northern headland without any German challenge. However, they were unaware of the occupation of the insurance building by the Germans. When the platoon started crossing the bridge, they were quickly spotted
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As the marines advanced, they were soon suppressed by fierce German machine gun fire from the south. The artillery had not fired a single round up to this point, but after a brief contact with the artillery battalion commander, a number of volleys were fired. All the rounds fell short or over, and
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On 12 May, fighting continued where it had ended the previous day. Although the Dutch did not regain control of the city, the Germans were suffering from continuous assaults on their positions. Casualties mounted up on both sides and the German command grew increasingly worried over the status of
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During the night and into the early morning, the garrison commander Scharroo received reinforcements from the northern sector of Fortress Holland. Colonel Scharroo reorganised his defences. He deployed troops along the entire river and to the west, north and east of the city. The latter was done
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and an incomplete army engineers company. The Dutch took positions around the small German pocket north of the bridges and started deploying machine guns at numerous strategic points. Soon, the first serious fire exchanges between the invaders and regular Dutch army units were seen and heard.
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Ds—would land on the Nieuwe Maas with two platoons of the 11th Company of the 16th Air Landing Regiment, plus four engineers and a three-man company troop. These 90 men would seize the bridges. They would be reinforced by a 36-man platoon of airborne soldiers (3rd platoon 11./Fjr1). They were
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The Dutch defences were hardly hit by the raid and basically stayed intact. However, the fires soon started threatening some of their positions. The troops started to pull back. In the meantime, Colonel Scharroo—by then totally isolated from The Hague since all communication lines had been
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The Germans accepted the reply from Scharroo. General Schmidt had his interpreter quickly draw up a new letter, more extended than the first one, giving the Dutch until 16:20 to comply. He undersigned the new ultimatum with his name and rank. When Captain Backer was being escorted back by
1172:. Rubber dinghies were launched. Each could carry six soldiers and their equipment; about 80 German soldiers landed on both banks of the river and an island. The Germans quickly seized some of the bridges, which were not guarded. The only resistance they met was from some Dutch policemen.
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On the evening of 12 May, Colonel Scharroo received orders from General Headquarters to put all his efforts into clearing the German resistance at the northern approaches to the bridges, and eventually to destroy the bridges. That order was a direct consequence of the arrival of the
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The Dutch company in the south of the city was able to stand its ground until well into the afternoon of 10 May. It was then assaulted by the newly landed 10th Company of the 16th Air Landing Regiment, assisted by mortars. The Dutch surrendered when they ran out of ammunition.
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assisted the ground forces upon request from Scharroo. Dutch bombers began dropping bombs on the bridges, and although all of them missed, stray bombs did hit German positions near the bridge, taking out a number of machine gun nests. Another raid followed, but the
1508:. The ultimatum had to be returned to the German commander with the reply that only a duly undersigned ultimatum, together with statement of name and rank of the commanding officer would be accepted by the Dutch as a legitimate parliamentary letter of ultimatum.
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Gradually, the Dutch forced the German troops at the bridgehead into a quickly shrinking pocket. Many civilians watched the battle. Halfway through the morning, the Dutch Navy assigned two small navy vessels—a small obsolete gunboat and a motor torpedo boat
1460:—where all four tanks had been destroyed by one Antitank gun—had impressed the Germans to such an extent that they were convinced that only a tactical aerial bombardment of the direct vicinity of the northern headland could break the Dutch resistance.
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The Colonel himself accompanied by his adjutant and a Sergeant Major went to the bridges to present the capitulation of the city. He met General Schmidt at the bridge and expressed his resentment over the broken word of a senior officer of the German
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At around 18:00, the first German troops started to work their way through the blazing town. The Dutch troops in Rotterdam no longer resisted. They laid down their arms, as ordered by their commanding officer. In the evening, the Germans reached
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heavy fighters. Eleven operational G.Is, fully armed and fueled, were stationed at Waalhaven on 10 May. During the bombing of the airfield, nine of these managed to take off and attack the German bombers resulting in the loss of 167 Luftwaffe's
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patrolling the skies overhead. The Dutch bombers attacked the bridges but were immediately jumped on by the German fighters. The Germans lost five planes compared to three Dutch losses, but to the small Dutch air force that was a heavy toll.
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of truce, but were nevertheless treated harshly by the Dutch. They were stripped of all their weapons, which were thrown into the water, and then blindfolded. The men were then guided to the command post of Colonel Scharroo in the city.
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Student. The meeting was intended to arrange the final details of the surrender. Scharroo had refused to attend. He was very upset about the German "breach of their word of honour" and refused any further contact with them whatsoever.
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stations nearby, and areas around the Nieuwe Maas where landings had been reported. The Germans noticed the activity on the Dutch side and the first contacts with the Dutch forced them to consolidate their forces around the bridges.
1452:—was very reluctant to launch an all-out tank assault across the bridges to the north side. They had received reports of firm Dutch opposition and the presence of both Dutch artillery and anti-tank guns. The losses of tanks at the
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Colonel Scharroo—aware that his small garrison was dealing with a serious German attack—had requested substantial reinforcements in The Hague. Many reinforcements would be sent, all coming from the reserves behind the
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Scharroo was handed the letter, which said that if resistance did not cease the Germans would destroy Rotterdam. Scharroo called General Headquarters and was shortly after called back with instructions from General
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and some distance from the coast. The troops stationed in Rotterdam belonged to training establishments and some smaller miscellaneous units. A modern artillery battalion with twelve 105 mm (4.1 in) guns
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wanted to launch an all-out aerial bombardment on the city centre. However, both Schmidt and Student were opposed to the idea and believed that all that was needed was a tactical bombardment. General
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dropped a number of bombs on the navy ships that caused substantial damage to the motor torpedo boat. Both ships retired after the bomb attack. They had suffered three men killed in action.
1471:, commander-in-chief over the Dutch operational area, sent instructions to Schmidt that on the morning of 14 May that an ultimatum had to be presented to the Dutch local commander in which
1189:. The Dutch had to yield under the ever-increasing pressure. The German force then moved on to the bridges, quickly followed by the bulk of 9th Company of the 16th Air Landing Regiment.
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Both bridges were covered by three anti-tank guns each, and the three batteries 105 mm howitzers at the Kralingse Plas were ordered to prepare barrages on both headlands.
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Von Choltitz—also present at the meeting—stopped the execution. An investigation was launched, which later proved that it had been a stray German bullet that had hit Student.
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Three German soldiers walk over a bridge in Rotterdam that has just been captured. To the left of them two dead Dutch soldiers, a little more to the front a pair of boots.
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1094:. Its guns had a range of over 16,000 m (17,000 yd), sufficient for almost anywhere around Rotterdam. The garrison commander was a military engineer, Colonel
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entire formation unloaded over the Rotterdam city centre. A mixture of 250 kg (550 lb) and 50 kg (110 lb) bombs rained over the defenceless city.
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scheduled to land at the Feyenoord football stadium, close to the Nieuwe Maas. Subsequently, units from Waalhaven would be sent in with additional support weapons.
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Walter Lackner led â…” of his wing on to a course that would bring them on to the target from a northeastern angle. The other 27 bombers were commanded by
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Gradually, the Germans were pushed back to the confines of the narrow perimeter around the traffic bridge. Both sides suffered considerable losses.
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Meanwhile, a meeting took place between Captain Backer (being the official representative of the Dutch commander Scharroo) and the Germans led by
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and the Germans opened fire from both sides. Many marines were hit, mostly fatally. The marines nevertheless immediately returned fire with their
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their bombs the red flares were obscured by smoke. The next 24 bombers of the southern formation closed their bomb hatches and turned westwards.
1126:. One battery of heavy AAA was stationed north of the Nieuwe Maas. There were also two more batteries of heavy AAA and four AAA platoons in the
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The exact number of German casualties in Rotterdam is unknown, due to the listing for KIA in Rotterdam and Waalhaven being combined at 123.
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Rotterdam had no prepared defences and had not been included in any strategic defence plan. It was relatively far from the boundaries of
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Eight hundred to nine hundred people were killed, over 80,000 people lost their homes and more than 25,000 buildings were destroyed.
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Colonel Scharroo sent his adjutant, Captain J. D. Backer, to the Germans with the Dutch reply. Meanwhile, Göring had ordered the
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von Choltitzt to the Maas bridges, German bombers appeared from the south. General Schmidt, who was joined by the two Generals
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after corrections failed to improve the accuracy, the artillery ceased fire. Meanwhile, the two armored cars (
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Meanwhile, the staff of 3rd Battalion of the 16th Air Landing Regiment had run into the Dutch in the square.
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In the meantime, the first German tanks had arrived in the southern outskirts of Rotterdam. German General
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and approached Rotterdam from the south. Estimated time of arrival over the target was 13:20, Dutch time.
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to withdraw his men from the northern pocket should he consider the operational situation required it.
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and two armoured cars. A company of six 81 mm mortars was also attached to the task force.
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The other much larger formation came from the northeast. It comprised 60 bombers under
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and Student, saw the planes and cried out "My God, this is going to be a catastrophe!"
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when the bulk of the 3rd Battalion made contact with the defenders of the bridges.
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in Lafette 34 tripod) crews and placed a few 80 mm (3.15 in) mortars (
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area. The Waalhaven Airbase was also the home of the "3rd Java" squadron of the
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to Overschie, negotiating between Dutch forces in the area. In the village of
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that would continue to burn until well after the capitulation on 14 May.
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Dutch negotiator at the German occupied part of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940
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action—could do nothing but express his appreciation. He replied: "
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It was around this time that the German high command got involved.
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level, so the Germans devised a new plan. Twelve specially adapted
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Battles and operations of World War II involving the Netherlands
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139:– the airbase near Rotterdam burning during the German attack
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Meanwhile, the Germans had been reinforced with a number of
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In the early morning hours of 10 May, 12 Heinkel He 59
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De Slag om de Grebbeberg en Betuwestelling in mei 1940
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1624:" ("Colonel, I fully understand your bitterness").
1287:or from the eastern front of the Fortress Holland.
1677:List of British military equipment of World War II
1229:Military situation around Rotterdam on 10 May 1940
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1672:List of German military equipment of World War II
1354:To the northwest of Rotterdam, at the village of
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1667:List of Dutch military equipment of World War II
1599:General Henri Winkelman after signing the Dutch
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1265:37 mm (1.46 in) PaK 36 anti-tank guns
1622:Herr Oberst, ich verstehe wenn Sie bitter sind
1106:(AAA) were deployed; they were equipped with
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1616:. General Schmidt— himself surprised by the
51:introducing citations to additional sources
1456:and during an attempted bridge crossing at
1785:"Die Bombardierung Rotterdams (in german)"
1522:bombers—to take off from three bases near
1366:had moved the remainder of his force from
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1832:Battles of World War II involving Germany
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41:Relevant discussion may be found on the
16:1940 German attempt to capture Rotterdam
1791:. Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
1358:, forces that had been involved in the
1216:transport aircraft burning at Rotterdam
1847:Germany–Netherlands military relations
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1360:air landings at Ockenburg and Ypenburg
1269:7.5 cm leichtes InfanteriegeschĂĽtz 18
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1697:"British forces in Hoek van Holland"
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1764:(in Dutch). Stichting De Greb
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349:1 motor torpedo boat damaged
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1559:German bombing of Rotterdam
1305:Royal Netherlands Air Force
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1408:Colonel Von Frijtag Drabbe
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1042:Raids on the Atlantic Wall
1037:Strategic Bombing Campaign
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1842:May 1940 events in Europe
1837:Rotterdam in World War II
1518:(KG 54)—with its 90
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1088:10.5 cm Cannon Model 1927
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1789:Lebendiges Museum online
1553:The bombing of Rotterdam
1183:Waalhaven Air Force Base
1102:seven platoons of light
1817:1940 in the Netherlands
1473:unconditional surrender
1104:anti-aircraft artillery
1059:The Battle of Rotterdam
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1320:The Germans used the
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1179:Dietrich von Choltitz
735:Battle of Britain Day
338:Casualties and losses
62:"Battle of Rotterdam"
1322:Holland America Line
1277:8 cm Granatwerfer 34
1032:Defence of the Reich
513:The Heligoland Bight
354:5 aircraft destroyed
347:3 aircraft destroyed
328:1 demolition team UK
326:1 motor torpedo boat
187:51.93083°N 4.47917°E
47:improve this article
1454:Island of Dordrecht
1362:assembled. General
1112:Vickers machine gun
1021:Strategic campaigns
624:Ypres–Comines Canal
318:12 artillery pieces
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117:Battle of Rotterdam
1758:"Fokker G.I (G-1)"
1737:Dutch History Site
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1514:Kampfgeschwader
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1071:Rotterdam Blitz
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778:St Nazaire Raid
730:The Hardest Day
597:Fort Eben-Emael
583:Rotterdam Blitz
541:The Netherlands
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1636:man his life.
1603:on 15 May 1940
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1566:Oberstleutnant
1557:Main article:
1546:
1543:
1536:Oberstleutnant
1520:Heinkel He 111
1488:
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1465:Hermann Göring
1445:—commander of
1399:Panzerdivision
1390:near Rotterdam
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1340:Oberstleutnant
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1176:Oberstleutnant
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1141:Junkers Ju 52s
1134:equipped with
1096:P. W. Scharroo
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151:10–14 May 1940
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45:. Please help
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103:February 2010
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64: –
63:
59:
58:Find sources:
52:
48:
44:
38:
37:
36:single source
32:This article
30:
26:
21:
20:
1793:. Retrieved
1788:
1778:
1766:. Retrieved
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1691:
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1601:capitulation
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1349:Kurt Student
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486:World War II
420:
298:Kurt Student
215:Belligerents
122:Part of the
100:
90:
83:
76:
69:
57:
33:
1795:19 December
1768:10 November
1570:von Hubicki
1545:The bombing
1458:Barendrecht
1285:Grebbe line
1170:Nieuwe Maas
1160:The landing
1149:floatplanes
1100:Nieuwe Maas
920:Blockbuster
828:Netherlands
783:Dieppe Raid
578:Afsluitdijk
503:River Forth
436:Afsluitdijk
229:Netherlands
190: /
165:Netherlands
1811:Categories
1683:References
1530:commander
1528:Geschwader
1449:Armeekorps
1372:Wateringen
1205:The battle
1136:Fokker G.I
927:Lumberjack
797:Baby Blitz
762:Donnerkeil
720:Kanalkampf
643:Montcornet
548:Maastricht
527:Luxembourg
497:Phoney War
431:Grebbeberg
406:Maastricht
352:123 killed
343:185 killed
175:51°55′51″N
73:newspapers
1640:Aftermath
1630:Overschie
1618:Luftwaffe
1614:Wehrmacht
1506:Winkelman
1412:howitzers
1368:Ockenburg
1356:Overschie
1326:Statendam
1310:Luftwaffe
1258:Luftwaffe
1166:seaplanes
1128:Waalhaven
1027:The Blitz
1010:Nuremberg
1005:Heilbronn
990:Frankfurt
975:Paderborn
953:Undertone
906:Veritable
899:Blackcock
791:1944–1945
748:1941–1943
682:Abbeville
563:Rotterdam
558:The Hague
421:Rotterdam
416:The Hague
324:1 gunboat
178:4°28′45″E
161:Rotterdam
137:Waalhaven
43:talk page
1661:See also
1428:carbines
1324:ship SS
995:WĂĽrzburg
874:2nd Alps
868:Nordwind
810:Chastity
803:Overlord
755:Cerberus
741:Sea Lion
725:Adlertag
699:1st Alps
658:Boulogne
614:Gembloux
519:Wikinger
311:Strength
156:Location
1443:Schmidt
1402:at the
1124:Scottis
1077:Prelude
1015:Hamburg
985:TF Baum
967:Varsity
960:Plunder
938:Cologne
933:Remagen
913:Grenade
891:Germany
857:Scheldt
817:Dragoon
713:Britain
668:Dunkirk
590:Belgium
568:Zeeland
426:Zeeland
300: (
255:Germany
87:scholar
1581:Oberst
1532:Oberst
1524:Bremen
1487:14 May
1447:XXXIX
1378:13 May
1333:12 May
1291:11 May
1221:10 May
1118:) and
1061:was a
1000:Kassel
946:Gisela
845:Aachen
674:Dynamo
663:Calais
648:Saumur
631:France
619:La Lys
602:Hannut
252:
238:
226:
203:Result
89:
82:
75:
68:
60:
1273:MG 34
1116:MG 08
862:Bulge
851:Queen
693:Paula
687:Lille
653:Arras
638:Sedan
608:David
94:JSTOR
80:books
1797:2020
1770:2015
1430:and
1397:9th
1303:The
1254:TM51
1252:and
1122:and
980:Ruhr
553:Mill
508:Saar
411:Mill
148:Date
66:news
1249:Z 5
1114:or
303:WIA
49:by
1813::
1787:.
1760:.
1705:^
1634:SS
1526:.
1516:54
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163:,
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1772:.
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1246:(
1151:—
1110:(
1086:(
475:e
468:t
461:v
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369:v
306:)
105:)
101:(
91:·
84:·
77:·
70:·
53:.
39:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
