German invasion of the Netherlands

Battle of the Netherlands
Part of the Battle of France
The centre of Rotterdam destroyed after bombing
Date 10–14 May 1940 10–17 May 1940 (Zealand) Location Netherlands Result German victory German occupation of the Netherlands Creation of Reichskommissariat Niederlande Removal of Dutch military presence in the continental European Theater. The Dutch government goes into exile in the United Kingdom.
Belligerents
Netherlands France  United Kingdom	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Henri Winkelman Jan Joseph Godfried van Voorst tot Voorst Henri Giraud	Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Hans Graf von Sponeck
Strength
9 divisions 700 guns 1 tank 5 tankettes 32 armoured cars 145 aircraft Total: 280,000 men	22 divisions 1,378 guns 759 tanks 830 aircraft 6 armoured trains Total: 750,000 men
Casualties and losses
2,332 KIA (Dutch Army) 7,000 wounded 216 French KIA 43 British KIA Over 2,000 civilians killed	2,032 KIA 6,000–7,000 wounded 4 armoured trains 225–275 aircraft total loss 1,350 prisoners to England

German victory

The Battle of the Netherlands (Dutch: Slag om Nederland) was a military campaign part of Case Yellow (German: Fall Gelb), the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on 14 May. Dutch troops in the province of Zeeland continued to resist the Wehrmacht until 17 May when Germany completed its occupation of the whole nation.

The Battle of the Netherlands saw some of the earliest mass paratroop drops, to occupy tactical points and assist the advance of ground troops. The German Luftwaffe used paratroopers in the capture of several airfields in the vicinity of Rotterdam and The Hague, helping to quickly overrun the nation and immobilise Dutch forces.

After the devastating bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe, the Germans threatened to bomb other Dutch cities if the Dutch forces refused to surrender. The General Staff knew it could not stop the bombers and ordered the Dutch army to cease hostilities. The last occupied parts of the Netherlands were liberated in 1945.

The United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany in 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, but no major land operations occurred in Western Europe during the period known as the Phoney War in the winter of 1939–1940. During this time, the British and French built up their forces in expectation of a long war, and the Germans completed their conquest of Poland. On 9 October, Adolf Hitler ordered plans to be made for an invasion of the Low Countries, to use them as a base against Great Britain and to pre-empt a similar attack by the Allied forces, which could threaten the vital Ruhr Area. A joint Dutch-Belgian peace offer between the two sides was rejected on 7 November.

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