My grandfather was mobilized as an officer in summer 1939. He supervised the Eemstelling if the Grebbelinie. Before he died, so some 45 years later, he took me on a visit and he re-acquainted with a local farmer he knew from the war.
@@HistoryHustle he and my Oma left Holland in 1957 on a Ship for New Zealand 🇳🇿 apparently life was very hard in Europe after the War many Dutch immigrated to New Zealand 🇳🇿 for a better life last name of van Bommel he spent those 6 years in hiding actively being a thorn in the Germans side wrecking German Vehicles by adding sand & sugar to fuel tanks painting Union jacks and Orange flags at night during curfew and other things Johannas van Bommel I’m very proud of him
I live close to Peel-Raamenlijn and you can still see all the bunkers on Defensiekanaal some are preserved to look in side some just all closed with concrete
An interesting film Stefan ! I have two books related to this The Battle for the Hague by Lt. Colonel E.H. Brongers and Military Operations of the Dutch Army 10th-17th May 1940 by P.L.G. Doorman OBE I would recommend these books to your viewers that are interested. The Dutch Army, Navy and Air Force fought gallantly to defend Holland but were at many disadvantages from the start in terms of weapons and geography. There is a dearth of coverage in English about the 1940 Dutch campaign that's why films like yours are so valuable, I would say that if Holland does pop up in most narratives it's the bombing of Rotterdam. Carry on covering this subject, it needs more attention not only a tribute to those who were there but in correcting the narrative that Britain and France did all the fighting and that the Belgians and Dutch played hardly a part at all. Coverage of the struggle put up by the Dutch and Belgians is needed for a properly rounded account of May and June 1940. Many thanks for your films mate !
How neutral were the dutch in ww1? Seem to remember reading about resentment of british blockades and making millions of guilders selling concrete to imperial Germany for their trenches. General cultural closeness to Germany as well.Which was why 1940 was such a shock? Would like a video on that era. Very interesting episode,these ww2 are some of your best videos. cheers.
Considering trade with Germany was important then as well through the port of Rotterdam, relations were quite close. The queen also was a relative of the Kaiser. Besides that, without aircraft, it would have been a lot harder to conquer.
@@chubbymoth5810 The Queen was not related to the Germen Emporer. She was close to him as all Dutch and German-nobility good relations with the Emporer. But they were not related.
It was quite a balancing act for the dutch government. They sold stuff to both sides, but the u-boats and mining and the closing of the border with belgium also did a lot of damage to the economy and even led to food-shortages I believe.
Although Dutch and Germans have stuff in common they have much differences too. I made a video on the Dutch perspective on the German occupation. Please check: ruclips.net/video/qkPhsNfVyhM/видео.html&pp=ygUqRHV0Y2ggcGVyc3BlY3RpdmUgb24gdGhlIEdlcm1hbiBvY2N1cGF0aW9u
Well at least we tried and where able to stop the Germans for 5 days. I wonder if we had more chances if The Netherlands worked more closely with the French and British.... Anyways good video again! I just read a book about the dutch armies in the East and West Indies also covering the defense plans for ww2
If you haven't seen it, check my video on the Allied co-operation with the Dutch in May 1940: ruclips.net/video/4d3zbbjlk-c/видео.html&pp=ygU0IHRoZSBBbGxpZWQgY28tb3BlcmF0aW9uIHdpdGggdGhlIER1dGNoIGluIE1heSAxOTQwOg%3D%3D
I've always wondered what it would have taken for the Netherlands to have held out longer. IMO more AA and AT guns to protect the defensive lines/fortifications would be necessary. Also, I can't help but feel that the Waterline would have been a better option as the main line of defense. A shorter line with water barriers, defended by machine-guns, AA and AT emplacements would have made Fortress Holland actually defensible for some time, once the paratroopers had been dealt with. OTOH, there's little doubt that the germans would have proceeded to bomb the major cities in 'Rotterdam' style, so the damage and loss of life may well have been greater as a result. It makes for some interesting alternative history-scenarios.
Interesting. I have a ‘Cherry Tree War Special’ ‘Parachutes over Holland’ passed onto me from a relative who was in the B.E.F. at the time. I thinks it’s from 1940s. I must read it.
Great video Stefan. I've always been fascinated by the 1940 invasion of the west. I was perplexed as to why the Belgians and Dutch didn't have a joint defense plan. Could you make a video about the Belgian defense plan?
It was hopeless from the beginning, the Netherlands has the longest border with Germany.. If you ride from Enschede to Scheveningen, you can be there within 2 hours. So the Dutch forces had no defence in dept, that combined with an disastrous economic policy in the years before( Colijn..no investments in arms ) and a astonishing naivety ( buying weapons from the Germans and wonder that they weren't delivered..) made it impossible for the armed forces to succeed. However in contrast of popular believe, we fought hard, wreaked havoc under their elite airborne forces and air transports . 5 Days of fighting in a modern war is long! (Israël won a 6 day war). Given the fact that Denmark, an island nation, gave up in only 6 hours, we did alright. B.T.W. if you want to know how good these German paras were, just look up Eben Emaell, Belgium. Again Stefan, brilliant work! Can't wait till your next one!
@@RoderikvanReekum Like i posted, the Netherlands has NO defence in dept( you should read before posting something..) Just take a look on the map and you see that Ukraine is a couple of times larger then NL... Further more German logistical lines were a lot shorter since NL is right on the border with Germany's industrial heartland...And that German army was a lot more qualified for the job then this ragtag Russian one, that got bogged down in trenCh warfare.BTW the Ukrainian armed forces had already years of experience fighting Russians.. So what's your point?
I think the Netherlands defense against Nazi Germany mirrored that of Poland. Both tried the best in slowing the enemy down hoping for Allies’ rescue, and in the case of Poland the USSR killed of Poland by stabbing on the back.
Important to note that the Soviets (lead by a Georgian) only did a deal with Germany after their offer of a common front against Germany was rejected. In 1938 (despite France and Britain backing down at Munich) the Soviets continued to offer military assistance to Czechoslovakia including 700 fighter aircraft and parachute regiments (if requested). This they hoped would force Germany to back down. Germany was weaker in 1938 than a year later. (Partly because they took all the Czechoslovakian military equipment) Despite interest from the Czechoslovakian military the civilian government refused the Soviet offer, and simultaneously Poland attacked Czechoslovakia along with Germany. (Poland took 3 regions, and also colluded with Germany in continuing to occupy the southern third of Lithuania) Realising they couldn’t trust Poland or the West the Soviets did a deal with Germany.
We love your history lessons here in America, from what I know of pre-World war 2,if all of the Allies had listen to general Black Jack Persian to begin with WWII would have never occurred if you read his memoirs that were published shortly after he retired he begged the civilian leadership not to accept the surrender terms but to move into Germany and occupy the whole country, and if that was not possible he begged to keep us and British forces within Germany, and if you read his farewell address that he gave at West point upon his retirement he covers on this and many other points that the civilian leadership fail to even consider, he knew that are undefeated Germany from a military standpoint would come back stronger and better, and I remember all of the assurances that I read about that the European nations gave United States and general Pershing at the time of the armistice, that they would stay in place and administer the armistice and be sure all of the conditions were followed and the US troops were to be pulled out and sent back to America in a short. Of time, too bad the civilian leadership take the generals warnings to heart, and personally I think the worse than Adolf Hitler done as far as leading to his downfall number one declare war on America a number to take it on Mussolini as an supporter country, and number three the invasion of Russia.
Some say that we shot down so many German aircraft that the battle of Britain failed. The famous "waterlinie" was unfortunately outdated due to aircraft and modern technology.
I made a video on the possible Dutch contribution to the Battle of Britain: ruclips.net/video/7Ovp9YKH8aY/видео.html&pp=ygUhZHV0Y2ggY29udHJpYnV0aW9uIGJhdHRsZSBicml0YWlu
I don't really understand how a country (the Netherlands) that is between hostile sides can still assume that it is a neutral country. Only Switzerland managed to do this, because there was a direct border between Germany and France and it was possible to bypass Switzerland.
The Netherlands are quite small compared to Germany to have a serious defence. Also the riscs of hurting their own population, makes it harder to defend the country (Rotterdam). An other point is the position of the Dutch government since maybe 1918that it never took it all to serious. A lot of financial cuts, old material and no money to do any serious maneuvers or field practices. After the mobilization there was no time or the soldiers were to busy with making defense's and cutting trees. The army had never trained above brigade level, so it was really hard to do united operations during the war. At local level they have been fighting really hard and good, (Grebbelinie, Afsluitdijk, Den Haag) but as a total the Dutch army was not very succesfull.
There where plenty of heroic resistance fighters and people who saved for expample Jews but there was not so much or an organiser partizan army like in Yugoslavia or France
@@felixmbandandayitabi4536 There is another film called "The Assault." It was about an incidence during the final Winter of the War. They called it the "Hunger Winter." The film was about a resistance assassination and resulting reprisal. It was very complicated and showed some less than noble ways to survive.
No doubt the Dutch Govt. was aware of German Military massing across the border. Also, prepared for the inevitable result once Germans had entered the country. Newsreel films and front page press of the invasion of Poland would have been the main news from 1st September 1939. Perhaps, Dutch Military preparations were more for the Dutch people. To give them hope and not to give up and to brace them for major changes to their lives. 5 days of resistance and then surrender was the right thing for ordinary citizens. Saving lives and property was best choice.
From what I can determine, they were launched from the Netherlands and Germany, and even one site (approximately at St Vith) in France. Of course, it was the ones from the Netherlands that were fired at the UK. Some were fired at the Netherlands, Belgium and France, too.
The Dutch should have tried simply subverting the rank and file of the German units by promising them a fling with a lady of the Red Light District and some free marijuana. The kids who made up the bulk of the German army would have loved that. See, I can be sneaky. Take care.
Ypenburg 1940: ruclips.net/video/hmmNEMcn6FI/видео.html
Rotterdam 1940: ruclips.net/video/l4sfzTdbTII/видео.html
Grebbeberg 1940: ruclips.net/video/WJqfCVoiqbQ/видео.html
Nice to see Dutch history being teached by a dutch.
Obrigado, Stefan! ヽ(͡◕ ͜ʖ ͡◕)ﾉ 🍀 🇧🇷
My grandfather was mobilized as an officer in summer 1939. He supervised the Eemstelling if the Grebbelinie. Before he died, so some 45 years later, he took me on a visit and he re-acquainted with a local farmer he knew from the war.
Thank you for sharing this.
I am that local farmer, and I got money. Get money Dutch yall!
4th 👍 Australia 🇦🇺 my Opa was in the Dutch Army in 1940 he was 17 🔥 🔥 🔥 he spent 6 years in hiding
🥇 reply!
Thanks for sharing.
@@HistoryHustle he and my Oma left Holland in 1957 on a Ship for New Zealand 🇳🇿 apparently life was very hard in Europe after the War many Dutch immigrated to New Zealand 🇳🇿 for a better life last name of van Bommel he spent those 6 years in hiding actively being a thorn in the Germans side wrecking German Vehicles by adding sand & sugar to fuel tanks painting Union jacks and Orange flags at night during curfew and other things Johannas van Bommel I’m very proud of him
I live close to Peel-Raamenlijn and you can still see all the bunkers on Defensiekanaal some are preserved to look in side some just all closed with concrete
Hope to come there one day to cover stuff on location!
@HistoryHustle i hope too. Also in Mill where goes canal you can also see memorial with Ram Kangaroo
An interesting film Stefan ! I have two books related to this The Battle for the Hague by Lt. Colonel E.H. Brongers and Military Operations of the Dutch Army 10th-17th May 1940 by P.L.G. Doorman OBE I would recommend these books to your viewers that are interested. The Dutch Army, Navy and Air Force fought gallantly to defend Holland but were at many disadvantages from the start in terms of weapons and geography. There is a dearth of coverage in English about the 1940 Dutch campaign that's why films like yours are so valuable, I would say that if Holland does pop up in most narratives it's the bombing of Rotterdam. Carry on covering this subject, it needs more attention not only a tribute to those who were there but in correcting the narrative that Britain and France did all the fighting and that the Belgians and Dutch played hardly a part at all. Coverage of the struggle put up by the Dutch and Belgians is needed for a properly rounded account of May and June 1940. Many thanks for your films mate !
Good reads yes!
Geweldige aflevering weer Stefan, je verteld het met veel kennis en passie top dank je wel👍
Dank voor het kijken.
Thank you Stefan for your brilliant work.What do you think of the queens decision to leave?
Thanks for your reply. I think with hindsight it was the best thing to do. Although I fully understand people at that time felt abandoned.
How about a video on that WW1 German army retreating through the Netherlands?
One day perhaps!
How neutral were the dutch in ww1? Seem to remember reading about resentment of british blockades and making millions of guilders selling concrete to imperial Germany for their trenches. General cultural closeness to Germany as well.Which was why 1940 was such a shock? Would like a video on that era. Very interesting episode,these ww2 are some of your best videos. cheers.
Considering trade with Germany was important then as well through the port of Rotterdam, relations were quite close. The queen also was a relative of the Kaiser. Besides that, without aircraft, it would have been a lot harder to conquer.
@@chubbymoth5810 The Queen was not related to the Germen Emporer. She was close to him as all Dutch and German-nobility good relations with the Emporer. But they were not related.
It was quite a balancing act for the dutch government. They sold stuff to both sides, but the u-boats and mining and the closing of the border with belgium also did a lot of damage to the economy and even led to food-shortages I believe.
Although Dutch and Germans have stuff in common they have much differences too. I made a video on the Dutch perspective on the German occupation. Please check:
ruclips.net/video/qkPhsNfVyhM/видео.html&pp=ygUqRHV0Y2ggcGVyc3BlY3RpdmUgb24gdGhlIEdlcm1hbiBvY2N1cGF0aW9u
Another brilliant and very interesting video. Thank you, Stefan!
Thanks for your reply.
Bedankt voor je video's: altijd interessant! Hoe zou je de generaals beoordelen? Waren het ook capabele generaals?
Dank! Lastige vraag, heb er te weinig inzicht in helaas. Iemand anders een idee?
Well at least we tried and where able to stop the Germans for 5 days. I wonder if we had more chances if The Netherlands worked more closely with the French and British....
Anyways good video again! I just read a book about the dutch armies in the East and West Indies also covering the defense plans for ww2
If you haven't seen it, check my video on the Allied co-operation with the Dutch in May 1940:
ruclips.net/video/4d3zbbjlk-c/видео.html&pp=ygU0IHRoZSBBbGxpZWQgY28tb3BlcmF0aW9uIHdpdGggdGhlIER1dGNoIGluIE1heSAxOTQwOg%3D%3D
I've always wondered what it would have taken for the Netherlands to have held out longer. IMO more AA and AT guns to protect the defensive lines/fortifications would be necessary. Also, I can't help but feel that the Waterline would have been a better option as the main line of defense. A shorter line with water barriers, defended by machine-guns, AA and AT emplacements would have made Fortress Holland actually defensible for some time, once the paratroopers had been dealt with. OTOH, there's little doubt that the germans would have proceeded to bomb the major cities in 'Rotterdam' style, so the damage and loss of life may well have been greater as a result. It makes for some interesting alternative history-scenarios.
Sure thing! Perhaps an alterantive history channel can talk about it.
@@HistoryHustle There's an interesting take on this to be found on the Alternate History Forum with the title 'blunted sickle'.
Watching a history vid after a long time, and had to start with your video Stephan
Good to hear from you again! ENjoy.
@@HistoryHustle certainly did. Great video as always 👍
A valiant effort by the Dutch, but it was always going to be difficult for a small, flat country to defend itself against the much larger neighbour.
Indeed yeah.
A wonderful historical coverage video of the uniqueness circumstances of the Netherlands 🇳🇱 during WW2.....thank you, Sir Stefan, for sharing
Many thanks for your reply😀
Gooi de dijken open jongens!
Inundatie ja 🥈
Great video Stefan!!
Thanks 👍
Weer een mooie zaterdag! Bedankt Stefan
Goed weekend!
Thank you for another informative documentary.
👍👍👍
Nice and interesting video!
Thanks for your comment.
Interesting. I have a ‘Cherry Tree War Special’ ‘Parachutes over Holland’ passed onto me from a relative who was in the B.E.F. at the time.
I thinks it’s from 1940s. I must read it.
Thanks for sharing!
Awesome as usual. A lot of missed opportunities…
Thanks for watching.
Great video Stefan. I've always been fascinated by the 1940 invasion of the west. I was perplexed as to why the Belgians and Dutch didn't have a joint defense plan. Could you make a video about the Belgian defense plan?
Please check my video on the German invasion of Belgium👍
It was hopeless from the beginning, the Netherlands has the longest border with Germany.. If you ride from Enschede to Scheveningen, you can be there within 2 hours. So the Dutch forces had no defence in dept, that combined with an disastrous economic policy in the years before( Colijn..no investments in arms ) and a astonishing naivety ( buying weapons from the Germans and wonder that they weren't delivered..) made it impossible for the armed forces to succeed. However in contrast of popular believe, we fought hard, wreaked havoc under their elite airborne forces and air transports . 5 Days of fighting in a modern war is long! (Israël won a 6 day war). Given the fact that Denmark, an island nation, gave up in only 6 hours, we did alright. B.T.W. if you want to know how good these German paras were, just look up Eben Emaell, Belgium.
Again Stefan, brilliant work! Can't wait till your next one!
Long border with Germany, no mountains and not an island. 3 mistakes the Dutch made.
@@julianshepherd2038 These aren"t mistakes Just the lay of the land. Calling that a ' mistake" is just stupid.
"5 Days of fighting in a modern war is long" The 5 day special operation of Putin is taking more then a year now, World War 1 trensh style.
@@RoderikvanReekum Like i posted, the Netherlands has NO defence in dept( you should read before posting something..) Just take a look on the map and you see that Ukraine is a couple of times larger then NL... Further more German logistical lines were a lot shorter since NL is right on the border with Germany's industrial heartland...And that German army was a lot more qualified for the job then this ragtag Russian one, that got bogged down in trenCh warfare.BTW the Ukrainian armed forces had already years of experience fighting Russians.. So what's your point?
@Roel: I will release a video on the 1940 Eben Emael battle. Probably late summer somewhere.
I think the Netherlands defense against Nazi Germany mirrored that of Poland. Both tried the best in slowing the enemy down hoping for Allies’ rescue, and in the case of Poland the USSR killed of Poland by stabbing on the back.
Important to note that the Soviets (lead by a Georgian) only did a deal with Germany after their offer of a common front against Germany was rejected.
In 1938 (despite France and Britain backing down at Munich) the Soviets continued to offer military assistance to Czechoslovakia including 700 fighter aircraft and parachute regiments (if requested).
This they hoped would force Germany to back down. Germany was weaker in 1938 than a year later. (Partly because they took all the Czechoslovakian military equipment)
Despite interest from the Czechoslovakian military the civilian government refused the Soviet offer, and simultaneously Poland attacked Czechoslovakia along with Germany. (Poland took 3 regions, and also colluded with Germany in continuing to occupy the southern third of Lithuania)
Realising they couldn’t trust Poland or the West the Soviets did a deal with Germany.
Although Poland was already pretty much defeated by the Wehrmacht, the USSR delivered the coup de grace in that sense.
Bedankt. BZ.
Not in the Dutch defensive plan, the invasion gave rise to one if not the smallest and short lived exclaves.
You mean the one in Indonesia? Of that island near Sumatra?
@@HistoryHustle Island? Unless you are referring to the Crijnssen, tell me more.
Nais island. What did you mean?
@@HistoryHustle Thanks for the island name.
Ottawa civic hospital maternity ward for Princess Margriet
We love your history lessons here in America, from what I know of pre-World war 2,if all of the Allies had listen to general Black Jack Persian to begin with WWII would have never occurred if you read his memoirs that were published shortly after he retired he begged the civilian leadership not to accept the surrender terms but to move into Germany and occupy the whole country, and if that was not possible he begged to keep us and British forces within Germany, and if you read his farewell address that he gave at West point upon his retirement he covers on this and many other points that the civilian leadership fail to even consider, he knew that are undefeated Germany from a military standpoint would come back stronger and better, and I remember all of the assurances that I read about that the European nations gave United States and general Pershing at the time of the armistice, that they would stay in place and administer the armistice and be sure all of the conditions were followed and the US troops were to be pulled out and sent back to America in a short. Of time, too bad the civilian leadership take the generals warnings to heart, and personally I think the worse than Adolf Hitler done as far as leading to his downfall number one declare war on America a number to take it on Mussolini as an supporter country, and number three the invasion of Russia.
Van Voorst tot Voorst, cool name 😎
😎
Netherlands was in an impossible situation. No good solution existed
I agree.
Some say that we shot down so many German aircraft that the battle of Britain failed. The famous "waterlinie" was unfortunately outdated due to aircraft and modern technology.
I made a video on the possible Dutch contribution to the Battle of Britain:
ruclips.net/video/7Ovp9YKH8aY/видео.html&pp=ygUhZHV0Y2ggY29udHJpYnV0aW9uIGJhdHRsZSBicml0YWlu
@@HistoryHustleThanks
I don't really understand how a country (the Netherlands) that is between hostile sides can still assume that it is a neutral country. Only Switzerland managed to do this, because there was a direct border between Germany and France and it was possible to bypass Switzerland.
The Netherlands are quite small compared to Germany to have a serious defence. Also the riscs of hurting their own population, makes it harder to defend the country (Rotterdam).
An other point is the position of the Dutch government since maybe 1918that it never took it all to serious. A lot of financial cuts, old material and no money to do any serious maneuvers or field practices. After the mobilization there was no time or the soldiers were to busy with making defense's and cutting trees. The army had never trained above brigade level, so it was really hard to do united operations during the war. At local level they have been fighting really hard and good, (Grebbelinie, Afsluitdijk, Den Haag) but as a total the Dutch army was not very succesfull.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
1. d4 f5 (The Dutch Defense)
lol
How active was Dutch resistance during occupation?
Please check my video on that right here:
ruclips.net/video/u9DWNOhHK_g/видео.html
The Dutch resistance was quite active and quite imaginative. 2 movies from real stories may inspire you to dig more the banker, and the "black book"
There where plenty of heroic resistance fighters and people who saved for expample Jews but there was not so much or an organiser partizan army like in Yugoslavia or France
@@justanapple8510 Considering the small size of the country and lack of suitable landscape a large partizan-movement was never going to be an option.
@@felixmbandandayitabi4536 There is another film called "The Assault." It was about an incidence during the final Winter of the War. They called it the "Hunger Winter." The film was about a resistance assassination and resulting reprisal. It was very complicated and showed some less than noble ways to survive.
👍
No doubt the Dutch Govt. was aware of German Military massing across the border. Also, prepared for the inevitable result once Germans had entered the country.
Newsreel films and front page press of the invasion of Poland would have been the main news from 1st September 1939.
Perhaps, Dutch Military preparations were more for the Dutch people. To give them hope and not to give up and to brace them for major changes to their lives.
5 days of resistance and then surrender was the right thing for ordinary citizens. Saving lives and property was best choice.
I agree.
were all the V2s launched from there?
From what I can determine, they were launched from the Netherlands and Germany, and even one site (approximately at St Vith) in France. Of course, it was the ones from the Netherlands that were fired at the UK. Some were fired at the Netherlands, Belgium and France, too.
Thanks for replying to this one.
@@HistoryHustle My pleasure!
Has there been criticism of Gen Winkelman? Was he perhaps not up to the task?
A lot actually.
I'm the 3rd to comment and 17th to like this video
🥉👍
Unfortunately the Dutch, Belgians and the French were still fighting like it was world war 1.
Prettu much yes.
i salute to the dutch they try to fight hold the line but the nazi s are more tougher and more tanks
Thanks for your reply!
Did not work.
Indeed.
Don 't be too hard on the Dutch they did remarkably well given the small size of the country and their obsolete weapons .
Fair point.
@@HistoryHustle thanks for the video
Have you ever considered doing a video on Anne Frank or Edith Stein? Both were born in Germany, but have a connection with the Netherlands.
Perhaps one day. Thing is: there is already much on YT about Anne Frank.
The Dutch should have tried simply subverting the rank and file of the German units by promising them a fling with a lady of the Red Light District and some free marijuana. The kids who made up the bulk of the German army would have loved that. See, I can be sneaky. Take care.
Lol!
Братан,расскажи всему миру, что Бандера не герой,а фашист.И украинцам навязали нациста для войны . ДЯКУЮ.
Irrelevant regarding the topic. I did cover Bandera in another video. Suggest you watch that first.
@@HistoryHustle щиро дякую за вiдклик.Справа в тому ,до я не володiю англiйскою мовою I живу в нiмеччинi.
Бандэра фашист.