3.4 The German occupation of the Netherlands

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3.4 The German occupation of the Netherlands

Germany attacks
May 10th, 1940

On Friday morning, at 3.55 am, the German army attacks the poorly armed Netherlands. In some places, such as at the Afsluitdijk and the Grebbelinie, there is still considerable resistance, but nothing can match the German Blitzkrieg.

De Nederlandse verdedigingslinies

De Duitse aanval op Nederland (1940)

Government moves to London

May 13th, 1940

In order not to fall into the hands of the Germans, a large part of the government flees to England. Queen Wilhelmina will motivate the Dutch from London

Anti-koningshuis spotprent uit het NSDAP-blad 'Het Nieuwe Volk' over het koningshuis dat in mei 1940 gevlucht zou zijn met de Nederlandse goudvoorraad.

Bombs on Rotterdam

May 14th, 1940

Though the city has already surrendered,

the Germans bomb Rotterdam anyway.

The bombardment lasts only fifteen minutes, but the city center has been destroyed and will not be rebuilt until after the war.

Centrum Rotterdam (15 mei 1940)

The Netherlands surrenders

May 15th, 1940

After the bombing of Rotterdam, and the German threat to bomb other cities as well, the Netherlands has no choice but to surrender. In the May days of 1940, approximately 2,200 soldiers and 2,500 civilians were killed.

3.4 The German occupation of the Netherlands

• today's lesson=
• HW check
• summary par 3
• instruction par 4
• Time to work

1. expansionism
   
2. Burma Road
   
3. Attack on Pearl Harbour
   
4. Tripartite Act
   
5. Japanese internment camps 

a. Dutch Indies

b. agreement to give mutual assistance

c. USA is suspicious towards Japan

d. US naval base in Hawaii 

e. supply Allied military forces in China

Part of Germany

The Netherlands becomes part of Germany: The Austrian Arthur Seyss-Inquart becomes Reichskommisar (Reich Commissioner).

The National Socialist Movement (NSB), which collaborated with the Germans,

is the only political organization allowed to continue to exist.

The leader of the NSB, Anton Mussert, may call himself 'Leader of the Dutch People', but the Germans are ultimately the boss.

Life under German occupation

• forced employment
• ration card distribution system

Dutch reaction (1)

Some Dutchmen chose to cooperate with the Germans. (collaboration)

They joined the SS, the German army or the NSB.

Dutch reaction (2)

Others chose to oppose the Germans (resistance)

They did this through illegal newspapers / fake identity cards / fake ration cards.

Sometimes an attack was committed, innocent civilians were killed in revenge.

How effective was the Dutch resistance during World War II?

• https://npokennis.nl/longread/7790/hoe-effectief-is-het-verzet-tijdens-de-tweede-wereldoorlog

February strike

February, 1941

The first major resistance action against the German occupiers in the Netherlands. The reason was the raids in Amsterdam, in response to the murder of an NSB member.

The strike was the only massive and open protest against the persecution of the Jews in the occupied Netherlands.

Duitse propaganda om verzet (staken) tegen te gaan.

De oproep voor de Februaristaking (februari 1941)

De weggevoerde joodse Amsterdammers worden in de zomer van 1941 bijna allemaal vermoord in het concentratiekamp Mauthausen (Oostenrijk).

https://www.verzetsmuseum.org/museum/nl/kinderen/over-de-oorlog/thema-s-wo2-verzet/februaristaking

Crazy Tuesday

September 5th, 1944

The advance of the Allies after D-Day is very fast.

The events are followed on illegal radios: "They are in the Netherlands!"

Dolle dinsdag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AFRXOM6He8

Dolle Dinsdag: Duitsers vertrekken na geruchten over de op handen zijnde komst van de geallieerden.

Duitse militairen rijden door de Kerkstraat in Oosterhout.

Railway strike

September 1944 - may 1945

To help the Allied advance, Radio Oranje calls on the railway staff to go on strike. For example, the Germans can no longer use the railway for their war.

It also eventually leads to food and fuel shortages...

Hunger winter

November 1944 - April 1945

The Hunger Winter had a number of causes:

1. it was no longer possible to supply coal from Limburg, because this part of the Netherlands had already been liberated.
2. In addition, the Railway Strike ensured that nothing was transported anymore...
   
3. ...and the Germans took revenge by blocking main routes to the western Netherlands.
   

German surrenders

May 4th, 1945

Negotiations will take place in Hotel De Wereld in Wageningen on 5 May

about the unconditional surrender of the German troops in the Netherlands.

The German troops surrendered on 4 May to the Allies.

The liberation

May 1945

The liberation is nowadays celebrated on May 5, but the Netherlands was not liberated everywhere on May 5: sometimes it was earlier, sometimes much later, such as on Texel. This island was not liberated until May 20, 1945.

Bijltjesdag:

The Dutch react with horror to people who have collaborated with the Germans.

Women who went with Germans during the occupation are shaved bald.

Uit een pamflet uit augustus 1944:

'Juffrouw.

De mof waar je mee vrijt,

gaat spoedig aan de haal.

Als Neerland is bevrijd, draag jij je kopje kaal.'

('Mof' is scheldwoord voor Duitser).

Haircut in retaliation

• https://npokennis.nl/longread/7784/kaalgeknipt-als-vergelding-waar-ligt-de-grens-tussen-goed-en-fout

Netflix war movies:

1.  Der Untergang
2.  Saving Private Ryan 
3. Sobibor 
4. Unbroken 
5. Süskind 
6. Riphagen (crimineel die joden deporteerde in NL (W))
7. Inglorious Bastards 
8. Schindler's list 

Time to work =

• Read par 3.4
• summarize a paragraph
• Learn key words
• What did you learn in this chapter
• Do next week's hw

  1939               1940              1941                  1942                 1943                 1944               1945

1 sept. 1939

Ger. invades Poland

spring 1940

Germany conquers western-Europe

summer 1940

Battle of Brittain

fall 1941

OperationBarbarossa

7 dec. 1941

Pearl Harbor

1942 - 1943

Siege of Stalingrad

June 1944

D-day

april 1945

Germany surrenders

aug. 1945

Atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki

End WW2

Start WWII

Bombardment of Rotterdam

February strike

Battle of Arnhem

Railway strike

Hunger winter

Liberation