Other Forces

Not the Tour de France ...

Netherlands cycle troops, 1939-'40. The Netherlands Army in 1940 was particularly ill-equipped, not particularly well-trained, and short on numbers to meet a German invasion. The clear hope was that, in the event of war between France and Germany, the Netherlands would manage to remain neutral, as they had in WW1. This hope might well have been realised - Holland was not included in early versions of the plans for "Fall Gelb", and was included, apparently, on the insistence of the Luftwaffe, which thought that Dutch bases would be useful to them in a campaign against France and, later, against Britain (another unfounded appraisal). In return, the Luftwaffe, its paratroops and airborne Heer units were afforded the lead role in the invasion of the Netherlands. The Dutch national defence plan - based on the establishment of a national redoubt based in Zeeland - proved inadequate to meet the German assault pending the (implicit) expectation of the arrival of French/British forces to assist. Nonetheless, the Netherlands soldiers fought bravely and (within their limits) effectively in the couse of their gallant, but brief resistance. On the German side, the campaign, though successful, did not go particularly well, and raised new questions as to the effectiveness both of the panzer force and of independently operating airborne forces. Best regards, JR.