Key Facts
- Duration of main battle
- 10–14 May 1940 (5 days)
- Full occupation completed
- 17 May 1940
- Liberation
- 1945
- Key event
- Bombing of Rotterdam, 14 May 1940
- Part of
- Case Yellow (Fall Gelb)
Strategic Narrative Overview
German forces employed mass paratroop drops — among the earliest in warfare — to seize airfields near Rotterdam and The Hague, rapidly disrupting Dutch command and mobility. Ground troops advanced swiftly in support. Dutch forces resisted but were unable to halt the combined airborne and armored assault. On 14 May, the Luftwaffe devastated Rotterdam in a bombing raid, and Germany threatened further strikes on other cities unless the Dutch surrendered immediately.
01 / The Origins
The German invasion of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow, Nazi Germany's broader offensive against the Low Countries and France in May 1940. The Netherlands, which had maintained neutrality in World War I, found itself targeted as Germany sought to outflank Allied defenses and seize control of the North Sea coast. The invasion began on 10 May 1940 as German forces simultaneously struck Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.
03 / The Outcome
Facing unstoppable air bombardment and unable to protect its cities, the Dutch General Staff ordered the Royal Netherlands Army to cease hostilities on 14 May 1940. Dutch troops under French command in Zeeland held out until 17 May, when Germany completed its occupation. The Netherlands remained under German occupation until liberation by Allied forces in 1945, with some areas freed only in the final days of the war in Europe.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Fedor von Bock.
Side B
2 belligerents
Henri Winkelman.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.