May 1940 : the battle for the Netherlands / / edited by Herman Amersfoort and Piet Kamphuis.

• Superior document: History of warfare, v. 57
• TeilnehmendeR: Amersfoort, H. 1951-; Kamphuis, P. H.
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Series: History of warfare ; v. 57.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (496 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In May 1940, the Netherlands were overrun by German armed forces. The five-day campaign might seem to be a prime example of Blitzkrieg , which led shortly afterwards to the rapid and unexpected overthrow of France. This book, based on the newest scholarly research, argues that this is too simple a view. Even though the German assault on the Netherlands made use of tanks, aircraft and airborne troops, it was still a classic campaign against a weak opponent in a theater on the margins of Fall Gelb . In many instances, artillery and infantry were the decisive factors and it is debatable whether the bombing of Rotterdam can be seen as a precursor to the aerial terror campaigns against civilian populations that marked the later stages the Second World War. Contributors are H. Amersfoort, H.W. van den Doel, P.H. Kamphuis, P.M.J. de Koster, C.M. Schulten and J.W.M. Schulten.

Table of Contents

The emergence of the German threat / H.W. van den Doel -- Between hope and fear : the Netherlands Armed Forces in the interwar period / C.M. Schulten and P.M.J. de Koster -- The gathering storm : the German Armed Forces in the interwar period / J.W.M. Schulten -- The generals' duel : five days of war at the military strategic level / H. Amersfoort and J.W.M. Schulten -- "Fall festung" : a surprise attack on The Hague / C.M. Schulten -- Disputed territory : the battle in the Dutch provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant, and Zeeland / H.W. van den Doel -- The Field Army defeated : the battle for the Grebbe Line / H.W. van den Doel -- "Vorwarts denken, vorwarts sehen, vorwarts reiten!" : the battle in the northern provinces / P.H. Kamphuis -- Not a bridge too far : the battle for the Moerdijk bridges, Dordrecht, and Rotterdam / H.W. van den Doel -- Myth and reality / H. Amersfoort -- Annex: Table of land forces rank equivalents.