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War in Europe
German soldiers invaded Poland. -
War is Declared
England and France, being allies of Poland, decided to declare war against Germany. This was the start of World War 2 and the start of the "Phoney War." -
Germany Occupies Western Europe
After the ultimate capture of the Netherlands and various sections of France, Hitler became idolized and adored in Germany. He was made out to be a hero. A majority of Western Europe was controlled by Hitler and his people. -
Preparing for the German Attack
The government in the Netherlands proclaimed martial law which resulted in the allowance for them to censor sensitive military information. Although the law had been proclaimed, the government decided not to bring attention to it or the war as to not cause panic. -
The Netherlands are neutral
The Dutch decided to use their strategy from the previous World War and stay impartial. The Government in the Netherlands led by Queen Wilhelmina did not express their opinions as to not cause any further conflict or attacks. -
Germany Invades the Netherlands
It was during this morning when German bombers attacked the Netherlands. The bombers flew in the direction of England, passing the Netherlands, but the planes turned around for s surprise attack. Adolf Hitler used the situation to create a lie about how the German people were defending themselves against potential and upcoming threats. -
Failed attack on The Hague
The German bombers that attacked the Netherlands began to attack barrack around the Hague. Fortunately, the Dutch Soldiers overpowered the bombers and defused their plan of holding the Dutch government hostage. -
Germany Successes
The south portion of the Netherlands had also been attacked, and this led to the Grebbe line falling on May 13. -
Queen Wilhelmina Flees to England
The current government at the time encourage the queen to leave the Netherlands and go to England which she did before the bombings occurred. This was very upsetting to the Dutch population. -
Flight and Chaos
Once the queen fled, this encouraged others to do the same. Thousands of people fled and many were killed. The goal was to find a ship to England, but very few people succeeded. -
The Bombing of Rotterdam
General Schmidt gave the Dutch an extreme decision, if the Netherlands surrendered by that afternoon the Germans would not bomb them. The German also had another plan in which they began to drop bombs before the time they had specified they would. -
Strategic Interest of the Netherlands
Germany decided to plan an attack against the Netherland referred to as the "Fall Gelb." The Netherlands attack was just one point in Germany's much bigger plan of overthrowing France. -
Capitulation of the Netherlands
Once the German threatened to bomb the Utrecht, the Dutch decided to surrender to prevent further attacks. The surrendering had mixed reactions with some people relieved and some in extreme fear for their lives. -
Why did the Netherlands Lose the battle?
Since the Netherlands laws and conditions supported their choice to be neutral they had difficulty deciding on an attack plan with England and France. This led to their unfortunate defeat. -
The Belgium Army
The Belgium people got ahold of Germany's attack plans which postponed Germany's next attack. -
German Control
Since Hitler controlled the Netherlands now he appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart as head of his administration. -
Adolf Hitler Visits Paris
At this time Hitler and the Germans had control of Paris.
