German bombing of Rotterdam

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(Redirected from Rotterdam Blitz)
The Rotterdam Blitz
Part of the invasion of the Netherlands
Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940.jpg
Rotterdam's city centre after the bombing. The heavily damaged (now restored) St.
Lawrence church stands out as the only remaining building reminiscent of
Rotterdam's medieval architecture.
Date 14 May 1940
Location Rotterdam
5157'51.95?N 427'4.45?ECoordinates 5157'51.95?N 427'4.45?E
Result
Rotterdam surrenders

884 civilian dead

Destruction of Rotterdam
Belligerents
Netherlands Netherlands Nazi Germany Germany
Commanders and leaders
Nazi Germany Hermann Gring
Units involved
Luchtvaartafdeling (LVA)
Marine Luchtvaartdienst (MLD) Luftflotte 2
Strength
No remaining operational fighter aircraft[1] ~80 aircraft directly involved
~700 involved in concurrent operations
Casualties and losses
884 civilians killed
LVA and MLD virtually destroyed.[2] None
[show] v t e
Western Front of
World War II
The German bombing of Rotterdam, also known as the Rotterdam Blitz, was the aerial
bombardment of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe on 14 May 1940, during the German
invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the
German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the Dutch to
surrender. Even though preceding negotiations resulted in a ceasefire, the
bombardment took place nonetheless, in conditions which remain controversial, and
destroyed almost the entire historic city centre, killing nearly 900 people and
making 85,000 others homeless.

The psychological and physical success of the raid, from the German perspective,
led the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) to threaten to destroy the city of Utrecht
if the Dutch Government did not surrender. The Dutch capitulated early the next
morning.[3]

Contents [hide]
1 Prelude
2 Battle for Rotterdam
3 Bombing
4 Aftermath
5 Reconstruction
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
Prelude[edit]
The Netherlands during the Second World War was strategically lodged between Great
Britain and Germany, making it an ideal prospective German air and naval base
during Operation Sea Lion, the planned invasion of the British Isles that was to
follow the forthcoming aerial Battle of Britain. The Netherlands had firmly opted
for neutrality throughout the First World War and had planned to do the same for
the Second World War. It most notably refused armaments from France, making the
case that they wanted no association with either side. While armament production
was slightly increased after the invasion of Denmark in April 1940, the Netherlands
possessed 35 modern wheeled armoured fighting vehicles, no tracked armoured
fighting vehicles, 135 aircraft and 280,000 soldiers,[4] while Germany had 159
tanks,[5] 1,200 modern aircraft,[citation needed] and around 150,000 soldiers at
their disposal for the Dutch theatre alone.[5]

With a significant military advantage, the German leadership intended to expedite

the conquest of the country by first taking control of key military and strategic
targets, such as airfields, bridges and roads and then using these to take over
control of the remainder of the country. An invasion of the Netherlands was first
made reference to on 9 October 1939, when Hitler ordered that Preparations should
be made for offensive action on the northern flank of the Western Front crossing
the area of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. This attack was to be carried
out as soon and as forcefully as possible, as Hitler himself commanded.[6]
Preparation was started when Hitler ordered German army officers to capture Dutch
army uniforms and use them to gain inside information on Dutch defence tactics.[7]

The Wehrmacht finally attacked the Netherlands in the early hours of 10 May 1940.
The attack started with the Luftwaffe crossing through Dutch airspace, giving the
impression that Britain was the ultimate target. Instead, the aircraft turned
around over the North Sea and returned to attack from the west, dropping
paratroopers at Valkenburg and Ockenburg airfields, near the Dutch seat of
government and the Royal Palace in The Hague, starting the Battle for the Hague.
While Germany had planned to take over swiftly using this tactic, the Dutch halted
the advance at the core region of Fortress Holland, slowing down the German
invasion.

Battle for Rotterdam[edit]

The situation in Rotterdam on the morning of 13 May 1940 was a stalemate as it had
been over the previous three days. Dutch garrison forces under Colonel Scharroo
held the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river, which runs through the city and
prevented the Germans from crossing; German forces included airlanding and airborne
forces of General Student and newly arrived ground forces under General Schmidt,
based on the 9th Panzer Division and the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, a motorized SS
regiment.

A Dutch counterattack led by a Dutch marine company had failed to recapture the
Willemsbrug traffic bridge,[8][9] the key crossing. Several efforts by the Dutch
Army Aviation Brigade to destroy the bridge also failed.[10]

On the Morning of 14 May, Hitler issued his Weisung Nr. 11. Concerning the Dutch
theatre of operations he says the following

A painting of Rotterdam in 1895, before the Blitz destroyed the historic city
centre

The area north of the Maas river was destroyed during the bombing, shown here on an
old 1905 map
The resistance capability of the Dutch army has proved to be stronger than
expected. Political as well as military reasons demand that this resistance is
broken as soon as possible. It is the task of the army to capture the Fortress
Holland by committing enough forces from the south, combined with an attack on the
east front. In addition to that the air force must, while weakening the forces that
up till now have supported the 6th Army, facilitate the rapid fall of the Fortress
Holland.[citation needed]

General Schmidt had planned a combined assault the next day, 14 May, using tanks of
the 9th Panzer supported by flame throwers, SS troops and combat engineers.[11][12]
[13][14] The airlanding troops were to make an amphibious crossing of the river
upstream and then a flank attack through the Kralingen district.[15][16] The attack
was to be preceded by artillery bombardment, while Gen. Schmidt had requested the
support of the Luftwaffe in the form of a Gruppe (about 25 aircraft) of Junkers Ju
87 dive-bombers, specifically for a precision raid.[17][18][19]

Schmidt's request for air support reached Berlin, staff of Luftflotte 2. Instead of
precision bombers, Schmidt got carpet bombing by Heinkel He 111 bombers besides a
Gruppe of Stukas focussing on some strategic targets.[20]

Bombing[edit]

Rotterdam's burning city centre after the bombing.

Areal view of the Coolsingel with the famous Bijenkorf department store architect
Willem Dudok partly destroyed during the bombing and demolished in 1960
Schmidt used the threat of destruction of the city to attempt to force Colonel
Scharroo to surrender the city. Rotterdam, the largest industrial target in the
Netherlands and of major strategic importance to the Germans, was to be bombed.
Scharroo refused and stretched out negotiations. The start of the air raid had been
set for 1320 [Dutch time, MET 1 hr 40].[21][22][23]

Schmidt postponed a second ultimatum to 1620.[24][25] However, just as the Dutch

negotiator was crossing the Willemsbrug to relay this information, the drone of
bombers was heard a total of 90 bombers from Kampfgeschwader 54 were sent over the
city.[26]

Student radioed to postpone the planned attack. When the message reached KG 54's
command post, the Kommodore, Oberst Walter Lackner, was already approaching
Rotterdam and his aircraft had reeled in their long-range aerials. Haze and smoke
obscured the target; to ensure that Dutch defences were hit Lackner brought his for