On the Dutch battlefield, the power of the Germans' blitzkrieg shocked the world.
On September 13, 1939, just as dawn began to break, hundreds of German bombers launched surprise raids on Dutch barracks and airfields.
The Dutch were not surprised by the sudden attack descending from the sky. Ever since the German-Dutch negotiations had failed, they had known war was about to erupt.
Unfortunately, the Dutch government still harbored illusions about the British, hoping the United Kingdom would intervene against the Germans, and failed to launch nationwide mobilization at the first opportunity.
It was only when the German ultimatum arrived that the Dutch realized John Bull had played them for fools.
Earlier, the British had proposed that the Kingdom of the Netherlands allow the Germans passage through its territory, only to be refused by the Dutch government.
Afterward, under British mediation, the Dutch government and the Germans signed the Free Trade Agreement Between the Two Nations. In exchange for security guarantees from the Germans, the Dutch government agreed to export supplies to Germany at low prices.
The British were the very witnesses to the treaty, and it was their guarantee that made the Dutch government lower its guard against the Germans.
Before the war broke out, the Kingdom of the Netherlands had even exported vast quantities of grain, rubber, and other strategic materials to Germany at nearly cost price.
Without a doubt, they had lifted a stone only to drop it on their own feet.
The sudden outbreak of war caught the Dutch government completely off guard. Before it even had time to find itself another patron, the Kingdom of the Netherlands had fallen.
From the outbreak of war to its end, it took less than a week.
The only battle of any real scale was the Battle of Rotterdam,