Five Brothers and a War

Holland “Prepares” for War

The essential part of Vesting Holland was the centuries-old concept that a “waterline” could be created whereby the large population centers in the west could be protected with a submersible topography running the length of the country. In other words, if a part of the country that was below sea level was flooded, a quagmire could be created that would make ground invasions a serious problem, while limiting the depth of the water in order to prevent boats from being used. Of course, the trouble with the overall concept was that it was devised in a previous military era—one that may have made great sense in past wars. The sorts of wars that were dissected and analyzed when teaching up-and-coming military leaders. Just as the infamous Maginot Line, which France set up along its border with Germany in World War I to prevent a German invasion, and which Germany promptly drove around by going though Belgium to get into France. Of course, as defenses are devised, so to are countermeasures. In the case of Vesting Holland , the countermeasure was warfare conducted in the air. Making matters worse, the Dutch had mobilized its population, but had not provided any equipment for those soldiers. Weapons were not available for training, so drills were conducted with wooden substitutes—even for rifles, much less automatic weapons. Armor was virtually non existent. Aircraft were abysmal in comparison to the Luftwaffe . The Belgians were in a very similar position, with a large, theoretical, army. Again, they had many people, and very little materiel. The Dutch had 81 anti-aircraft guns available on May 10, 1940. What is astonishing in all of this is the near-complete ignoring of all warning signs that Hitler sent. It was no secret that Hitler was on a pathway to war, and that Germany’s neighbors (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland, Denmark, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria) would be the targets. The buildup took years for Germany to accomplish, but the international community was too busy ignoring the problem to recognize the actual threat. It is also astonishing that those who would have to face off with Germany did not have anything approaching a common strategic, much less tactical plan. In fact, they squabbled about their diverse interests. Hitler did not squabble.

holland

Five Brothers and a War

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