Timeline of the Netherlands during World War II explained

See also: Chronology of the liberation of Dutch cities and towns during World War II.

This timeline is about events during World War II of direct significance to the Netherlands. For a larger perspective, see Timeline of World War II.

1939

• 28 August: Mobilization of the Dutch army^[1]

1940

• 10 January: Mechelen incident
• 10–17 May: German invasion of the Netherlands
• 24-25 June: an RAF raid on Den Helder results in 38 deaths.^[2]

1941

• 3-4 October: an RAF raid on Rotterdam results in 106-130 deaths.

1942

• The year saw RAF air raids on Rotterdam, Schiedam, Geleen, and Einhoven.

1943

• The year saw allied air raids on Rotterdam, Tussendijken, Haarlem, Amsterdam-Noord, and Enschede.
  • 31 March: the "Forgotten Bombardment" on Rotterdam

1944

The Dutch famine of 1944–45 began late in the year.

June

• 10 June: Anton Mussert reveals that he has become a volunteer for the Wehrmacht.^[3]

July

• 30 July: Start of the .

August

• 2 Aug: Gerbrandy and Van Heuven Goedhart sign the documents for the establishment of the (Dutch: College van Vertrouwensmannen)
  • 24 Aug: First meeting of the College of Trusted Men
• 25 Aug: J.A. van Bijnen becomes the National Sabotage Commander of the (Knokploegen were Dutch resistance fighting squads)
• 28 Aug: First new airdrop of weapons and sabotage materials for Dutch underground groups
• 30 Aug: Hitler orders the improvement and extension of the Siegfried Line

September

• 2 Sep: The mass exodus of NSB members from South Limburg begins
• 3 Sep:
  • Brussels liberated
  • Prince Bernhard appointed Commander of the Dutch Armed Forces.
  • Queen Wilhelmina, via Radio Oranje, informs the population in occupied territory that 'liberation is imminent'
  • Commencement of the organized departure of German citizens from the Netherlands
• 3 to 4 Sep: Start of systematic railway sabotage by the
• 4 Sep:
  • Antwerp liberated
  • Hitler orders the stubborn defense of West Zealand-Flanders and Walcheren
  • Seyss-Inquart declares the state of exception, Rauter orders everyone to be indoors by 8 pm
  • The queen agrees to Colonel Kruis being appointed Chief of Staff of Military Authority
  • Mussert decides to evacuate NSB members from the western and central regions to the east
  • The Government Information Service disseminates the incorrect information that Breda has been liberated
• 5 Sep:
  • The mass exodus of NSB members begins
  • The empties
  • Dolle Dinsdag; the population behaves as if the occupier has already been expelled
  • First major transport of prisoners from the concentration camp Vught to Germany
• 6 Sep:
  • Prince Bernhard establishes himself on the continent
  • Second major transport of prisoners from Vught
• 7 Sep: Formation of an illegal Top Triangle in Amsterdam
• 8 Sep:
  • First two V-2 rockets launched at London
  • Commencement of the evacuation of the German Fifteenth Army across the Western Scheldt
• 10 Sep: The British Second Army crosses the Bocholt–Herentals Canal at Beeringen
• 11 Sep: Schöngarth, Commander of the Security Police and SD, issues the so-called Niedermachungsbefehl (orders to shoot resistance members on sight)
• 12 Sep: Major General Kruis issues a First General Directive with guidelines for the arrest of 'wrongful' elements
• 14 Sep:
  • Montgomery issues his directive for Operation Market Garden
  • Liberation of Maastricht
  • The first attempt by the Canadians to enter West Zeelandic Flanders is repelled
  • Establishment of the Militair Gezag (Military authority)^[4]
• 15 or 16 Sep: Hitler orders the utmost fanaticism in the defense of German territory
• 16 Sep: The illegal 'Delta Center' begins operating in Amsterdam
• 17 to 20 September – Battle of Nijmegen
• 17 to 26 September – Battle of Arnhem
• 17 Sep:
  • The British Second Army launches the offensive from Beeringen
  • Large Allied airborne landings in North Brabant, in the Reich of Nijmegen, and near Arnhem
  • The Dutch government orders a general railway strike
  • The Reichskommissariat is relocated to Delden
• 18 Sep: Liberation of Eindhoven
• 20 Sep:
  • Entire East Zeelandic Flanders liberated
  • Conquest of the Waal bridges near Nijmegen
  • The British Airborne forces have to abandon the Rhine bridge at Arnhem
• 21 Sep: Beginning of the German destruction of the port facilities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam
• 22 Sep: Major van Houten grants arrest authority to the Interior Armed Forces Shock Troops
• 24 Sep: The queen, bypassing the ministers, sends a telegram requesting the Great Advisory Commission of Illegality to be prepared to send a delegation to her
• 25 Sep:
  • The Airborne forces leave the 'perimeter' at Oosterbeek in the night to the 26th
  • Commencement of the evacuation of Arnhem

October

• 3 Oct: The RAF breaches the . In Eindhoven, the radio station 'Herrijzend Nederland' begins its broadcasts.
• 3 October to 8 November – Battle of the Scheldt
• 4 Oct: Important note from the queen: the second Gerbrandy cabinet must disappear.
• 6 Oct: The Canadian First Army launches a major offensive against the Germans in West Zeelandic Flanders.
• 10 Oct: The first company of the Shock Troops departs for the front.
• 16 Oct: Montgomery grants absolute priority to operations for clearing the Wester-Schelde. In Eindhoven, the 'Bond Nederland' is founded (soon renamed 'Gemeenschap Oud-Illegale Werkers Nederland').
• 18 Oct: Second General Directive from General Kruis.
• 24 Oct: Start of the Canadian attack on the Kreekrak Dam.
• 25 Oct: Commencement of the liberation of Den Bosch.
• 27 Oct: Liberation of Tilburg.
• 29 Oct: Liberation of Breda.

November

• 1 Nov: Allied landings at Vlissingen and at Westkapelle.
• 2 Nov: German resistance in and around West Zeeland-Flanders is broken.
• 6 Nov: Liberation of Middelburg.
• 8 Nov: An American division, part of the Canadian First Army, reaches Moerdijk.
• 12 Nov: Assertive letter from General Kruis to prevent the arrival of ministerial 'quartermasters.'
• 15 Nov: Kruis officially establishes a Temporary Committee of General Commissioners for agriculture, trade, and industry.
• 21 Nov: 'Hunger demonstration' in Eindhoven.
• 25 Nov: The ministerial 'quartermasters' establish themselves in Oisterwijk. Disturbances in the center of Brussels.
• 27 to 30 November – Battle of Broekhuizen
• 28 Nov: The first Allied convoy reaches the port of Antwerp.

December

• 2 Dec: The Wehrmacht floods a large part of the Betuwe.
• 3 Dec: In Middle Limburg, the Wehrmacht is pushed east of the Meuse.
• 6 Dec: Meeting of Kruis in Eindhoven with top figures of the resistance in the liberated South to establish guidelines for the arrest of 'wrongful' elements.
• 14 Dec: Kruis issues new arrest guidelines.
• 21 Dec: The bishops of Den Bosch and Breda call on Catholics to remain loyal to their own organizations.
• 31 Dec: Incorrectly believing itself to have great influence in the liberated southern Netherlands,^[5] the Communist Party of the Netherlands rebrands as the "Communistische Partij Bevrijd Gebied" (Communist Party Liberated Area).

1945

January

• 2 Jan: Special meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss the position of the Militair Gezag
• 11 Jan: The cabinet accepts that the queen does not sign the arrangement for the emergency parliament.
• 14 Jan: Commencement of the evacuation of Venlo.
• 20 Jan: Commencement of the evacuation of Roermond.
• 22 Jan: The ministers approve a letter from Gerbrandy warning the queen against the formation of a royal cabinet.
• 23 Jan: Gerbrandy dismisses Burger from the cabinet due to a radio speech and tenders the resignation of the cabinet.
• 31 Jan: A delegation invited by the queen from the liberated South arrives in London.

February

• 5 Feb: Minister van Kleffens refuses to form a cabinet.
• 8 Feb: The queen instructs Gerbrandy to form a new cabinet.
• 10 Feb: The arrestation regulations for the area to be liberated are established.
• 15 Feb: Minister van Heuven Goedhart inaugurates the first Tribunal.
• 23 Feb: Announcement of the composition, to the extent completed, of the third Gerbrandy cabinet.
• 24 Feb: Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy urges Eisenhower's Chief of Staff Bedell Smith for a separate offensive for the liberation of the Netherlands north of the major rivers.

March

• 1 Mar: Liberation of Roermond and Venlo.^[6]
• 3 Mar: Bombing of the Bezuidenhout quarter in The Hague.
• 7 Mar: Rauter is seriously wounded in an ambush at Woeste Hoeve; two hundred and sixty-three death-row candidates are executed.
• 14 Mar: The Combined Chiefs of Staff instruct Eisenhower to launch a separate offensive for the liberation of West Netherlands.
• 18 Mar: J.J.F. Borghouts ('Peter-Zuid') arrives in occupied territory as the Commander of the Fighting Section of the BS (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten/Interior Forces).
• 30 Mar: Commencement of the liberation of East and North Netherlands.

April

• 2 Apr: In a conversation with Hirschfeld, Seyss-Inquart suggests the idea of a ceasefire that would allow large-scale assistance to the famine-stricken provinces.
• 4 Apr: Mussert flees over the Afsluitdijk to The Hague.
• 6 Apr: Start of the Georgian uprising on Texel.
• 7 to 8 April – Operation Amherst
• 9 Apr: Consultation between the Trusted Men and members of Koot's staff regarding Seyss-Inquart's offer.
• 11 Apr:
  • Buchenwald is liberated as the first concentration camp not completely evacuated by Allied forces.
  • Canadians cross the IJssel near Brummen.
• 12 Apr:
  • Montgomery cancels the separate offensive for the liberation of the famine-stricken provinces.
  • Seyss-Inquart meets with Van der Vlugt and Six as representatives of the College of Trusted Men and Colonel Koot.
• 12 to 16 April – Liberation of Arnhem
• 14 Apr:
  • Himmler issues the order: 'No prisoner may fall into enemy hands alive.'
  • Arrival of Trusted Men, Van der Gaag and Neher, in the liberated South.
• 15 Apr: Gerbrandy meets with Churchill to discuss Seyss-Inquart's offer.
• 17 Apr: Inundation of the Wieringermeer.
• 18 Apr: The entire East and North of the country is liberated except for the area near Delfzijl and the Wadden Islands.
• 21 Apr: The resistance sends its first telegram to London, protesting against the negotiations with Seyss-Inquart.
• 23 Apr: The Combined Chiefs of Staff authorize Eisenhower to conclude a ceasefire with Seyss-Inquart.
• 28 Apr: In Achterveld, the German Schwebel and Montgomery's Chief of Staff de Guingand reach an agreement for a conference with Seyss-Inquart.
• 29 Apr:
  • Hitler appoints Admiral Dönitz as his successor.
  • First food drops in the famine-stricken provinces.
• 30 Apr:
  • Suicide of Adolf Hitler
  • In Achterveld, Seyss-Inquart approves arrangements for rapid assistance to the famine-stricken provinces.

May

• 2 May: First food transports to the famine-stricken provinces by road, via Rhenen.
• 2–3 May: Seyss-Inquart departs for Flensburg for discussions with Dönitz.
• 4 May:
  • Montgomery accepts the capitulation of the 'Wehrmacht' in Northwest Europe, including the Netherlands.
  • 'Mobilization' of the BS (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten/Interior Forces) in the famine-stricken provinces.
• 5 May:
  • General Johannes Blaskowitz receives the capitulation order presented by General Foulkes at Hotel 'De Wereld' in Wageningen.
  • Radio speech by Queen Wilhelmina.
  • The first food ships arrive in Rotterdam.
  • An Allied vanguard arrives in Copenhagen.
• 6 May: General Blaskowitz signs the capitulation order presented to him the previous day in the auditorium of the Agricultural College in Wageningen.
• 7 May:
  • First 'general' German capitulation at Reims.
  • Shooting incident on Dam Square in Amsterdam.
  • Arrest of Mussert.
• 8 May:
  • Entry of the two divisions of the 1st Canadian Army Corps in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam.
  • General Kruis, Chief of Staff Military Authority, arrives in The Hague.
  • An Allied vanguard arrives in Oslo. Second 'general' German capitulation in Berlin.
• 13 May: German deserter execution
• 16 May: Dissolution of the College of Trusted Men.
• 20 May: A Canadian force arrives on Texel and the local German forces surrender, ending the Georgian uprising on Texel. The Georgians are allowed to retain their arms.^[7]

June

• 3 Jun: German forces on the island of Ameland surrender.^[8]
• 11 Jun: The last 600 active German troops in the Netherlands, on the island of Schiermonnikoog, surrender to the Canadians and are evacuated from the island, completing the liberation of the Netherlands.^[9]
• 16 Jun: The Georgian Legion is evacuated from Texel.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mobilisatie . 2023-12-06 . Tweedewereldoorlog.nl . nl-NL.
2. Web site: Cijfers bombardementen . 2023-12-06 . www.niod.nl . nl.
3. Book: de Jong, Loe . Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog . Rijksinstituut voor oorlogsdocumentatie . 1980 . Deel 10a . 1039 . nl . (This article incorporates text from this work, which is released under a CC BY 3.0 NL Akte license.).
4. Web site: W. B. Heins . CAS Winschoten (teamleider T. P. Reuderink-Kort) en G. J. Röhner . Militair gezag (Het Utrechts Archief) - Het Utrechts Archief . 2023-12-07 . hetutrechtsarchief.nl . nl.
5. http://loe.niod.knaw.nl/grijswaarden/De-Jong_Koninkrijk_deel-10a_tweede-helft_zw.pdf Koningkrijk
6. Book: de Jong, Loe . Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog . Rijksinstituut voor oorlogsdocumentatie . 1980 . Deel 10b . 1454 . nl . (This article incorporates text from this work, which is released under a CC BY 3.0 NL Akte license.).
7. Book: Mikaberidze, Alexander . Historical Dictionary of Georgia . 2015-02-06 . Rowman & Littlefield . 978-1-4422-4146-6 . 643–644 . en.
8. Web site: 2016-09-16 . Bevrijding – Ameland tijdens WO II . 2023-12-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160916081340/http://www.ameland.waddengebiedindeoorlog.nl/bevrijding/ . 2016-09-16 .
9. Web site: 2020-06-09 . De bevrijding van Schier kwam pas weken later . 2023-12-09 . www.omropfryslan.nl . nl.