Why the Dutch military was critically unprepared for the 1940 German invasion
When Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, the Dutch military was dangerously ill-equipped and poorly trained. Despite a strong industrial base, the army relied on outdated biplanes, horse-drawn artillery, and a severe shortage of armor, leaving them unable to resist the Wehrmacht for more than five days.
The Dutch government’s failure to prepare for war was rooted in a policy of strict neutrality and severe budgetary constraints. Throughout the 1930s, successive cabinets, including that of Prime Minister Hendrikus Colijn, sought to avoid antagonizing Germany, a vital trade partner, while simultaneously fighting the Great Depression. Even as international tensions escalated following the 1936 occupation of the Rhineland and the 1938 Anschluss, defense spending remained minimal. It was not until February 1936 that a special 53.4 million guilder fund was established, yet by 1940, the army remained largely unfit for modern conflict.
By May 1940, the Dutch army’s deficiencies were stark. While the Wehrmacht utilized tanks and dive bombers like the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, the Dutch armored forces consisted of only 39 armored cars and five tankettes. Their air force was largely composed of biplanes, and most artillery was horse-drawn. Furthermore, the army lacked experience with large-scale maneuvers, as summer field exercises had been canceled between 1932 and 1936 to save money. With only 1,206 professional officers and a reliance on conscripts who had received limited training, the military was incapable of staging an offensive or executing complex maneuvers.
Strategic planning was equally fractured. The Dutch relied on the New Hollandic Water Line, a defensive system designed to flood the countryside, and the Grebbe Line, which served as the main defense. However, internal disagreements over strategy—such as the conflict between General Izaak H. Reijnders and his successor, General Henry G. Winkelman—left the army without a cohesive plan. When the invasion began, the Germans utilized mass paratroop drops to capture airfields near Rotterdam and The Hague. Following the devastating bombing of Rotterdam on 14 May, the Dutch General Staff, realizing they could not stop the Luftwaffe, ordered a surrender to prevent further destruction of their cities.
