ORDER OF BATTLE // May 14, 1940
German invasion of the Netherlands
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 1,030,000 estimated
Netherlands
280,000
Medium-confidence figure
Germany
750,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The German invasion of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow, the broader Nazi offensive against the Low Countries and France in World War II. Dutch forces, numbering 280,000, were outnumbered by a German force of 750,000 under Fedor von Bock, and the main Dutch army surrendered on 14 May 1940 after just four days of fighting. Dutch troops under French command in the southwestern province of Zealand continued resistance until 17 May, when Germany completed its occupation of the country. The rapid fall of the Netherlands eliminated a western flank that Allied planners had counted on, facilitating Germany's broader push through the Low Countries toward France and contributing to the strategic collapse of Allied defensive positions in Western Europe in the spring of 1940.
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