Hi everybody,
i'm new on this forum.
I've found the detailed order of battle of the dutch army on this page:
http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~dpohara/dutch1940.htm
armament of the dutch army:
gun :Manlicher 1895 model caliber 7,5 mm
ligt machine gun : Lewis 1920 model caliber 6.5 mm
heavy machine gun : Schwarlose 08-15 1918 modified caliber 7,9 mm
mortar : Stokes-brandt 81 mm 20 shoots /minute
antitankrifle Oerlikon (or Solothurn Swiss license of the oerlikon) caliber 20 mm
antitankgun Boehler 47 mm 20 shoots /minute
artillery:
gun 70 veld (real caliber 75 mm) it's a krupp model 1902-04.
Bofors 105 mm
Bofors howitzer 120 mm
light armoured vehicles :
12 pantserwagens M 36 armed with a Lewis machine gun
12 pantserwagens M 38 same as below
7 pantserwagens DAF M39 armed with 2 Lewis guns
The policy of Nederlands was to defend 2 sectors:
the line Grebbe-Preel
the "Vestig Holland"(inside was the Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Amsterdam)
The dutch governement was neutral like the belgian.
That's why they didn't trained with the belgian and french armies.
Some words about the french operations in Nederland.
The frencharmy sent the 7th army in Belgium and Nederland in accordance to the "Dyle-Breda manoeuvre" the 10 th may by road.
The 224 IR is sent by boat to Flessingue. fought on the Zuid Nerverland. Without success. The german side of the channel was higher as the other side. 2 battallions are prisoners.
About the bridge of Moedijk:
1st DLM (light mechanized division) is near the Moedijk at he dawn of 11th may.
400 hundreds germans paratroopers (according dutch sources) were retrenched in the dutch concrete bunkers near the bridge.
front of the DLM.
In the night of the 11th may the belgian army on the right flank left a triangle formed with 3 channels (Turnhout, Campines and Albert).
12 th may : the 9 Panzerdivision came on contact with the french; french resisted.
But on the south, on the right flank, an german ID crossed the Truhout channel.
General Picard, comander of the DLM, thought about an audacious operation : destroy this german head with 2 Hotchkiss H 39 (light tank, 37 mm gun) battalions.
French engineers built a light bridge. the ftanks crossed it direction a town named Moll and occupied it. A little number of tanks were destroyed, but always by direct hit near the tank, during progression. They didn't retreat. They waited the infantry all the day. But she never came. At the dawn the H 39 received the order to return back.
the 13 th may the DLM received the order to cross the Albert channel.
french operations in Holland were finished.
I always quote my sources on forums. My source is:
"Blitzkrieg à l'ouest" Militaria Magazine HS n°8
Jef