World War: Fall of The Netherlands

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General Winkelman carefully specified that the war was not over in Zeeland and Queen Wilhelmina named Admiral van der Stad to command all her forces there. The Dutch Navy-was still in the war, being mostly stationed in The Netherlands In dies. The non-surrender of Zeeland, land of shrimp-fishermen and antique churches, was important to Great B/itain since its deep channels are the only ones on the shallow, white-sand Dutch coast suitable for submarine bases. But by week's end this resistance, momentarily bolstered by Prince Bernhard's return, petered out as the Allies withdrew from the islands.

Of immediate tangible military importance was Hitler's acquisition of 79 Dutch shipbuilding ways, some of them with warships nearing completion. (In Denmark and Norway he got 52 ways and some plants specializing in Diesel engines of the type used in submarines.)

Herr Hitler also still got some 390,000 tons of Dutch oil, 3.000 tons of tin, large stocks of vegetable oils, whale oil, condensed milk. He appointed his Austrian yes man, Arthur Seyss Inquart, to govern the new prize. He gloated over the new springboard he had for a feat never accomplished, even by Napoleon, since William the Conqueror performed it in 1066: the invasion of Great Britain.

* Three light cruisers, one torpedo cruiser, eight destroyers, six torpedo boats, 23 submarines, nine minelayers. But many Dutch cows were drowned by the defense floods.

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