Air protection service Dordrecht.
On this page, you will find everything related to air protection (L.B.) or air protection service (L.B.D.) in Dordrecht.
On March 7, 1936, the Dutch Association for Air Protection (N.V.L.) was established. The focus of the N.V.L. was self-protection, where the association primarily reached out to the citizens of the Netherlands to provide information on the air protection measures they could take themselves.
Shortly thereafter, on April 23, 1936, the Air Protection Act was introduced. The act meant that municipalities in the Netherlands had to take their own measures against attacks from the air and each municipality had to have its own air protection service (L.B.D.). Initially, this L.B.D. had the same goal in mind: to provide information to the civilian population. The pre-war L.B.D. was largely made up of volunteers. The L.B.D. also dealt with the construction of air-raid shelters, provided first aid courses, and offered education on fire prevention.
After the surrender in 1940, the German occuppiers were not satisfied with the existing structure of the L.B.D. They viewed the high number of volunteers as an obstacle to the professionalism of the organization. Consequently, individuals were appointed as employees of the L.B.D. These employees became civil servants dedicated to L.B.D. affairs. As a result, the L.B.D. saw an expansion of its responsibilities. These responsibilities included enforcing blackout measures, operating air-raid alarms, providing first aid to victims during bombings, and firefighting.
Dordrecht also had an air protection service, and it proved to be necessary. The city was bombed three times by the Allies during World War II. The most well-known bombing occurred at Merwestein Park, where the headquarters of the German 15th Army were located. On October 24, 1944, five squadrons of Royal Air Force Hawker Typhoons conducted a bombing raid on the park. The damage was extensive. While the Dordrecht resistance claimed that there were many German casualties, including generals among the fallen, it was mainly the civilian population that was affected. The estimated number of fatalities is 69.
During the war, Dordrecht was also subjected to two more Allied air bombings: on January 22 and January 28, 1945. In both cases, the target was Villa Simpang, where the German Ortskommandantur was situated. The bombing on January 22 was a failure, as only surrounding streets were hit, resulting in more civilian casualties and significant damage to houses. However, during the bombing on January 28, the villa was completely destroyed.
The M40 civil air protection helmet.
Above you can see a civilian black helmet of the M40 type. These helmets were produced for the air protection services in the Netherlands. After May 15, 1940, the production of helmets for the Dutch army ceased. The remaining helmets were then converted into LBD (Air Protection Service) helmets. Interestingly, a lively trade in helmets emerged. For example, Dutch soldiers were urged to sell their helmets through newspaper advertisements after the surrender. These helmets were then privately sold for air protection purposes. This specific helmet was found in a house on Voorstraat and has the name "v. Leeuwen" inscribed in it. As mentioned before, these helmets were primarily used by the LBD, but later in the war, they were also used by members of the Dutch Resistance, known as the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten. *1
Document set LBD Dordrecht.
This is an extensive set of documents related to the air protection service of Dordrecht. The documents include the extremely rare air protection service ID card, in this case belonging to Mr. Kes. There is also a document from the Ortskommandant of Dordrecht, granting permission to the bearer of the L.B.D. ID card to be outside during curfew hours. This permission was necessary for carrying out the L.B.D. work. Another document is from the Mayor of Dordrecht. The Mayor (at that time, the NSB Mayor Johan Gijsbert van Houten) provided the holder of the ID card with this document as an exemption from labor service for the benefit of the Wehrmacht. The holder's work for the L.B.D. made them indispensable in Dordrecht. Additionally, there is a "Personnel requisition air protection service" document, which describes the duties that the L.B.D. member had to fulfill. (Click on the photos for an enlargement).
The two documents below also belong to the collection. The first document is an extract from the Employment Contracts Decree for the core personnel of the air protection service in the Municipality of Dordrecht. It contains interesting provisions regarding the granting of wages, leave, and child benefits. The second document pertains to the general procedure during an air raid that requires assistance from the medical service. It outlines the specific steps to be taken and by whom, in the event of an alert received by the medical service of the LBD in the Krispijn district. (Click on the photos to enlarge them).
Block Warden (L.B.) armband.
The above item is a Block Warden (L.B.) armband. In order to streamline the emergency response and operations of the L.B.D., larger municipalities were often divided into various sectors and block warden teams. Each block warden team was responsible for their designated block. There were many different variations of these armbands, including fabric versions. In 1941, enamel variants like the one shown in the photo became available. This armband is intended for a member of the block warden team. The armband came with the document group shown above. The leather strap of the armband bears the stamped number 3014, presumably the member number of the armband holder. *2
Air Protection brochures Dordrecht.
The above brochures were issued for informational purposes by the Air Protection Service (L.B.D.). The brochures have been previously posted, and you can find more photos and explanations here.: www.dordrechtindeoorlog.nl/anderezaken-Ruischset.
Instructions for air protection in Dordrecht.
The brochure below is a pre-war document outlining the measures to be taken and behavioral rules to be followed by the residents of Dordrecht regarding air protection. The brochure provides guidelines related to alarms, blackout procedures, fire hazards, and shelters. It also includes telephone numbers for reporting fires or requesting medical assistance. The booklet was published by the municipality of Dordrecht.
Message from the Ortskommandatur Dordrecht.
The following message is addressed to the mayor, police commanders, and police stations within the jurisdiction of the Ortskommandatur Dordrecht. The message states that the Orkommandatur has experienced that Allied and German aircraft in the Dordrecht are not being reported a timely manner. It includes a warning that these authorities who do not report an aircraft crash, will be held responsible At the top of the document, it is written in pencil that this is a copy for the command post of the Air Protection Service (LBD) and the acting commander LBD N. Vink.
Air Protection Warning - Kunstmin Building.
In the document below, you will find a set of instructions to be followed in the event of an air attack on the Kunstmin building in Dordrecht. This document is from the pre-war air protection era. It emphasizes the importance of remaining calm and following pre-determined routes to ensure one's own safety..
Documentset LBD Mr. A. Poots.
This interesting document set was donated by Mrs. Vera Jacobs from Dordrecht. It is an extensive collection of documents belonging to her father, Mr. Adrianus Poots. Adrianus served as a pump operator assigned to the firefighting unit of the Air Protection Service in Dordrecht. The set includes Mr. Poots' identification card, identity document, a statement from the mayor, a statement from the Ortskommandant, and several other documents. It is a remarkable collection of documents.
Vorläufiger Ruckstellungsschein and Attachment to the Instruction for Air Protection Service Personnel.
You can find the personal identification documents here: Personal Identification Documents Dordrecht.
Air Protection - Safety Measures During Air Raids.
This interesting air protection booklet was printed at the Wijnstraat 125. The booklet provides information on what to do during an air raid. What is also interesting is that the booklet is full of advertisements from Dordrecht. It was probably printed with the support of Dordrecht businesses. It is still unknown whether this booklet was published before or during the war. It is presumed that the booklet was printed during the war by the local L.B.D.
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If you have any interesting Air Protection Service (LBD) objects from Dordrecht to add to the collection, please feel free to email us at: Info@dordrechtindeoorlog.nl
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Sources:
www.wageningen1940-1945.nl/luchtbeschermingsdienst.
www.parkmerwestein.nl/historie.
www.bombardementenopdordrecht.nl
*1 Source: De Nederlandse stalen helm 1916-1992 K. de Joode.
*2 Source: www.luchtgevaar.com.