Moerdijk and the Moerdijk bridges - May 1940.
On this page you will find original photographic material of the Moerdijk bridges in May 1940.
During the May days, the Moerdijk bridges were of vital importance to the German war plans. The German army, which had crossed the Dutch borders, could advance through these bridges towards Rotterdam and The Hague, thus deciding the battle for the Netherlands. Although the Dutch army had taken this into account, the defense on May 10, 1940, was lacking. The paratroopers quickly overwhelmed the bridgehead and captured the bridges. Dutch forces were unable to recapture the bridges. However, the bridgehead was regularly targeted by Dutch artillery fire. On May 12, the vanguard of the 9th Panzer Division arrived at the bridges to relieve the German paratroopers who had been defending the bridges for two days. The main force with tanks arrived on the 13th and advanced towards the Tweede Tol, engaging Dutch troops in the city center and then moving on to Rotterdam. From that moment on, the Germans were able to use the bridges to direct large amounts of troops to Holland and to Belgium and France.
These photos depict units of the 9th Panzer Division and supporting troops during May 1940 when large numbers of German units utilized the Moerdijk Bridges to advance further into the Vesting-Holland. We can see Panzer II tanks in column formation crossing the bridge. There are also various SDKFZ half-track vehicles with light FLAK cannons mounted on them. The other vehicles, such as the Red Cross vehicle, likely belong to the support units of the 9th Panzer Division. Lastly, there are two photos showing German troops crossing the bridge by horse and wagon.
Below we see two more photos of the Moerdijk bridges during May 1940. The first shot is a photo of the traffic bridge, with a German 3.7 cm Flak anti-aircraft cannon positioned on the left. The bridge was of great importance to the German advancement through the Netherlands and therefore needed to be well protected, also against aerial attacks. The subsequent photo once again showcases large numbers of German troops crossing the traffic bridge. There are German tanks of the Panzer I type, a few Germans on bicycles, and infantry units. The photo was likely taken on May 14th or 15th.
Below are two photos depicting German troop movements across the Moerdijk traffic bridge. These photos were likely taken in May 1940 when large German military units were crossing the bridge. The first photo shows horses with wagons, with what appears to be a field kitchen at the very back. These are most likely support units, known as Tross, providing aid to the troops. The second photo shows troops moving in both directions. Prominently featured is the typical German stahlhelm facing towards the truck with anti-tank artillery. To the right of the bridge pillars, there are also German soldiers on bicycles. Both photos demonstrate that not all German units were fully motorized, and that a significant amount of transportation was still carried out using horses, wagons, and bicycles.
The two photos below are very interesting. They show German paratroopers at the Moerdijk bridges in May 1940. The first photo features a 3.7 cm PAK (Panzerabwehrkanone) positioned on the riverbank near the Moerdijk bridges. With the traffic bridge clearly visible on the right, this is the Willemsdorp side of the bridgehead. The PAK artillery was likely directed to Moerdijk from Waalhaven as reinforcement during the night of May 11 to May 12.
The following photo is also intriguing. A paratrooper is leaning against a German vehicle that has driven into a Dutch barricade near the Moerdijk bridge. Dutch soldiers had erected these barricades, as was standard practice when no traffic was passing over the bridge. In the two subsequent photos, we also see German soldiers near the same vehicle.
The village of Moerdijk and its surroundings.
The photo below shows three field graves of German paratroopers, recognizable by their distinctive paratrooper helmets. In the background, we see a large ship crane, which likely belonged to the port of Moerdijk. Given the flowers and the well-maintained graves, the photo was probably taken a few days after the battle. The back of the photo is inscribed: "Heldengraber von gefallenen Fallschirmjäger in Moerdijk (Holland)." Next, there is a photo of a German soldier in the port of Moerdijk. To his right, a house with a damaged facade is visible, undoubtedly due to the fighting in the village during May 1940. The following photo shows a similar scene from a different angle, clearly revealing two buildings in the background with war damage from the same period.
The next photo is a striking image of the port of Moerdijk. Although taken from a different perspective, the damage to residential houses is still clearly visible. This destruction is best seen in the subsequent photos, where the damaged house on the left—also visible in previous images—was hit during the battles for the port. Another photo shows the shelter of German paratroopers between Moerdijk and Lage Zwaluwe in May 1940. The paratrooper wearing a helmet is also carrying a captured Dutch Hembrug carbine. The photo was likely taken between May 10 and May 15, 1940. In the background, train wagons can be seen, indicating that the photo was probably taken near Lage Zwaluwe. Finally, there is a photo of paratroopers from Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 near a Panzer III tank. This image was likely taken on May 13, 1940, a day after the 9th Panzer Division linked up with the paratroopers at Moerdijk.
German field graves in the monastery garden of Moerdijk.
The fallen soldiers who perished on the Brabant side of the Moerdijk bridgehead were initially buried in the monastery garden at Moerdijk. This included both Dutch and German soldiers. However, the author is not aware of any photos of Dutch field graves in the monastery garden. There are, however, multiple photos of the German field graves in the monastery garden. Some examples of these can be found below. The German field graves were later relocated to the German section of the general cemetery in Dordrecht. The Dutch graves remained for a long time and were eventually mostly moved to the Roman Catholic cemetery in Moerdijk.
In one of the photos below, the commander of the II Battalion of Fallschirmjäger 1 can be seen. It is Hauptmann Fritz Prager, who is paying his final respects at the field graves of fallen German paratroopers in the monastery garden of Moerdijk. The Hauptmann was wounded during the battles for the Moerdijk bridges and is therefore supported by two other German paratroopers. In the left corner, the grave of Jäger Otto Ehrhardt 5./ FJR 1 (here in the rank of Gefreiter) is visible; he fell on May 10, 1940, during the fighting in Willemsdorp.
The following photo shows several more field graves of German paratroopers in the monastery garden. From left to right (as far as readable):
- Leutnant Dietrich Lemm 7./ FJR 1 – killed on May 10, 1940, on Steenweg in Moerdijk.
- Feldwebel Hans Sohr 5./ FJR 1 – killed on May 10, 1940, in Willemsdorp.
- Feldwebel Hans Fugmann 5./ FJR 1 – killed on May 10, 1940, in Willemsdorp.
- (Presumably) Unteroffizier Clerk 6./ FJR 1 – killed on May 10, 1940, in Willemsdorp.
The next two photos were also taken in the monastery garden of Moerdijk. The first photo shows the grave of Leutnant Dietrich Lemm of 7./ FJR1. He was killed on May 10, 1940, in Moerdijk, near the Marechaussee barracks, by a gunshot to the head. In this photo, the bullet hole in the helmet, which rests atop the cross, is clearly visible. The second photo shows the memorial stone for the fallen paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, which was initially placed in the monastery garden. At a later stage, both the German war graves and the memorial stone were relocated to the General Cemetery.
Photos 6 and 7 show the graves of German paratroopers in the monastery garden. In photo six, the names on the crosses are not legible. In photo seven, the rightmost cross is readable. It is the grave of Feldwebel Hans Fugmann, part of 5./FJR 1, who fell in Willemsdorp on May 10, 1940. He was killed during the attack on the village.
©2017-2025 :Https://www.Dordrechtindeoorlog.nl: (There is a copyright on the content of this website. This content is not to be shared, duplicated or published withouth the explicit permission of the author of this website. If you have any requests you can email to: Info@Dordrechtindeoorlog.nl or look on : www.dordrechtindeoorlog.nl/termsofuseforthecontentonthiswebsite.
*1 Source: Zuidfront-Holland1940-Bruggenhoofd Moerdijk 12 mei - Het bruggenhoofd der para's.
*2 Source: Zuidfront-Holland1940- Wieldrecht 1e fase 11 mei - De status quo rond 04:00 uur.