Willemsdorp - May 1940.
On this page, you will find original photo material of the small village of Willemsdorp between Dordrecht and the Moerdijk bridges in May 1940. Many Dutch soldiers were stationed in Willemsdorp during the mobilization, which resulted in direct confrontations between them and the German paratroopers who landed in the meadows there.
The first photo shows the residential house near the car dismantling yard in Willemsdorp, close to the police troop barracks. A German aircraft bomb hit the car dismantling yard. Among the Dutch troops, there was a belief that German forces had a gathering point for vehicles there. Apparently, they overlooked the fact that the large number of vehicles may have been due to the presence of the car dismantling yard. Dutch artillery then heavily targeted the car dismantling yard, completely leveling what remained of it. As far as is known, no German vehicles were hit. *1
Photo two is a very rare and unique photo taken during the combat operations in May 1940. Fallschirmjägers can be seen with their heavy machine gun near Willemsdorp. It is likely that these are units from the 12th company of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1, which was the heavy machine gun company of the 3rd battalion. In the background on the left (just above the machine gun), there appear to be two vehicles requisitioned by the Germans. Slightly more to the right in the center, there is a Dutch 7-Veld gun. Some of these artillery pieces were captured from the 17th Artillery Regiment by German paratroopers and deployed for the defense of the Moerdijk bridgehead. In the background lies the police troop barracks (nowadays Hotel Willemsdorp). The smoke clouds were caused by Dutch artillery fire. The photo was likely taken between May 11 and May 14, 1940. Presently, a truck parking lot is situated where the German paratroopers were positioned, just past the gas station. *2
Below is a photo of the vehicle belonging to Oberleutnant Schram, a member of the Fallschirmjäger Artillery Battalion 7. On the night of May 10-11, 1940, the vehicle collided with a roadblock set up by Dutch troops while en route to Willemsdorp. Oberleutnant Schram was severely injured and unable to continue fighting in May 1940. His orderly, Feldwebel Kurt Schulze, was killed in the accident. The fate of the driver is unknown. *3 The other photo is another shot of the car dismantling yard near Willemsdorp, taken from a different angle. At the cross, there is the grave of a German paratrooper. He presumably died on May 10, shortly after landing during the assault on the Dutch positions near Willemsdorp. The back of the photo is labeled: "So haben Fallschirmjäger Holl. Angriffe an der Rhein-Brücke vor Rotterdam abgewiesen (X Grab eines dtsch. Fallschirm-Jäger)." It mentions the Rhein-Brücke, but it should of course refer to the bridge over the Hollandsche Diep, namely the Moerdijk bridge.
The following photos show the fighting in the vicinity of Willemsdorp. The first photo depicts two farm barns on fire, presumably taken near Willemsdorp. On the back of the photo, it is written: Holland, fire caused by hand grenades, May 1940.
The next photo appears to be one of the two pieces of the Fallschirmjäger Artillery Battalion 7 (Zirkus Schramm), the same unit as Oberleutnant Schramm mentioned above. The crew is seen firing, likely at Dutch troops across the Dordtse Kil. The posture of the German artillery crew suggests that they were also receiving Dutch fire on their own positions. The Fallschirmjäger Artillery Battalion 7 was equipped with four Skoda mountain guns (Gebirgskanone 15L/13). Two of them were sent to Willemsdorp, and two were deployed to the Zwijndrecht bridges. The guns and their crews were flown in at Waalhaven airfield, which explains why the artillery crew is not wearing paratrooper gear but rather the helmet and equipment of the regular German army. It is an intriguing capture. *3
Below are photos that clearly depict the damage caused in Willemsdorp as a result of the fighting in May 1940. Among them are the Willemsdorp car salvage yard and the police troop barracks. The Willemsdorp barracks camp has been completely leveled in these photos due to Dutch artillery fire. Unfortunately, several Dutch soldiers were killed by this artillery fire while being held captive by the German paratroopers. Furthermore, the police troop barracks were used as a first aid station until it became impossible due to the artillery fire. In the second-to-last photo, we see makeshift shelters dug by Dutch prisoners of war, hastily created to find some refuge from the ravages of war. They are well camouflaged. Photo 12 effectively demonstrates the extent of the damage caused in May 1940. The last photo shows another demolished building in Willemsdorp as a result of the May events, with a German vehicle nearby. *4
In the photo below, German paratroopers can be seen with a captured piece of I-17 R.A. The guns were positioned in the fields along Vlaakweg and were captured by paratroopers from Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1 in the early morning of May 10, 1940. The Germans themselves used these guns during May 1940. These are most likely paratroopers from the II Battalion.
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*1 Source: beeldbank Dordt Open stad.
*2 Source: This information was made available to us by Mr. A Goossens.
*3 Source: Zuidfront-Holland1940- 11 mei de status quo rond 04:00 uur.
*4 Source: Zuidfront-Holland1940 - effecten van het artillerievuur.