Willemsdorp.
On this page you will find original photographic material from World War II of the small village of Willemsdorp, located between Dordrecht and the Moerdijk bridges. The first four photos are very unique as they show aircraft from the Naval Aviation Service (MLD) on the water near the Moerdijk bridges in Willemsdorp. Aviolanda from Papendrecht regularly tested seaplanes here for the MLD. After the May days of 1940, construction continued, but of course, the aircraft went to the Germans.
The first photo shows a Dornier 24K flying boat. This is the X-30, built by Aviolanda in Papendrecht and delivered to the MLD in April 1938. The pre-war roundel (red-white-blue with an orange dot) is still painted on the fuselage of the aircraft. In 1939, a Dutch Fokker T.VIII W was shot down by a German aircraft. The excuse given was that the Dutch roundel resembled that of the English too closely. After this incident, the Dutch roundels were replaced with an orange triangle outlined in black, which is not yet the case on this plane. The photo was most likely taken between April 1938 and 1939. *1
The second and third photos show the Fokker C. VIII-W seaplane. These aircraft, delivered in 1930, were maritime reconnaissance planes and were mainly stationed at the "De Mok" airfield in Texel and "Veere" in Zeeland. In the second photo, you can see the Fokker C. VIII-W with registration number G-1. Both civilians and Dutch soldiers can be seen on the pier near the aircraft. The Dutch soldiers are most likely part of the security detachment for the Moerdijk bridges. The presence of civilians is less obvious. On the right side of the second photo, you can still see the distinctive Dutch river casemate. Photo 3 also shows a Fokker C. VIII-W seaplane, this time with registration number G-5. It's a beautiful photo with the traffic bridge in the background. Both the G-1 and G-5 flew to England during May 1940 and were ultimately scrapped there as they were deemed unnecessary. The fourth photo shows a beautiful shot of the Moerdijk bridges with two aircraft flying at low altitude. They are likely a Dornier 24K and a Fokker C. VIII-W. *2
The next five photos were most likely taken by German soldiers. Photo five shows German soldiers at Hotel Waterloo in Willemsdorp. The same goes for photo six. The German soldiers are manning an MG-34 machine gun on a mount. Behind them, you can still see the pier of the former Willemsdorp-Moerdijk ferry service. This became obsolete once the Moerdijk bridges were completed. The photo with the PAK artillery near the water was also likely taken near Hotel Willemsdorp or at the bridges. On the right side of the image, you can just make out a piece of camouflage netting, probably from a bunker or shelter. The last two photos were likely taken on the Hollandsche Diep. In the background, you can see a small pumping station in the last photo.
Given that all the photos came from the same collection and were found at an antique shop in Dordrecht, there may indeed be a connection to Aviolanda in Papendrecht. It's possible that the photos came from a former employee. The production at Aviolanda continued after the war, albeit for the Germans. Without concrete evidence, it remains speculation, but these are undoubtedly very interesting photos.
©2017-2024 :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.
*2 Source: IPMS Nederland.