1. German paratroopers on the Zwijndrecht bridge during the Second World War in Dordrecht.
German paratroopers, presumably from 2./FJR 1 or 4./FJR 1, are positioned on the Zwijndrecht road bridge during the Second World War. Behind them, the burning warehouses of the Chemproha factory on the Lindtsedijk can be seen. The photograph, an extremely rare image of German paratroopers on the Zwijndrecht bridge, is annotated on the back and dated 12 May 1940. The inscription reads: “Meine Gruppe im Feuerkampf bei dem vom starken Feind verteidigten Hafen Dordrecht‑Holland,” meaning: my group in a firefight at the strongly defended harbour, Dordrecht‑Holland.
The paratrooper in the center of the image is marked with a small cross and may be the soldier who wrote the text on the back of the photograph, possibly the group commander. On 12 May, the bridge was still being defended by paratroopers of the 2nd and 4th Companies of Fallschirmjäger Regiment 1. Dutch troops in the EMF (the electric‑motor factory on the Dordrecht side of the bridge) and the surrounding buildings regularly fired on the German bridgehead. Throughout the day (and evening), the paratroopers at the bridgehead came under repeated fire from Dutch artillery. The warehouses behind the paratroopers, next to the factory, were likely hit by this artillery fire. It appears that one of the paratroopers quickly took a photograph between bursts of firing, as the men are still taking cover. It is likely that the Dutch soldiers occupying the EMF and nearby buildings on the Dordrecht side had already been driven out, as it is doubtful the paratroopers could have remained in this position within their line of fire—let alone had time to take a photograph. In any case, it is a highly interesting image.
[^1] Source: The book: The German Fallschirmtruppe 1936-41 It’s genesis and employements in the first campaigns of the wehrmacht door Karl Heinz Golla and http://zuidfront-holland1940.nl/
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