When Germany leveled the Netherlands in just 4 days

Friday morning, 10 May 1940. An air monitor saw a bomber from the German Luftwaffe flying toward the North Sea. Once past the sea, the plane turned towards the Dutch mainland and carried out the attack. That day marked the dragging of the Netherlands into the vortex of the Second World War.

The Netherlands initially stated to be neutral when World War II broke out in 1939, but Germany invaded it so that automatically, like it or not, the Netherlands was dragged into the second global war.

It didn't take Germany long to conquer the Netherlands. On May 15, 1940, the day after the Rotterdam bombing, the Dutch army surrendered. The government and the Dutch royal family fled to Britain (England).

After being defeated, the Netherlands was under German occupation, which occupied several territories until Germany surrendered in May 1945.

The success of Germany in conquering the Netherlands in a matter of days could not be separated from the blitzkrieg tactics employed by the German troops. This tactic overwhelmed the Dutch troops.

The Blitzkrieg is a military strategy in which German troops attack rapidly from various elements using a combination and coordination of air, sea and land forces.

This sudden, quick and unexpected attack caused a sense of panic at the Dutch defense force. As a result, in just five days, Germany managed to conquer the Netherlands.