11th May 1940

[Pdf27]

The German forces around the north end of the remains of the Moerdijk Bridge launch a dawn attack with the assistance of some forces from Dordrecht and capture it. All Dutch forces on the island of Dordrecht are now either PoWs or in hiding.
Meanwhile, the Light Division is slowly pushing forward towards the Dordrecht bridges in the face of stiff German opposition. While they greatly outnumber their opponents, the German troops are much better trained and led. Additionally, since they are attacking into one of their own towns the Dutch troops are proving reluctant to open fire without clearly identified German targets, and are not using their artillery at all.
Further north of them, the 8th Division is crossing the Alblasserdam bridge when the Germans attack with half a battalion of Fallschirmjaeger troops flown in overnight (the German airlift had stopped during the day on the 10th based on a report that “all” Dutch airfields were untenable, but was resumed into Waalhaven in the early evening). The Germans manage to push the 8th Division back to within sight of the bridge, but in the end the intervention of Dutch artillery proves decisive and the attack is abandoned with heavy casualties on both sides. The 8th Division then abandon their advance towards Dordrecht and dig in around the Alblasserdam Bridge.

In London, the Belgian ambassador delivers a protest to the Foreign Secretary that British and French troops have entered his country without invitation, and insists that they leave immediately. This request is politely declined by Lord Halifax, who states that the British and French forces have only entered Belgium in response to German aggression.

Meanwhile, in Belgium itself the Anglo-French forces are reasonably well established along the Escaut/Scheldt line. Around half the troops are actually in position, with the rest anticipated within the next 48 hours. Defensive works are in progress, and expected to be substantially complete by the 15th.
There are shortages of everything (as is perhaps to be expected), with the most serious being of artillery shells. Right now the BEF have enough for around 12 hours of combat, while 7th Army have only 12 shells per gun on average. While more are coming in by road, a proper resolution of the system is waiting on the Belgian railway system. The Belgian railwaymen are helping as much as they can, but the changes required to achieve this will take 2-3 days to organise.

Nine Fairey Battles of the Belgian Air Force attack the captured bridges over the Albert Canal, losing six aircraft. Further south in the Ardennes, the AASF launches an attack against a German troop column. The results are inconclusive, and only one of the eight aircraft survives to return to base.
Over the course of the day, the situation of the German troops at Waalhaven is steadily deteriorating. RAF Wellingtons dropped 60 tonnes of bombs on the airfield overnight, and the Dutch now have a battery of heavy artillery pieces shelling the airfield. By the end of the day there are over 40 wrecked Ju-52 transports on the field, and aircraft operations are becoming increasingly hazardous as craters and wreckage take up an increasing amount of the available space.

Around The Hague, the last pockets of German resistance (mainly in the dunes) are eliminated by last light. A few individuals are still on the loose, but no formed units are still operational. Meanwhile the force holding the bridges across the Maas in Rotterdam is coming under increasing pressure, not having received any reinforcements due to the events at Alblasserdam. The Marines and Engineers in the city are slowly storming the various houses that the Fallschirmjaegers are holed up in, using explosives to from “mouse-holes” through the walls and so avoid doors and windows. By the end of the day the northern side of the bridgehead has been retaken, and the German troops are confined to four buildings on the south side. They can still deny the Dutch use of the bridge, but are running low on ammunition and most of the remaining troops are wounded.

Further east, the first German recce troops reach the edge of the Water Line around Utrecht. They attempt a quick attack on it in the hope that it is lightly held like the other defensive lines they have encountered to date, but are stopped dead and withdraw.

The first Canadian troops arrive in Vlissingen at around 11pm aboard 2 RN destroyers. After unloading, the destroyers withdraw and are back in Harwich by first light. While around half of the Canadians march off to take up their defensive positions, the rest go to some nearby warehouses and start unpacking their artillery and anti-aircraft guns which have been stored there since the middle of April.

In southern Belgium, the German forces are advancing through the Ardennes almost uninterrupted. There has been some minor skirmishing with the Chasseurs Ardennais, but by far the biggest problem has been traffic jams. There have been a few attempts by RAF and AdA bombers to attack the German columns, but they have generally been beaten off with heavy losses. Damaged German vehicles are just shoved off to the side of the road and the column continues onwards.
The leading forces will be in spitting distance of Sedan by dusk, while the troops at the back of the queue have not yet left Germany.

[Belushi TD]

It has always caused me confusion that the powers that were considered the Ardennes "impassable". Yes, I know I'm looking at it with 20/20 hindsight, but it seems odd to me that no one even bothered to take a look once a day or so.

Its nice to see the Dutch are showing their mettle. I have always found it odd that the French, at least in the chattering class of the Anglosphere, have been named surrender monkeys and the Dutch were not. Nor were the Belgians. Or, for that matter, the Luxembourgers. Of course, their country is tiny in comparison, so I guess no one really expected them to put up much of a fight.

Belushi TD

[Pdf27]

I have always found it odd that the French, at least in the chattering class of the Anglosphere, have been named surrender monkeys and the Dutch were not. Nor were the Belgians. Or, for that matter, the Luxembourgers. Of course, their country is tiny in comparison, so I guess no one really expected them to put up much of a fight.

That's dead simple. The French are big enough and influential enough they can't just be ignored when the object to whatever the US government of the day is doing. The Belgians and Dutch just get ignored, hence no need to slag them off.

[Bernard Woolley]

Didn’t that nickname originate at the time when France declined to join in the invasion of Iraq?

[Belushi TD]

Not really. I remember hearing jokes about the French tendency to surrender from my adopted grandfather when I was a kid in the mid 80's. It may be that it was more of an internal thing in the US, and the French refusal threw the jokes into harsh relief.

By adopted I mean he was the father of a close friend of my mom and dad. I called the friends Aunt and Uncle, and the Aunt's parents I called grandma and grandpa. He was in the military during WWII, but I don't recall exactly where. I seem to recall he was a Seabee, but I'm not really sure. This may have affected his view of France.

Belushi TD

[Bernard Woolley]

Oh, the jokes have been around since 1940ish. Turns out that “cheese-eating surrender monkeys” comes from a 1995 episode of The Simpsons.