Defence of the Netherlands
Directs national resistance during the opening phase of the invasion.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in Netherlands
Explore 12 historical events and records for Netherlands in 1940.
Historical records for Netherlands in 1940
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 12 of 12 unique records.
12Unique records
1 of 1Page
8Named events on this page
4Named people on this page
2Places on this page
May
German Invasion of Maastricht
Commands Dutch forces as Germany attacks Maastricht and the Meuse crossings.
Capture of Amsterdam
Germany completes the capture of Holland
Exile of Wilhelmina I
The British send a destroyer to help Wilhelmina to leave Holland
Invasion of Netherlands, The
Leaves the Hague-Amsterdam redoubt. Asks the British to send extra fighters to defend Holland but is turned down
Capture of Netherlands, The
The Dutch sign the document of capitulation
Invasion of Netherlands, The
The Dutch sign the document of capitulation
Invasion of Netherlands, The
General Winckelmann capitulates
June
Government in Exile
Queen Wilhelmina establishes a Government in exile in Britain
Invasion of Netherlands, The
Queen Wilhelmina establishes a Government in exile in Britain
Other events (month unknown)
Invasion of Netherlands, The
Pre war pacifism costs Holand dear, it has no tanks & only 26 armoured cars. Canals are flooded & "fortress Holland" created but Holland is overun by German tanks
Resignation of Dirk Jan de Geer
Resigns in disgrace for attempting to negotiate a peace settlement with Germany
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.