Fallschirmjagers in Rotterdam

[German_military]

Hello,
I just wanted to share this foto with you.

You see the original foto from Fallschirmjagers that entered the city of Rotterdam , Holland at the begin of ww2.
At the next foto you see the same place, but only 60 years later.

Greetings,
Frank

[Willi Z.]

Thanks for sharing those photos Frank. I always like the "After The Battle" then and now approach to era photos.

[Óscar G]

Frank, thanks for the photo. Please, can you give us an accurate description of the place (real name of the location)? As far as I can see, the two buildings and the sign post are the same. Is there something more left?
Thanks and regards.
Óscar.

[Ben]

Oscar,

what you see is a picture taken directly next to the Waalhaven Airfield in the morning of 10th of May 1940.
The picture was taken on the corner of the Schulpweg and the Korperweg.
The building in the back is the Lamers Farm (who was a nazi-sympathizer).
The civilian in the middle in the other picture take at this spot is said to have been a member of the fifth column.
Quite a few FJ were killed in the vicinity of this picture.
I live about half a mile from there, or used to anyway.

[Óscar G]

Hi, Ben and everyone!
Thanks for this information. You have commented a quiet interesting issue:

The civilian in the middle in the other picture take at this spot is said to have been a member of the fifth column.

Do you mean the following picture? It comes from a photo sequence taken on May 10th. Many books point out that he´s a "Dutch civilian" being questioned by the FJs; other books state he´s a "Brandenbuger"...
Best regards. Óscar

[Ben]

Hi Óscar,

yes that's the one. I knew it has been said that he is a Brandenburger but I have never seen any documentated evidence of them being active here before the assault.

[Giel VW]

Frank,
lovely those compare photos!

[German_military]

Damn! That's some interesting information. I'm impressed that Ben knows right away where it is, and that there's even another foto of the same spot!

It's very nice that one foto tells such a story.

Greetings,
Frank

(and to the Dutch people among us: Doeii ! )

[JamesM]

I may be getting my campaigns mixed up - but wasn't there also story about Brandenburgers being marched in as "prisoners" in order to seize a bridge? I will have to look up specifics.

I always thought the civilian's suit was rather poor fitting, too long in the sleeves and thus maybe indeed a Brandenburger!?!? Just a thought.

[Ben]

James,

that happened indeed in the same campaign and on May 10th. 1940 but it was at a place called Gennep where they took the railroad bridge over the river Maas this way. Gennep is near the German border.
They wanted specifically this railroad bridge because they could than get an armored train across this way which was supposed to go all the way West. It got destroyed near Mill which is just a few miles from Gennep.
Some Dutch speaking Brandenburger where dressed up as Dutch military police and whilst others were dressed as regular WH and acted as prisoners. They took that railroad bridge without a shot being fired.

[gertje]

James,

that happened indeed in the same campaign and on May 10th. 1940 but it was at a place called Gennep where they took the railroad bridge over the river Maas this way. Gennep is near the German border.
They wanted specifically this railroad bridge because they could than get an armored train across this way which was supposed to go all the way West. It got destroyed near Mill which is just a few miles from Gennep.
Some Dutch speaking Brandenburger where dressed up as Dutch military police and whilst others were dressed as regular WH and acted as prisoners. They took that railroad bridge without a shot being fired.

Then there's something similar also that night May 10th at 3 am. A same sort of group dressed up as dutch troops on bicycle, but they were captured near Didam, east of Arnhem. They wore e.g. some type of Dutch lookalike helmets made of cardboard that drew suspicion.

Now you see how important it is to discern the real helmets from the fakes. It might at one time save your life

Marcel