GERMANY’S COUP

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20262, 1 June 1940, Page 11

GERMANY’S COUP

INVASION OF HOLLAND OVERWHELMING WEIGHT CONFIDENT DUTCHMEN REAR ATTACK SUCCEEDS One British national who was not surprised to learn of the swift collapse of the defences of Holland a few days after the invasion of that country by the Germans early this month was Mr. George F. Barnwell, a geologist who has just arrived in Gisborne to take up an important post with the New Zealand Petroleum Company, Limited. Mr. Barnwell was in Holland as late as March last, and left The Hague to visit his home in Canada before coming on to New Zealand. For some years Mr. Barnwell had been at The Hague, and he had had some opportunity to appreciate the difficulties of Holland 1 in the face of the gathering shadow of war. The Dutch were hard to convince that Germany could gain anything by invading their country, and were equally confident that if they did attempt an invasion the flooding of a great belt of country near the frontier with Germany would provide a substantial auxiliary defence.

On neither ground was their confidence justified, for the Germans planned and executed a deliberate invasion, and moreover suffered only a slight handicap from the flooding of the lowlands.

Had the Dutch army been pressed only from the front, it would have maintained its defence much longer than the five days and nights during which it fought the invaders, Mr. Barnwell considered. The morale of the troops was high—the Dutch are by nature fairly confident and optimistic —and though there was a serious lack of aviation material in the country, there seemed some justification for their views. What they did not calculate on was the ravages done by the “fifth column” and the parachute troops once the invasion was commenced. Troop Dispositions Changed Early in the war Holland seemed to feel that her major danger lay in an attack by. the Allies from the North Sea, and there was a fairly strong distribution of troops along the coast. Later, a change in the Dutch High Command resulted in a change in policy, which pleased the great bulk of the army in defensive positions along the German frontier. The effect of this was unfortunate. When the German planes came over Holland they sought out the great aerodromes on the coastline, which had practically no protection. They bombed and machine-gunned all units which might have prevented the landing of parachute troops, and thus cleared the way for the landings. The army, which in earlier months might have checked this type of attack, was facing the German frontier, and the attacks in the rear must have had a most demoralising effect. There could have been no doubt of the intention of the Dutch to hold up any invaders. They even believed that they could do so successfully, regardless of what means of attack the Germans used. It was not lack of valour, but the chaos which followed the capture of coastal airports and the raiding of The Hague, which accounted for the swift collapse of the defences, in Mr. Barnwell’s opinion. No Call For Canadian Veterans In November last the Germans had seemed to be concentrating troops for an attack on the Low Countries, but this occasion passed without serious developments. During that period Mr. Barnwell was evacuated from The Hague to London, and while there he offered his services to the British and Canadian authorities, having fought with the Canadians in the last war. He found there a disinclination to enlist veterans of the Great War, however, the prevailing opinion being that only' men between the ages of 20 and 35 years could stand the pace of modern war. He shared the feelings of thousands of compatriots and of men throughout the Empire whose services were thus neglected. Mr. Barnwell returned to The Hague and continued his business connection there until March last. A factor in the Dutch situation which he noted during that time was the incredulity with which the Hollanders treated suggestions that a German invasion was to be feared seriously. Their relations with the Germans, in trade and cultural matters alike, were far closer than with the Allies, with neither of whom had Holland a common frontier. Talk of a German effort to outflank the Allies by a drive through the Low Countries was thought to be foolish, among the civilians, for, they pointed out, Belgium would offer all the thoroughfare the invaders would require. The actual invasion must have found the people of Holland unprepared psychologically, and this would help to account for the almost immediate success of the Germans against the Dutch. French Determination Assured A brief visit to France, before his departure from Europe, convinced Mr. Barnwell of the high morale of the French. He had heard suggestions that a proportion of Frenchmen were half-hearted about the struggle, but he saw nothing to suggest it. Paris was almost deserted of men, and everyone seemed to be doing a war job of some kind. It was evident that to all French nationals the idea of a German victory was abhorrent and the prospects of a peace dictated by Germany appalling. From what he saw in France, Mr. Barnwell felt certain, he said, that France would stand to her guns and fight on to the end. Efforts by the enemy to separate French interests from Britain would not get much encouragement, for the French were more alive to the danger than the British appeared to be at the outset. London was full of men who had tried to get into the war machine and who had been turned down or deferred, he was told. It seemed that the British people had not then got over their ancient habit of waiting f.or the enemy to strike hard before they mustered their full strength. The present situation in Northern France, though tragic for the troops engaged and for the countries whose interests were bound up with theirs, was calculated, he thought, to bring out the fullest measure of Britain’s strength and hasten the day when Germany would feel its weight.