On the fifth day of the German invasion, an event occurred that few had expected to come so soon: the Dutch Army in the Netherlands was compelled to lay down its arms and surrender. Yet the capitulation was not absolute. Under the terms of the armistice, the province of Zeeland was explicitly excluded from the surrender.
The reason for this exception was straightforward. Zeeland was by then heavily occupied by French forces, over which the Dutch Commander-in-Chief, General Winkelman, exercised no authority. Recognising this reality, Winkelman insisted that Zeeland be excluded from the capitulation agreement. The German command accepted this demand for precisely the same reason: the military situation in Zeeland was no longer solely a Dutch affair, but also involved substantial Allied forces operating independently of Dutch command.
As a consequence, while organised Dutch resistance ceased in the remainder of the country, the fighting in Zeeland continued. The province thus became the final Dutch battlefield of the 1940 campaign, where French and remaining Dutch forces would continue their struggle against the advancing German troops.
At 1700 hours, following a brief consultation with his senior staff, General Winkelman decided to cease resistance and surrender the Dutch armed forces throughout the Netherlands, with the sole exception of the province of Zeeland. The circumstances that led to this decision have been discussed elsewhere and need not be repeated here.
In his proposal for an armistice, Winkelman explicitly stipulated that Zeeland (and its territorial waters) should be excluded from the terms of capitulation. His reasoning was straightforward: large parts of the province were occupied and defended by French forces, over which he exercised no authority. The German command reluctantly accepted this condition. As a consequence, the Territorial Commander of Zeeland, Rear Admiral (lower half) Hendrik van der Stad, suddenly found himself acting as commander of the remaining Dutch forces not covered by the armistice. In practical terms, he also became the highest Dutch governmental authority on unoccupied Dutch territory.
One particularly remarkable aspect of the arrangement was the German attitude towards the Dutch naval and naval aviation units stationed in Zeeland. These forces were likewise excluded from the capitulation. The warships operating in Zeeland waters had never been placed under French command, and the Germans could reasonably have insisted that they be returned to Dutch control and surrendered in accordance with the armistice terms imposed on the remainder of the Dutch armed forces. The same argument could have been applied to the naval seaplane base and its surviving aircraft. Yet the Germans raised no such objections.
This leniency was striking and perhaps reflected German confidence that the eventual occupation of Zeeland would present little difficulty. Having already secured the rapid conquest of most of the Netherlands, the German command may simply have regarded the remaining resistance in Zeeland as a minor and temporary problem.
News of the capitulation initially reached Zeeland only through radio broadcasts. These reports announced that the Dutch armed forces had surrendered but failed to mention that Zeeland had been excluded from the armistice. Only several hours later was this crucial detail communicated. The omission caused widespread confusion among both Dutch and French troops in the province.
In response, Rear Admiral Van der Stad issued a proclamation stating that resistance would continue and that Dutch forces would remain at their positions alongside their Allied partners. However, he neglected to explain that the Dutch Army elsewhere in the country had already laid down its arms. As a result, many listeners doubted the credibility of the announcement.
Later that evening, at approximately 2000 hours, Van der Stad issued a second proclamation that proved even more confusing. Seeking to counter disbelief and rumours, he declared that reports of a Dutch capitulation were entirely false. Rather than clarifying the situation, this statement only deepened the uncertainty.
It was not until the morning of 15 May that a third proclamation finally presented a clear and accurate account of events. Van der Stad explained that the Dutch armed forces in the Netherlands had indeed surrendered, but that the province of Zeeland - and all military personnel, installations, vessels, and equipment located within it - remained excluded from the armistice and would continue the fight alongside the Allies.
The previous day, news of Queen Wilhelmina's arrival in England had dealt a severe blow to Dutch morale. Many soldiers interpreted her departure as evidence that the struggle was nearing its end and that capitulation was only a matter of time. Whatever confidence and determination remained among the troops was further undermined by the widespread expectation that the war in the Netherlands had effectively been lost.
From that moment onward, the effectiveness of many Dutch units in Zeeland deteriorated markedly. Already strained by days of retreat, uncertainty, rumours, and air attacks, numerous formations proved increasingly unable or unwilling to meet the demands placed upon them. Although there were notable exceptions, Dutch resistance in Zeeland became progressively weaker, leaving an ever greater share of the fighting to the French forces.
It is not difficult to understand the sentiments of many Dutch soldiers, who felt abandoned by both their government and their monarch at a moment of national crisis. Nevertheless, such feelings did not alter the military reality. The defence of Zeeland increasingly depended upon French troops who had crossed the border to defend not only their own strategic interests, but also Dutch territory.
The events of 14–18 May 1940 therefore occupy a difficult and often uncomfortable place in Dutch military history. For many contemporary observers, as well as for later historians, the campaign in Zeeland raised painful questions about morale, leadership, and the obligations of allies during the final days of the Dutch struggle against the German invasion ...