HOLLAND AT WAR AGAINST HITLER
HOLLAND AT WAR
AGAINST HITLER
Anglo-Dutch relations
19401945
Edited by
M. R. D. FOOT
With a Foreword by
HRH Prince Bernhard
FRANK CASS
WAANDERS UITGEVERS
First published 1990 in Great Britain by
FRANK CASS AND COMPANY LIMITED
2 Park Square, Milton Park,
Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
and in the United States of America by
FRANK CASS
270 Madison Ave,
New York NY 10016
Transferred to Digital Printing 2005
Copyright 1990 Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Holland at war against Hitler: Anglo-Dutch relations 19401945: proceedings of a conference held at University College London on 3, 4 and 5 April 1989. 1. Netherlands. Foreign relations with Great Britain, history
I. Foot, M.R.D. (Michael Richard Daniell) 1919327.49204
ISBN 0714633992
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Holland at war against Hitler : Anglo-Dutch relations, 19401945 / edited by M.R.D. Foot.
p. cm.
Proceedings of a conference held at University College London on 3, 4 and 5 April 1989.
ISBN 0714633992
1. World War, 19391945NetherlandsCongresses. 2. World War, 19391945Great BritainCongresses. 3. NetherlandsForeign relationsGreat BritainCongresses. 4. Great BritainForeign relationsNetherlandsCongresses. I. Foot, M.R.D. (Michael Richard Daniell), 1919
D802.N4H64 1990 |
940.53492dc20 | 901614 |
CIP |
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Frank Cass and Company Limited.
cover photograph
Prince Bernhard and Dr Gerbrandy in England in 1943.
CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS
Between pages 20 and 21
Between pages 174 and 175
MAPS
Acknowledgements
The pair of maps on page 159 is taken from Chester Wilmot, Struggle for Europe (Collins, 1952); the map on page 160 from Hilary St George Saunders, The Red Beret (Michael Joseph, n.d.); and that on page 161 from Major-General R.E. Urquhart, Arnhem (Cassell, 1958).
The poem on page 240 comes from R. Gustafson ed., Penguin Book of Canadian Verse (1958).
Of the photographs, 1 (also reproduced on the back of the jacket) is by permission of Topham Picture Library; 2 and 5 are from Henri van der Zee, The Hunger Winter (1982) by permission of Jill Norman; 3 and 4 by permission of the Imperial War Museum; and 6 from Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst, by permission of ANEFO b.v. The jacket photograph is reproduced by kind permission of the Rijksinstituut voor Oorlogs Documentatie.
Conference Patrons
and Advisers
Patrons
His Royal Highness Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
His Excellency Dr P. J. H. Jonkman, Dutch Ambassador, London
His Excellency (Sir) Michael R.H. Jenkins, British Ambassador, The Hague
Jhr Mr J. L. R. Huydecoper van Nigtevecht, past Dutch Ambassador, London
Sir John Barnes, past British Ambassador, The Hague
Advisory Board
Sir Michael Howard, Regius Professor of Modern History, Oxford
Charles Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Cambridge
Jonathan Israel, Professor of Dutch History, University College London
Donald Cameron Watt, Professor of Contemporary History, London School of Economics
Christopher Thorne, Professor of International Relations, Sussex University
Brian Bond, Professor of War Studies, Kings College London
Drs Harry A. Paape, Director, Dutch State Institute for War Documentation
Dr C. M. Schulten, Head, Section Military History Dutch Army
Dr Paul Hayes, University Lecturer in International Relations, Oxford
Dr Christopher Andrew, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Mrs Anna E. C. Harvey ne Simoni, author of Publish and be Free Gordon Marsden, Editor of History Today
General Sir John Hackett, former Principal of Kings College London
General G. L. J. J. Huyser, former Chief of Dutch Defence Staff (Sir) Charles Tidbury, Chairman, William & Mary Trust, London
G. Baron Kraijenhoff, Chairman, Willem III & Mary Stichting, Holland Mr Louis Baron dAulnis de Bourouill, longest serving agent BI
Executive Committee
Chairman: Professor M. R. D. Foot
Secretary: Herman Friedhoff
Treasurer: Colonel Jaap Smit
Derek White, replacing Hilary Evans
Sir Roger Cary, Bt
Barry Price
A. D. H. Simonsz
Michael Butler
Soestdijk Palace, November 1989
As I had been much involved with Anglo-Dutch relations in the years 1940-1945, I was interested to hear that a conference on this subject in London would form part of the William and Mary Tercentenary, From interest and from curiosity, I attended the first day, and was so struck by the liveliness of the gathering and by some of the personalities present, that I jettisoned some other plans and stayed nearly to the end.
We were able to watch scholars who had soaked themselves in their subjects confronted by witnesses who had actually been present at the time. As usual, scholars and witnesses did not always agree; nor did all the prejudices participants brought to the conference vanish. Yet quite a few misunderstandings were cleared up, and the reports gathered here set out the current state of knowledge on five years that were critical for both countries and for Europe.
I am glad to commend this volume not only to my own contemporaries, now fading from the scene, but to younger citizens of both nations and indeed of the whole world who want to understand the roots from which freedom grows.
Prince of the Netherlands
Editors Note
The papers that follow are printed almost as they were delivered, at a conference attended by a mixture of scholars, teachers, diplomats, journalists, students and retired warriors; of ages as diverse as their experiences; many of whom already knew each other. It seemed a pity to spoil an atmosphere of lively discussion by imposing on it too uniformly stolid a style. The merely mechanical passages, bearing on how the conference was to run, and the grace-notes introducing and thanking set speakers, have been left out; as have a few passages of slight importance and a few repetitions.
Not much that was startlingly new emerged, but at least we were able to set out what the French call the tat des questions, the stage that research has so far reached: which may help it to go farther. Much did appear that was familiar enough to the Dutch, but original and interesting to the English.
I must at the outset record a word of special gratitude, not only to our august patrons, several of whom honoured us by attending in person, and to our advisory committee, whose members gave invaluable help, but also to the other members of the executive committee, and to my wife, for having sustained the chairmans morale through the moments when it seemed there was no hope of getting the conference organized in time, or at all.
