Dutch WWI

This is more of a question.

Would the Dutch military be a reasonable force had the Germans decided to expand the war to them as well?

Or if they had to retreat into Belgium, would it make a difference having more men in the field and less Germans at the front to hold onto Holland?
 
The Dutch army would've retreated west and north, into Holland, not south into Belgium. Holland is also pretty defensible, so they might even hold out there while the Germans swing south to (try to) smash the French armies.

That said, the Dutch army was apparently less unprepared than in 1940, so it would be the equivalent of a decent field army added to its side (not German quality, likely not French, but a lot better than a single Russian one).
 
I think it would be a very level playing field, because of the following points:

1. The Dutch Army was on similar technical level as the German Army.

2. A lot of Officers / Non-coms had actual combat experiences in the Atjeh wars (1877 till right up to the start of WW1)

3. The Waterlinie, nothing that the Germany had at the start of WW1 could get through. Nb. The Job of the Field Army was to give the
Time to make the inundation perfect. High enough to stop foot movement / to low to be abele to use boats. Every ditch a posible unseen death trap for the attacking
Infantry.

4. Truth been told, Holland is an sideshow for the Germans but sucks up a lot of troops to watch their flanks.
 
I agree. In the end the Germans would ot be able to penetrate the waterline and the eastern part of the Netherlands would soak up German soldiers that could be used elsewhere, so attacking the Netherlands during WWI would be a mistake for the Germans. A neutral, semi-pro German Netherlands would be far more valuable (and even with that the Germans lost).
 
WI the Netherlands joined the CP? Probably a bad idea because they will lose the DEI...
They probably would, but the place is big and has plenty of ships around. If Japan goes all-in on it it could be done quick, but if they stay out and Britain/France have to scrounge up the troops and ships to take it from somewhere it'd take longer.

The real positive is it might soak up enough resources to make Gallipolli impossible ;)

If the Dutch manage to surprise the Entente by joining the CP right in 1914 (butterflies be dead), the combined Dutch-German offensive could run all the way to Calais-Paris before running out of steam, putting the German-Dutch navies in a pretty scary spot for the British, and making their logistics terrible. More of the Belgian army would be destroyed rather than pushed away, too (what with the Dutch army starting practically in spitting distance of Antwerp, with good railways to bring in big German guns). They'll be able to win the war before the DEI actually fall, I'd say.

If the Dutch join the CP late in 1914, or with the Entente able to predict it weeks if not months in advance, the net effect is probably still good for the CP but much less so, and you might see the DEI fall at some point (1917?), while the lack of a Dutch neutral outlet makes the blockade tougher on Germany.
 
The DEI will probably split between the UK, Australia and Japan (and possibly France) , with Japan probably getting the least valuable parts. My guess would be Java, Borneo and Sumatra going the Britain, New Guinea to Australia together with some of the smaller Sunda island. Japan would get at best Celebes and the Maluku islands.
 
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