The Netherlands in the Great War, scenario's

Nice that you have started a timeline, i wonder the the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Asia will get involved like invading German New Guinea.
 
Schematic overview of the various defense line using inundations.
The Line of "Zuid Water linie", ""Spaanse-Staatse linie" and "West-Brabant Linie" were old lines whihc were not part of the defense plans. The Zuid water line was decommissioned in 1882 and the others even earlier. Never the less there were still many earth works and inundation fields present whihc made it not difficult to use them.
The Line of Flanders using many old field works of the old line. This line was the last stand of the Belgian Army. The line of Beveland was the defense line behind the canal and the haslty made inundations East of the canal.
waterlinies_smv_we xxx.jpg
 
Schematic overview of the various defense line using inundations.
The Line of "Zuid Water linie", ""Spaanse-Staatse linie" and "West-Brabant Linie" were old lines whihc were not part of the defense plans. The Zuid water line was decommissioned in 1882 and the others even earlier. Never the less there were still many earth works and inundation fields present whihc made it not difficult to use them.
The Line of Flanders using many old field works of the old line. This line was the last stand of the Belgian Army. The line of Beveland was the defense line behind the canal and the haslty made inundations East of the canal.View attachment 332722
Is this map based on OTL positions.
 
Is this map based on OTL positions.
Yes.
All lines are OTL. All lines are even used during OTL WW1 and WW2 albeit a bit altered and or modified.
The Line of Flanders is made up for this scenario, but many based on the old lines used during the 16th, 17th and 18th century and the fortifications, earth works and battery empacements whihc were still, despite neglect presssent.
 
What would be a possible course of events when the Netherlands were involved in the Great War?
The following scenario's are more related on the time when the Dutch are actively involved in the conflict rather than on which side.
In all scenario's it will be on the side of the Entente and not the Centrals.
This is based on the following.
Before the out break of WW1 there was a considerable anti British sentiment, which was a culmination of Nationalism, romantisising of the 17th century "Golden Age" and the assumed loss of this by the English. The Boer wars, where the Dutch re-discovered the Dutch speaking cousins in South Africa who challenged the mighty British Empire. Among militarist there was an admiration of the German/Prussian army and an admiration of the German economic power after the French German war of 1870.
Although this pro- German or anti British sentiments were considerable, throughout society it was not enough to join the side of the Central powers.
If chosen or forced to chose this German side it would give the Dutch no benefits and certainly complete loss of her colonial empire. Dutch east Indie would be immediately attacked and occupied by the British, or even worse by the Japanese. There West Indian possessions would be immediately sized by the British and French. The colonial forces and Navy units ( the colonies was the main reason of existence of the navy) would be no match for the 2nd and 3rd rate battle ships of the British.
The out come of a war was too uncertain and even with Central victory there would be no guaranty that the colonial possessions would be returned. The Netherlands saw no benefits in new colonies and annexing Belgium or parts of Belgium ( Flemish part) would only increase domestic problems ( Catholic vs Protestant).

Neutrality would be preferred above all, since war would only bring destruction and loss of lives, so it would be never a voluntary decision made by opportunity calculations as by example the Italians did.

The Dutch army was a conscript army and divided in two parts; the filed army, the young echelons and the fortification army the older echelons.
The army was up to date to 1914 standards, in the two decades before the war considerable budgets were made available for modernisation, but with an acknowledged short coming in modern heavy artillery. Equipment and armament of the soldiers was modern, with relative modern rifles, relative modern filed artillery and the filed army was dressed in a field grey uniform. As per contrast the French wore red trousers and blue coats. The training was comparable with German Ersatz units (reserve), and a number of officers had field experience from the Athjee war ending in 1902.

Strategy of the Dutch was; the field army had to delay the invading forces in a mobile war in order to gain time for the fortification army who prepared the inundations of the Waterline. When inundations are completed the field army would retreat behind the Waterline and wait until the conflict is ended. The battle had to be fought some were else.

During the build up of international tensions between June and August 1914 the Dutch government acted swift and determined, to safe guard neutrality. As a result the army was fully mobilised and the units at their designated location when hostilities broke out at the 4th of August.

The military intelligence was very rudimentary, but never the less surprising effective. Military intelligence prior to the outbreak of war was gathered by Dutch officers who went on holiday in Germany and simply observed the location, estimated amount of soldiers and army units. With this information the Dutch General staff had a fairly correct picture whether or not Germany was intend to invade the Netherlands.

Scenario A:
The Schlieffen plan is not changed and the South of the Netherlands is still the road of advance for German troops to Belgium and France.
Dutch asked for Belgian cooperation in 1912 but this was never replied. In the wake of invasion the Belgian asked for cooperation. The Dutch, due to their information gathering, understanding that violation of Dutch neutrality is evident agree.
Despite this cooperation between Dutch and Belgians is very difficult, if not counterproductive. This is mainly caused by the conflicts in the Belgian high command. It will improve considerable when King Albert take personnel command.
Dutch troops, 3rd and 4th division of the field army, are confronted by the German 1st Army advancing through the provinces of Limburg and Brabant.
the German 1st Army consist of first class trained soldiers and Dutch troops are pushed back. Heavy fighting and large casualties are suffered by the crossing of the river Meuse and the South Willems-vaart, a canal through Brabant. All or nearly all bridges were destroyed by the Dutch but this would not stop the German troops, it would only hamper their supply lines later.
German second rate troops would frontal attack at the river Ijssel, advancing to the Hollandse waterline.
German first rate troops will attack south of the river Meuse direct to the Moerdijk bridge and after that the port of Rotterdam in an attempt to circumnavigate the Dutch waterline.
Dutch troops of the 3rd and 4th division will retreat to the "South water line", a waterline South of the river Meuse, or at least try to hold a part of it. Most likely the area around the Moerdijk bridge, the only part of this waterline with reasonable up to date fortifications. The East part of this line would be given up or over run by the German troops who are advancing to Moerdijk.
Other units of the 3rd and 4th division are pushed back, the the West and North West. Again to the area around the Moerdijk bridge and around Bergen op Zoom keeping a line of communication with he Belgians and their Antwerp fortifications.
The summer of 1914 was a nice sunny one with not much rain. Consequence of this wheater is that ther will be not much water in the rivers. Especially not in the rivers Meuse and Ijssel what makes them a relative easy crossing. The low water level of all the rivers means that the inundation of the Hollandse water line will be more problematic and will take more time. The inundation is base on the controlled flooding of designated areas by means of sluices, no pumps are involved, except the stop of the draining pumps.
A determined, and planned attack by the Germans in August 1914 could give the Dutch not enough time to successfully inundate their Waterline, after German units are able to penetrate this line.
The forts of the Hollandse Water line are out dated and not capable of with standing the large siege artillery of the Germans, successful inundations will dramatically increase the defense.
Last resort would be "Stelling Amsterdam" also a water line with modern forts, but this would cut of the Dutch troops of any other allied force.
Two options :
1) the Germans are fast and determined enough to penetrate the Hollandse Waterline before inundations are completed. Dutch can capitulate, not likely in this time frame.
2) Fight will be continued in parts of the Province Zeeland. Improved communication and cooperation between the Dutch and the Belgians will increase the defense of Antwerp into Dutch West Brabant. likely a concentration of the Belgian army more to the North West rather than to the South.
Note the Belgians did not receive any significant military support of the British and French. Safe to assume that the Dutch and Belgians are left on their own in the first weeks or month of the conflict.
This could mean the Belgians will retreat North instead of South. Creating a small Northern front comprising a part of North Flanders, Dutch Flanders, part of Zeeland.

Scenario B
The Schlieffen plan is changed the road of advance for German troops to France is only through Belgium.
Dutch asked for Belgian cooperation in 1912 but this was never replied. In the wake of invasion the Belgian asked for cooperation. The Dutch, due to their information gathering, understanding that the Germans troop concentration is not at their border only South of the Province Limburg but no offensive units else were on the border. Dutch neutrality is most likely respected and the Dutch do not have any interest to get involved in the conflict by helping the Belgians.
Due to communication error German units of the German 1st Army crossing the Dutch border in Limburg. Dutch and German units get engaged in fights.
Word get out of this fighting. German diplomats issue an ultimatum, similar as they did to the Belgians. Dutch government rejects the German demands which result in declaration of war between the two nations.
German advance of the 1st Army will be more North, not obstructed by the small corridor between Liege and Maastricht. Never the less it will be confronted by the Dutch 3rd and 4th Division. Since there is no up to date German plan of attack for the Netherlands the German advance is an improvisation with the focus of path of advance of the 1st Army which need to be as fast in France.
Dutch will retreat more intact to Moerdijk, Bergen op Zoom, South waterline, since the bulk of the German force will be advancing through Limburg and South East of Brabant. Other Dutch divisions will be not immediately engaged, and when it will happen it will be with reserve units whihc losses the advance of sup price. The crossing of the Ijssel and the advance through the province of Gelre will be more problematic, most likely all the bridges crossing the rivers are demolished in time, giving the Dutch more time to complete the inundations.
By the time the Germans can move and fire their siege artillery on the Dutch forts of the Hollandse water line, the inundations are complete (despite the low water level of the rivers).
The siege artillery will destroy the forts but due to the inundations and ad-hoc filed work the line will hold. No doubt it will lead to the complete destruction of the city Utrecht and small picturesque towns as Naarden, Muiden, Cullemborg, Willemstad etc.
The same will be for the South, possible, after establishing communications and cooperation with the Belgians a connected front will be formed through the Isles of Holland and Zeeland to Antwerp or the West of Flanders, more or less as in scenario A.

For both scenarios the following can alter the course of war
Assuming the German advance is stopped later in France and the "race to the sea'' evolve as in OTL the West Front will ''freeze'' more to the South entirely on France soil. Maybe even at the river Seine.
Nearly a complete occupied Netherlands will open options for the Entente. Like for Churchill who had plans of invading the Dutch Norther Provinces Friesland, Groningen, German East Frisia, with the aim of occupying the German Naval base at Wilhelms Hafen.
An attack from the Hollandse water line, would be an option, certainly made by Entente Generals, but the water line is not really designed for this and not suited either and rejected by the Dutch generals.
A Dutch front will proved the Royal Navy an excellent base, nearly a the door step, against the German Imperial fleet.
A Dutch front would be a huge logistic challenge. It would need an almost uninterrupted supply of food and energy in order to feed the population of nearly 3 million civilians. This could trigger far more aggressive and frequent navy actions.

Scenario C
Germans execute "Fall K'' in February/March 1917 with the aim of controlling the Wester Scheld in order to give the U boats a better base for their unrestricted U boat war.
This time the German advance will be form the South and not the East, except for the Northern Provinces.
German troops are considerable harder and battle experienced than Dutch troops. Despite increase of MG's at the Dutch side, Germans can succeed. German aim fro the rest of the Netherlands is to drive the Dutch behind their water line, and pin them there, so it will cost as less as possible troops to guard this "Dutch"" front.
Dutch troops can give considerable resistance around Bergen op Zoom, since in this area is considerable reinforced in anticipation of a German attack on the Wester Scheld. Uncertain how entente response will be.
How would Dutch colonies be affected ?
 
The evenst of August as described earlier are mere a scetch how a German advance will evolve, taken in consideration that it was not the initial plan of of the German to violate Dutch neutrality.
The only first rate units the Dutch will encounter are the units of the German 1st Army advancing through Limburg and parts of Brabant. The Dutch will fight only delaying actions in order to buy time for the fortification troops. It is very unlikly that the Dutch General staff will sacrifice the field army for a counter attack on the German right flank. It might do later as in OTL the Belgians did, just prevouis of the siege of Antwerp. But only after presure by the Entente. Dutch General staff was well aware of the capabilites of the field army and as well the in-capabilites, which was offiensieve action for a long period of time.
How the course of actions in the rest of the theater will be depend on how fast the Germans can relive the units needed to protect the right flank of the 1st Army with 2nd or 3rd rate reserve troops in order to keep the 1st amry at full strenght.
In this scenario I asume the Germans will manage to move 2nd, 3rd and 4rd rate reserve units to guard and even attack Belgian and Dutch troops while the 1st and 2nd amry will continue their advance in Belgium and France. The 1st Amry will swing more West wards and faster than in OTL since there is no narrow coridor between the Dutch and Belgian border, even the 2nde army will benefit from this. Lgistics will be troubled for a while due to the destruction of bridges and rail ways but this will be temporary.

No doubt German advance will go more or less as in OTL, after the battle of the frontiers and large retreat will ocure by the French and the BEF.
Resulting in a last desperate battle to stop the retreat of the Entente and stop the advance, as during the Batle of the Marne, let asume this happen at the nearly at the same place.
Now the following may ocure:
1) BEF reteats as General French desired, let asume this will not happen.
2) The Germans breach the line and manage to split the Netente troops. Possible but this will result in a continuation of the war, as it would in 1870, and as was predicted by Molte Sr. and some military theorist in Germany. Most likly it will end in an entrenched stale mate since the atrician of the 1st rate troops.
3) More or less simmilar out come as OTL battle of the Marne, simply due to the unespected feat that, deadly tired, strarving hunger, French soldiers desided to stand up were they stood and fight and be killed. A feat the Germans did not learn ad their war colleges as Moltke Jr later wrote.

I asume option 3 will ocure, whihc inturn result in endless battles in an attemped to out flank the oponent at their West flank. Later caled the Race to the sea.
Since the Belgians withdrew to the North and not to the South, there will be no inundations at the Ijzer. Although there will be fighting around Nieuwport and even Yper this will be battles whihc will be much less intense and be part of a moving front to the South. Most likely the Germans will hold Amiens and go further South.
I do asume they can and will go far South as close to the Siene but eventually will establish a line on the slightly higher grounds on the line Diepe to South of Beauvais, then Compegne and merging w the front as we know it to the East.


Western_front_1915-16 AH.jpg
 
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Fleet and Colonies:
In the event the Netherlands is involved at the Entenete side there will be no major diference as when it would be neutral.
It will be more intense exploited , more and larger plantatition, more industrialised, although still to a certain degree and there will be an more througher search for more raw materials evrey thing to provied materials for the war.
There will be an even as in OTL when HMS Trmp will encounter SMS Emden whil the latter was coaling in a bay of the vast Dutch East Indian archipellachio, and countrary as in OTL it will not be a civil encounter but gun shots wil be fired, and, unless Tromp will hit Emden at a crusial point, whit her larger guns Emden will steam away, with her speed of 6 more knots as Tromp.
Since the launch of the Zeven Provincien, the last of a series of unique ships a debate started how to protect the vast overseas empire agians Japan who build ever bigger battleships. The Zeven Provincien could hardly be called a battleship more a coastal defence ship, well suited for the nineties but since the advent of HMS Dreagthnought obsolete. The deabte culminated in a fleet plan desinged around a battleship fleet of around 4 to 5 ships or even 6 ships. By 1914 there were very advanced designs, of whom the design of Vicker and Germania were the most promising. The plans were on the roll to be discussed as fleet law, in Parlaiment when the war broke out.
 

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As a Maritime nation the Netherlands have a lot to lose and very little to gain joining the Central Powers. Neutrality seems like the only good option.
As a maritime nation it would have everything to lose being in the Entente. You're right, neutrality is the only viable option (unless attacked).
 
List of Dutch battleships of the period 1859-1914:


Coastal defense ship Hr. Ms. Evertsen
Early iron battleships


The "capitalships'''of the Dutch Royal navy small armored cruisers and coastal defense ships, how ever they were not named as such by the Dutch. Despite the vessel were quite new they were outclassed even before the advent of the HMS Dreadnought. This was realised by the Dutch and a bill to finacne a Battleship fleet was on the agenda in August 194, but due to the outbreak of war it was never made to vote.

Dutch destroyers of 1914:
K-class, class of 3 small torbedoboats, 48tons build in 1904
G-class, class of 16 larger boats, 180 tons, build between 1905 and July 1914
Wolf-class destroyers were a class of eight destroyers that were built between 1910 and 1913 for the Royal Netherlands Navy to serve in the Dutch East Indies. They were the first Dutch destroyers built after a British design but built on dutch ship yards, "De Schelde Flushing" and Feijenoord Rotterdam.
Z1 class of three vessels, and the Z5 class of five vessels, 270 tons, for use in the NorthSea laid down early 1914. All based on German AEF-Vulcan design

Dutch submarines of 1914
O 1-class submarine
O 2-class submarine (4 vessels)
O 6 class laid down may 1914
O 7 class laid down may 1914
K1 class of 1 vessel for the colonies

Gunboats or Sloop, for the defense of the rivers and Zuiderzee, there was a fleet of gunboats.

HrMs Reinier Claeszen comissioned in 1894 was a class of one, and the last real monitor. due her bad ship performances she was used for harbor duties. Since 1913 she laid in Helevoetsluis for repairs.

Thor-class class of 16 vessels, commissioned between 1877 and 1880, this were samll steam power vessels with a draft of 2.8 meter armored and armed with 1x280 mm gun , 2x37 mm guns and 1 3.7 mm revolving rapit fire gun. Some of them had modfied armamend were the 28cm gun was replaced by a 75 mm gun. Despite their old age they provided in the ealry stages fire support on the rivers and Zuiderzee.

Brino-class, class of 3 diesel powered vessels laid down in 1911 and lanched between 1912 and 1913 but not finsished by august 1914. Small shallow draught vessels, armored and armed with 4x10.5 cm guns 1x 40 mm gun and 2x12.7 mm Vickers MG's
 
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Scenario B end 1914.
Dutch water line holds . Despite the complete destruction of severals forts with long rage siege artilery adn infantery attacks.
Made shift water lines in the South will hold as well. Belgian Army reteated North and is, independent cooperate witht he defense.
The rather slow advance of the German army, that is not the units of the 1st Army, made it possible for a large number of people to flee North in to fortress Holland, inlcuding many Belgian refugees.
In 1914 the population of the Netherlands was just over six milion of which halve lived in the area now behind the front and nearly a milion refugees.
Main concern was how to feed all these people, provide the industry of raw materilas and half fabricated products and how to supply the army with amunution or materials to make the amunution.

The dutch merchant marine was around 1914 the fifth largest of the world, larger than the French merchant marine. Transport of goods over seas was not a real problem conserning tonnage. It was how to organise this, there is a desperatly needed flow of food and goods, and above all how to protect this agianst seamines, German war ships, raiders and the new more and more imminent threat of German submarines.

The fleet of protected cruisers was suitable to defend convoys agains enemey cruisers but completly inadequate against submarines.

An event in the Dutch East Indies was an example of the short comming of the Dutch fleet. HrMs Tromp a protected cruiser had an unespected encounter with the German cruiser Emden while the laste was bussy with coaling in a remote bay of the Dutch East Indian archiplago. Even the Tromp had much heavier guns and armor, the Emden was much faster and could out run the Tromp with ease. All slavos of the Tromp missed exept two with only caused damage to Emden's super structure,it made painfull clear that the Dutch navy needed other type of ships.
 
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Within weeks after the outbreak of the conflict the Dutch gouverment implemented a ration system, in het eraly stages only the basic nesecities and food but rapidly expanded to nearly all food and goods.
Further in order to ensure an uninterupted flow of supplies the Dutch gouverment ordered to investigate and list all ships and thier tonnage, means of propulsion and speed. In 1914 the wordls merchant fleet was very heterogenus, which still many seagoiing merchant ships undersail. For the Dutch merchant marine the number of sea goiing sailing ships was limmited.
Second as one of the first Entente member the Dutch organised convoy system. Merchant ships garthered for the East Indies or other Asian destinations or the West or other American destinations. The convoys were all the way escorted by one armored cruiser to protect the vessles against raiders. When aproacing, or navigating the North Sea a second cruiser with a flotilla of destroyers would join the convoy.
It soon become evident that the material the Dutch navy had was not up to the task. The armored cruisers where heavily armored and armed conpard to cruisers, but to light for heavier ubits or to slow for real cruisers. As the encounter of HMS Tromp with SMS Emden proved. The destroyers, based on up to date British and German designs, were not realy sutable for long range duties as escorts. They lacked sea worthines for long periods on sea while they were relaitve expensive for escort duties, and not realy up to their task agianst the increasing U-boat attacks.

For the coastal water the old Evertsen class armored cruisers were taken in service again. The old heterogenus Thor-class gun boats and event the old Reinier Claeszen, tugged to Tholen, proved to give excelent and much needed heavy fire support for the Army. The Brino class gun boats, construction was speedup and twelve other of this class were ordered on other yards, with some modifications.
 
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When the year 1914 ended it was clear that this was not a short war but that the conflict would last for an uncertian period.
This estimationbrought an other concern besides how to feed around 4 milion citizens and refugees and a supply an army of around 300000 soldiers including the Belgian army.
Even many men were conscripted many more needed to be employed. Due to the war, traditional commerce and industry colapsed. out side the cities men still could be employed in their Original argricultural trades, but in the cities factories were run out of business due to a shortage of raw materila and/or unavailable marked.
The Dutch gouverment decide to mobilise as much as possible factories and shipyards for the war effort. Since two thirds of the country was occupied, there was need of manufacturing capacity in the west for goods which were original produced in the ocupied area's.
This mobilisation or interfering with commerce was not whitout critisisim, since it was wholly agianst general, liberal motivated, policy of gouverment interference in industry and commerce.

To encounter the limits of the navy, cruisers, destoyers and submarines were orderd in the UK. Initially it ''leased'' two ships of the early Town class light cruisers and six from the Sentinel, Adventure and Active class scout cruisers. Further the Medea class,Talisman class and Faulknor class destroyers were purchased. This were ships underconstruction in the UK for respectively the Greek, Turkish and Chilean navy and were twelve ships in total. Other British destroyer desings were purchased and build later or diriectly order at the ship yards in the UK.
The Dutch also purchased the designs of the HMS Swift,a prototype of a flotila leader. The Dutch navy saw this as an excelent concoy protector. It start the construction of three of this type of ships after several modifications of her design, resulting in large ships resembing the British scout cruiser only with the size of the guns increased to 6inch guns instead of 4inch guns. It were the first three of a class very sucsesfull warship type consisting of eighteen ships at the end of the conflict. Each sub-class of three was an improvement of the previous and as such the ship class evolved in the most versatile and best suited ship type for convoying, submarine hunting and protector of the smaller armed destroyers.

To ensure employement on the Dutch shipyards, six more light cruisers of the Birmingham light cruiser design (Town sub class) would be constructed at the Dutch ships yards. Modified for Dutch demands. The steel or complete parts were shiped from the UK and the USA.

The many machine shops and shipyards were also mobilised for the manufacture of armory. Amunition manufacturing capacity increased dramaticly in a frenzy effort to supply the army and their dangerously depleted amunition stock. The Dutch encounterd a "shell crisis" already in October.

Long term projects were as well under taken, party aslso in an effort to employ as much as people and reduce the dependency of the Netherlands of foreign production. In Rotterdam the Waalhaven was extended, mainly to recieve bulk goods. Also in Rotterdam the start of the first petroleum port was made and the construction of a large rafinery who neede to replace the small petroleum instalations. Next to the locks of the Noordzee canal to Amsterdam, construction was started for large iron works with blast furnaces to limit the dependence for forreign iron supplies. During this long siege many more industires were started in order to limit dependence of the Netherlands forreign production. The Dutch East Indies and Surinam also saw a large increas in mining, industory and argiculture.
 
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Air branch.
General Snijder was a militiair who was open for inovations, and an example was his effort in the purchase of six Farman aeroplanes from France, who just at the brink of war arrived in the Netherlands and formed the nucleus of the Dutch Air branch.
Initially these flying contraptions were only envisoned as scouts and artillery opservation tools, but gradually evolved in flying fighting machines. In the Netherlands the car manufacturer Spyker took it up to develop and build aeroplanes. Initially forreign designs but later own designs. It resulted in machines with mixed performances. In 1916 it move it focus to engine desing and manufactoring. During the last months of 1914 Anthony Fokker arrived back in the Netherlands abandoning his factory in Germany and starting again in the Nehterlands, this time finding considerable more atention and marked than years ago. Frits Koolhoven started an aeroplane factory in Rotterdam. Both Fokker and Koolhoven came during the conflict with several remarkable and outstanding designs.
 
Air branch.
General Snijder was a militiair who was open for inovations, and an example was his effort in the purchase of six Farman aeroplanes from France, who just at the brink of war arrived in the Netherlands and formed the nucleus of the Dutch Air branch.
Initially these flying contraptions were only envisoned as scouts and artillery opservation tools, but gradually evolved in flying fighting machines. In the Netherlands the car manufacturer Spyker took it up to develop and build aeroplanes. Initially forreign designs but later own designs. It resulted in machines with mixed performances. In 1916 it move it focus to engine desing and manufactoring. During the last months of 1914 Anthony Fokker arrived back in the Netherlands abandoning his factory in Germany and starting again in the Nehterlands, this time finding considerable more atention and marked than years ago. Frits Koolhoven started an aeroplane factory in Rotterdam. Both Fokker and Koolhoven came during the conflict with several remarkable and outstanding designs.
Why would Fokker go from supplying the Germans with fighter planes to the Netherlands.
 
Why would Fokker go from supplying the Germans with fighter planes to the Netherlands.
I understood he was more a pilot and businessman rather than a aviation designer, but he was Dutch. I wonder if he stayed in Germany when Germany invaded his home country. I doubt if it was even possible for him to stay in Germany by the German authories. I wonder if his factory even produced famous aeroplanes if he move to Holland since his chief engineer was a German.
 
I understood he was more a pilot and businessman rather than a aviation designer, but he was Dutch. I wonder if he stayed in Germany when Germany invaded his home country. I doubt if it was even possible for him to stay in Germany by the German authories. I wonder if his factory even produced famous aeroplanes if he move to Holland since his chief engineer was a German.
Well i do think he will arrive empty in the Netherlands and it will take time before he has set up a factory that can produce airplanes, it not likely the Germans are going to let him go to his home country who they are in war with with material and such needed to build airplanes.
 
In 1914, aeroplanes are contraptions of wood and cloth, in most cases not even armed. Fokker is nothing but a buisiness man who build one type of plane, he called it "spider"" due to the many wires, which he offered to the Germans. Why should the Germans not let him go??
 
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