Dutch WWII declaration of war on Germany
On 10 May 1940, the Netherlands declared war on Germany during WWII.
History
The Dutch declaration was in response to a German telegram that was handed over to van Kleffens (Dutch minister of foreign affairs) by Julius Graf von Zech-Burkersroda (the German envoy in the Netherlands). The text of this telegram is (translated from German):
- Announcement of deployment of enormous German military force.
- Any resistance completely futile
- Germany guarantees European and extra-European possessions and the dynasty, if any resistance remains absent.
- Else danger of complete annihilation of the country and the form of government.
- Therefore demand urgently appeal people and forces and demand establish contact with German military commanders
- Motivation: we have irrefutable proof of an imminent threat of invasion by France and England in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, which has long been prepared with the joint knowledge of the Netherlands and Belgium.
- Purpose: advance to Ruhr area
The following is the text of the declaration of war by the Netherlands on Germany on May 10th, 1940 (Utrechtsch Nieuwsblad):
- With indignation Her Majesty's Government rejects the allegation by the German Government, that it, in any way, or with any other Power, has made secret agreements directed against Germany. In view of the outrageous German attack on the Netherlands, an attack initiated without any prior warning, it is the judgement of the Dutch Government that presently a state of war has come to exist between the Kingdom and Germany.
