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German bombing of Rotterdam

1940 in the NetherlandsAerial operations and battles of World War II by town or cityBattles in South HollandGermany–Netherlands military relationsHistory of Rotterdam
Netherlands in World War IIWorld War II strategic bombing conducted by GermanyWorld War II strategic bombing of the Netherlands
Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940
Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940

Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the Dutch army to surrender. Bombing began at the outset of hostilities on 10 May and culminated with the destruction of the entire historic city centre on 14 May, an event sometimes referred to as the Rotterdam Blitz. According to an official list published in 2022 at least 1,150 people were killed (with 711 deaths in the 14 May bombing alone) and 85,000 more were left homeless. The psychological and physical success of the raid, from the German perspective, led the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) to threaten to destroy the city of Utrecht if the Dutch command did not surrender. The Dutch surrendered in the late afternoon of 14 May, signing the capitulation early the next morning.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article German bombing of Rotterdam (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

German bombing of Rotterdam
Doenkade, Rotterdam Overschie

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.964430555556 ° E 4.4512361111111 °
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Wielerparcours RWC Ahoy

Doenkade
3045 NK Rotterdam, Overschie
South Holland, Netherlands
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Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940
Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940
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