On May 14, 1940, the Germans bombed the historic city of Rotterdam to smithereens, leveling innumerable architectural masterpieces as well as killing more than 800 civilians and depriving more than 80,000 of their homes.  Ironically, the Nazis were in the middle of negotiations with the Dutch when the bombers struck.  The German General Schmidt himself was horrified to hear the planes overhead, reporting shouting that “This is a catastrophe!”  He had let Headquarters know that he was still trying to make a deal with the Dutch, but communications broke down.  At least that’s what the Germans later reported.

One of the many controversial questions about that day is whether the Nazis threatened to bomb Amsterdam and other Dutch cities if the Netherlands did not surrender at once.  Whether or not that threat was made directly, it’s unimaginable that Amsterdam city officials would not have seen Rotterdam as evidence that the Nazis were completely ruthless and would not spare even the most revered structures.  Only four days after the initial invasion, this must have seemed such a blow that there was no difficulty in securing agreement that surrender was the only choice.  For more detailed information about all aspects of the Rotterdam bombing, see here.

From the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam