CHAPTER TWO
The Occupation
Holland finally capitulated in the face of the German Blitzkrieg on 14 May 1940. Walcheren itself had witnessed a fierce battle when two French Territorial Divisions became isolated on the island, trapped by the rapid German advance. Middelburg came under sustained air attack by the Luftwaffe in the fighting that followed and many parts of the old town suffered heavy damage. After the capitulation of the French forces the Zeelanders watched with trepidation as German troops took over their island. It was the start of four and a half years occupation.
As the Dutch looked on grimly, it soon became clear that the Germans were intent on defending their island at all costs. While the Germans continued to advance across Europe, Africa and Russia the Zeelanders were resigned to the fact that the Third Reich would indeed last for a thousand years. Liberation was an impossible dream and at first co-operation was a steady source of income. There was plenty of work for the willing and some worked on the huge coastal batteries along the dunes. Before long a network of bunkers began to spring up, creating mini-fortresses all over the island. Although food was scarce, many fields had to be left fallow as the Germans laid large minefields to protect their defensive positions.
The local population had to quickly adapt to the occupation
88mm anti aircraft guns situated on the coastline of Walcheren where they could be used against shipping and in defence of the island against invasion.
German 155mm gun. Coastal batteries guarded against a seabourne invasion
Life was hard and many were forced to hand over their homes to the German garrison troops, while they themselves slept in barns. As the war dragged on food and clothing became scarce. Even so the Zeelanders considered themselves fortunate compared with their countrymen in the north. The island is a rich arable area and many were able to supplement their diets with locally grown food.
For the first two years life carried on virtually unchanged for the majority of Zeelanders. However, with the defeat of the German Armies in 1942, first in Russia and then Africa, the Dutch realised that their occupiers were not invincible. Although dreams of liberation now looked as though they could become reality, it was still a long way off. Meanwhile, the terms of German occupation grew harsher as the fortunes of war turned against them. Zeeland is a strong Protestant area and as the months passed few noticed the discreet round up of the small Jewish community. No one knew or dared to ask where their absent neighbours had gone and the only reminder is the memorial in Middelburg’s Jewish Cemetery.
As the war began to turn against the Germans, they took steps to censor news about the war. The official Dutch press was under strict German control and many eagerly read the underground newspapers distributed occasionally by intrepid journalists. Although illegal newsletters kept morale high, they were often made at a terrible price. One hundred and twenty Dutch Underground members were executed after the Germans infiltrated the largest paper, the Trouw, the Faithful. The next stage of censorship came in 1943 when personal radio sets were confiscated.
Even so, news reached the local population via hidden radio sets, and in June 1944 the islanders were heartened to hear that the Allies had landed in Normandy. Throughout the summer, as the German armies fell back across the Low Countries, the Zeelanders waited eagerly for their turn to be liberated. As the Allied spearheads reached the Schelde at the beginning of September it appeared that the German Army had been defeated. The fall of Antwerp sealed off the south bank of the great river and the Dutch watched eagerly as a host of craft ferried defeated troops from Breskens. Although many of the retreating troops passed through Walcheren heading for the mainland, the island’s garrison continued working to perfect their fortifications. As fighting began in earnest in the Breskens pocket, only a few miles away across the estuary, the Dutch sensed that the Germans intended to defend every inch of their island.
With the front line so close, food became scarce and life became unbearable when electricity supplies failed. The cold and hungry islanders despaired as they waited for their liberation, however, Walcheren was not on the immediate list of objectives for the Allied Command.
The Germans
As the Allies planned to attack Walcheren Island, 8,000 German troops prepared to defend the fortress they had created. The backbone of the defence was the 70th Infantry Division, commanded by Generalleutnant Wilhelm Daser. Many of its soldiers were suffering from dyspeptic disorders or stomach complaints. To combat their eating ailments, each unit had a special bakery to make white bread, a luxury throughout the German forces. Despite the derogatory nickname given to the division, Das Brotweiss, (The White Bread Division) some of the troops were hardened veterans of the Russian front, others were garrison troops, men in their thirties and forties who had never seen action. The mixture of experience and fanaticism of the men was something that the commandos would have to come to terms with as they fought their way across the island. Each party of men acted differently, according to their ultimate objective and in many cases their leadership. Some surrendered at the first opportunity while others would fight to the end.
Thousands of troops manned Walcheren’s coastal defences.
General Daser, prior to taking command of the 70th Division. H Houterman
The two battalions of the 1019th Grenadier Regiment, under Oberst Eugen Reinhardt, were stationed on the south part of the island. While the 1st Battalion held Flushing town, the 2nd Battalion was responsible for the south-east area of the island, from Fort Rammekens to the Sloedam. The division’s second regiment, the 1020th Grenadier Regiment, was stationed on the north-west part of the island, covering Westkapelle, Domburg and Oostkapelle. The Division’s fusilier and pioneer battalions were responsible for the east side of the island.
Oberst Rienhardt (left) checks the floodwater level in Flushing. H Houterman
Seekommandant, Kapitän zur See Frank Aschmann. H Houterman
Naval troops guarded the coast under the leadership of Seekommandant, Kapitän zur See Frank Aschmann. His organisation was split into two distinct areas of responsibility. Marine Artillerie Abteilung 202, led by Korvettenkapitän Robert Opalka, manned the formidable coastal batteries, including W19 at Oostkapelle, W17 at Domburg, W15 at Westkapelle, W13 at Zoutelande and W11 at Dishoek. The air defence was controlled by Flak Abteilung 810, commanded by Korvettenkapitän Hans Köll. Although they had been positioned to engage enemy aircraft, many of the flak cannons were equally capable of engaging offshore or ground targets. In many cases the marines would prove to be fanatical opponents prepared to fight from their bunkers until the last moment.
Finally, Festungsstormmtruppen (Fortress Base Troops) manned a chain of pillboxes and observation posts covering the dunes between the coastal batteries. These garrison troops were often middle-aged family men with dubious fighting qualities.
Keeping watch over the Scheldt estuary.