German invasion of the Netherlands
The German invasion of the Netherlands, otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands, was a military campaign part of Case Yellow, the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on 14 May. Dutch troops in the province of Zealand continued to resist the Wehrmacht until 17 May, when Germany completed its occupation of the whole country.
The centre of Rotterdam destroyed after bombing
Dutch soldiers on guard, November 1939
Dutch troops close the barrier of the Nijmegen Waal bridge during the Albania crisis.
Major Dutch defence lines
The Battle of France, also known as the Western Campaign, the French Campaign and the Fall of France, during the Second World War, was the German invasion of France, that notably introduced tactics that are still used. France and the Low Countries were conquered, ending land operations on the Western Front until the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944.
French soldiers in underground bunkers on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War
French soldier in the German village of Lauterbach in Saarland
The classic characteristic of what is commonly known as "blitzkrieg" is a highly mobile form of infantry, armour and aircraft working in combined arms. (German armed forces, June 1942)
British troops of the 2nd BEF move up to the front, June 1940