Rotterdam raid

The Oxford Companion to World War II | 2001 | 700+ words | Copyright

Rotterdam raid, mounted on 14 May 1940 to force this Dutch city to capitulate quickly after German paratroopers had previously landed to seize its bridges. The raid was cancelled when surrender discussions started, but the abort message did not reach the aircraft and 57 out of 100 dropped their bombs before an emergency flare signal was seen. These were aimed at military targets and used no incendiaries, but 2.8 sq. km. (1.1 sq. mi.) of the city centre was destroyed, between 800 and 980 civilians were killed, and a few hours later the Dutch government surrendered with its army still largely intact.

The raid ended the British phoney war policy of not bombing Germany for the Allies had threatened Germany with retaliation if it bombed civilian targets; and on 15 May 1940 the first RAF raid on the Ruhr was launched, heralding the start of the strategic air offensive against Germany.

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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Rotterdam raid." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Rotterdam raid." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Rotterdamraid.html

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Rotterdam raid." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Rotterdamraid.html

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