Rotterdam Blitz 1940

QUESTION: Regarding WWII Who Bombed Cities First
How does the bombing of the historical center of Rotterdam/Netherlands in May 1940 fits the picture? It seems Germany started bombing civilian targets.
Kind regards, Marco

ANSWER: The bombing of Rotterdam was different. There the Germans invaded and troops were fighting in the city.  The stories that were put out of 100,000 civilians dead were fake news. The civilian population had already fled because there was an invasion and the troops on both sides were battling it out in the city in a gorilla-style warfare.

The Germans subjected Rotterdam to heavy aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe to support the German troops fighting in the city, and to force the Dutch army to surrender which was using the buildings in gorilla-style warfare. The bombing began with the start of hostilities on May 10th for four days into May 14th. Many have called this the Rotterdam Blitz. When the facts were sorted out, the official list published in 2022, revealed that at least 1,150 people were killed and 85,000 more were left homeless – a far cry from the fake news of war that 100,000 civilians dies in the bombing. As I have said, the first casualty of war is always the truth.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, there are always more civilians who die in war than soldiers. That is the reality of all wars. The Iraq invasion was no different. This is why many consider the real war criminals to be the leaders who begin wars.

The “gentlemen’s agreement” did not apply to a troop invasion. The French bombing of the Siemens factory on June 7th, 1940 took place during the Battle of France (May 10, 1940 – Jun 25, 1940). However, it was targeting a military target. France and the Low Countries were conquered, ending land operations on the Western Front until the Normandy landings on June 6th, 1944.

The British bombing of Berlin was a retaliation that went too far and was meant to instill fear in the German population much as the US nuclear bombs dropped on two cities in Japan. I do not believe we will see a gentlemen’s agreement in World War III. I would bet that the capital cities will be attacked on both sides.

The post Rotterdam Blitz 1940 first appeared on Armstrong Economics.