35150 BLACK DEVILS IN ACTION, WWII DUTCH ARMY ROTTERDAM 1940

The Dutch Marine Korps (Hol. Korps Mariniers) is an infantry formation that is part of the Dutch Navy, which has been in existence continuously since 1665! They were used with great success during the Second and Third Anglo-Dutch Wars in the 17th century and later. During World War II, Korps Mariniers became famous primarily for their well-organized and sometimes heroic defense of Rotterdam in May 1940. It was the Dutch marines that successfully repelled the attack of German airborne troops on the bridges over the Meuse River, preventing their connection with the conventional German infantry advancing from the south. This created a stalemate in German efforts, which was only broken by the use of the Luftwaffe and the bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940. This bombing can be compared to the German bombing raids on Warsaw during the September 1939 campaign. When the soldiers of Korps Mariniers went into captivity, they received the honorable name of "Black Devils" from their German enemies (Hol. zwarte duivels). It is worth adding that the soldiers of Korps Mariniers also fought - often with dedication and until the end - with the Japanese aggression in the Far East in 1941-1942.