Lecture ‘May Day 1940’

Heemkundekring De lange vonder holds the lecture ‘Meidagen 1940’ at the Ontmoetingscentrum in Beek en Donk, with speaker Tony Mouw.

Brabant was the pivotal point in the battle between the French and German armies when the Germans invaded in May 1940. But why did the 3rd Army Corps immediately evacuate North Brabant? How did the advance to the Moerdijk bridges go? What was the value of the Peel Raamstelling? Why were the French so angry? What could their 7th Army still do in West Brabant? Why were the British so irritated and Hitler furious? Most Dutch people know the background to the commemorations on 4 May 1945 and the liberation celebrations on 5 May 1945. But what do they know about the May days in 1940? How long did this battle last? Why did the Netherlands capitulate so soon and what preceded it? What was the exact cause, why did Breda have to evacuate? How successful was the army, how decisive was the government?

Dramatic days
Chief Inspector Tony Mouw gives lectures across the country on Police History and on the German invasion in 1940 and everything that preceded it. The lecture on the raid covers in detail the run-up to these dramatic May days, recounting not only the course of the battle, but also the political and administrative side. It specifically covers the regional Brabant situation. The lecture is interactive and uses maps from 1898 and 1928, various historical utensils, old helmets, un