The ground forces in the province of Zeeland had not yet become involved in actual combat operations. No airborne or air-landing troops had landed nearby, and the main German forces in Brabant were still some distance away. Nevertheless, there was already ample activity to unsettle the situation.
The second day of the war would prove highly confusing for the Dutch forces on the Zuid-Beveland peninsula. They endured an air raid directed at their positions along the Bath Line, while simultaneously witnessing the Luftwaffe being challenged by the forces of the French ally. On the one hand, they were confronted with the first Dutch military refugees arriving from Noord-Brabant - still in relatively small numbers at that stage - while on the other hand they observed the impressive advance of the French Colonel de Beauchesne’s forces, consisting of elements of the French recce formations 27th GRDI, 2nd GRDI, 12th GRDI and some forward elements of the 9th DIM (Motorised Infantry Division), moving eastward through their lines towards Bergen op Zoom.
At the Bath Line, the already nervous troops of the Dutch 14th Border Infantry Battalion were confronted with constant activity overhead. German bombers and fighters continuously passed over their positions, either en route to targets further west or returning from their missions. On one occasion, however, the raiders in the sky directed their attack at the Bath Line itself. The bombing of the railway junction just west of the Dutch positions was the soldiers’ first truly shocking experience of the war, although the men were greatly encouraged when they witnessed French fighters intercepting the returning bombers. Nevertheless, the bombs that did fall caused damage to several communication lines.
During the evening of 11 May, the first retreating - or perhaps fleeing - Dutch troops from the Peel-Raam Line made a profound impression on the soldiers manning the Bath Line. Although the majority of these retreating forces had seen little actual combat, apart from occasional strafing attacks by German fighters - since most troops positioned in the overrun sectors of the Peel-Raam Line had been captured by the Germans - they spread alarming stories of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy among the men at the Bath Line. Many of these refugees no longer carried weapons, and some were scarcely more than ragged figures. Their condition made a devastating impression on their comrades in Zeeland. And they were merely the first of many yet to come.
At the same time, the long column of Colonel de Beauchesne’s very much intact force continued its movement eastward. The relocation towards Bergen op Zoom would continue throughout the night until the first light of dawn on 12 May.
In between the Luftwaffe activity overhead, the troops were primarily occupied with strengthening their positions, preparing air-raid shelters and laying new minefields. During the night, two casualties occurred as a result of careless handling. A cadet officer accidentally shot himself in the foot while cleaning his pistol, while another soldier was shot by a sentry upon returning to the line after relieving himself in the dark fields in front of the position without informing his comrades. Finally, a third man later died from fatal wounds after being struck by a ricochet bullet from his own machine gun while positioning the weapon.
No enemy troops had yet appeared, yet already three casualties had been suffered and a fourth casualty would later occur in the Zanddijk Line, when an officer was killed during a mine-laying operation. It was a clear indication of the tension and nervous strain under which the troops were operating.
During the afternoon of 11 May, the Chief of Naval Staff in The Hague ordered Rear Admiral Van der Stad to embark a detachment of the 1st Naval Battalion together with a full infantry company of the army aboard the civilian vessel Hr.Ms. Prinses Juliana. The ship was tasked with transporting the troops to IJmuiden in anticipation of expected German landings along the western shore of the IJsselmeer [Yssel-Lake, formerly the 'Zuiderzee', South Sea]. The 1st Company of II Battalion, 40th Infantry Regiment (40 RI), was picked for the operation. The company had been stationed in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen and was therefore considered available, as substantial French forces had by then already arrived in the area. The unit was first ferried from Breskens to Vlissingen, after which it boarded the designated troop transport. We shall briefly move ahead chronologically in order to complete this account.
At 0400 hours on 12 May, Hr.Ms. Prinses Juliana departed for IJmuiden. In broad daylight, approximately six miles off the Hook of Holland coast, the vessel came under attack from about ten bombers of Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30) operating Ju-88 twin-engine dive bombers. Although the German aircraft failed to score any direct hits, one near miss caused the collapse of a steam boiler. A massive explosion followed, fire broke out, and the vessel quickly began to list heavily.
Two British destroyers - among them HMS Wild Swan - approached at full speed, and their anti-aircraft batteries drove off the German bombers. HMS Wild Swan, assisted by a Dutch naval auxiliary vessel and a rescue boat, succeeded in rescuing all sailors and troops aboard the stricken ship. Remarkably, no fatalities were suffered, although an elderly sailor aboard the civilian vessel later died of a heart attack. All weapons and equipment on board, however, were lost. The infantry company would see no further action during the campaign. Before the vessel finally sank, it was deliberately beached by two tugboats. Later in the war, the wreck would be used by the Germans as a target for bombing practice.
Late in the evening, the Dutch Commander-in-Chief, General Winkelman, contacted Rear Admiral Van der Stad at his headquarters. He requested information regarding the general situation in Zeeland, but also instructed Van der Stad to establish contact with General Giraud, commander of the French Seventh Army.
Van der Stad was specifically instructed to emphasize the urgent necessity of French assistance in recapturing the Moerdijk bridges north of Breda. General Winkelman’s personal interest in the situation in Zeeland appeared to stem less from genuine concern for the relatively stable conditions there, and more from his increasingly desperate attempts to establish effective communication with the French high command.
Van der Stad carried out these instructions through General Durand, who acted as an intermediary. Initially, the French officer refused to serve as a messenger between Van der Stad and General Giraud, but after some persuasion he agreed to relay the request. He conveyed General Winkelman’s message - or at least led Van der Stad to believe that he had done so. Whether he actually contacted General Giraud or his chief of staff has never been established. In all likelihood, it would not have made any difference.
Zeeuws-Vlaanderen was the part of Zeeland located south of the Western Scheldt (Westerschelde) and the only part of the province directly connected to Belgian territory. Belgian troops were already present there, alongside French ground forces. The Dutch had occupied this area prior to the war merely as a precautionary measure, intended to prevent Belgian troops from taking possession of it before the Netherlands had formally entered into a state of war with Germany.
From a strategic perspective, however, the rationale for maintaining Dutch troops there effectively disappeared once both the Netherlands and Belgium entered the war against Germany simultaneously on the previous day. From that moment onward, the invaded countries were allies.
On the second day of the war, Van der Stad decided to withdraw all Dutch troops from Zeeuws-Vlaanderen - with the exception of a few very small detachments - and redeploy them to Walcheren. This would provide him with two additional companies.
Following the withdrawal of the main bodies of both the 14th and 38th (Border) Infantry Companies to Walcheren, Van der Stad placed all remaining Dutch troops in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen - little more than company strength - under French command. In effect, the French thereafter exercised complete control over that part of the province, and would continue to do so for another two weeks, until the last French troops evacuated the area.