5th Division (Netherlands)

5th Division
5th Division
5e Divisie
Active	Mobilized: April 1940 – Disbanded: May 1940
Disbanded	May 1940
Country	Netherlands
Branch	Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht)
Type	Infantry Division
Role	Part of the Field Army, initially defending the Peel-Raam Line and later the Fortress Holland (Vesting Holland)
Size	Division
Part of	Part of the III Army Corps
Engagements	World War II Battle of the Netherlands (1940);
Commanders
Commander (1940)	Major General A. Nijnatten

The 5th Division (5e Divisie) was an infantry division of the Royal Netherlands Army (Koninklijke Landmacht) that saw action during the Battle of the Netherlands in May 1940. It was mobilized shortly before the German invasion and was disbanded following the surrender of the Dutch forces.

History

The 5th Division was established in April 1940 as part of the general Dutch mobilization. Upon the outbreak of hostilities on May 10, 1940, the division was subordinated to the III Army Corps. It played a crucial role in defending the southern sector of the Dutch front and later in the defense of the Fortress Holland (Vesting Holland).

Combat Operations

At the start of the German invasion, the 5th Division was under the command of Major General Adrianus Nijnatten.^[1] It was positioned in the area of the 'Peel Division' (Peel-Stellung).^[2]

A significant portion of the division's infantry regiments was detached to reinforce the Peel Division.^[2] This formation manned the forward defensive line along the Peel-Raam Line in North Brabant.
Following the penetration and eventual abandonment of the Peel-Raam Line, the division retreated towards the Fortress Holland, where it continued to fight until the general surrender on May 14, 1940.

Order of Battle (May 1940)

The 5th Division was a standard infantry division of the Royal Netherlands Army. It was commanded by Major General A. Nijnatten^[1] and was part of the III Corps (Netherlands).^[2] The structure of the division was as follows:

Division Command and Support Units

5th Division Headquarters ^[2]
3rd Transport Battalion (Bn) ^[2]
Sig Co (Signal Company) ^[2]
MP Co (Military Police Company) ^[2]
9 AAMG Co (Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Company) ^[2]
5 Eng Co (Engineer Company) ^[2]
159 AAA Battery (Anti-Aircraft Artillery) ^[2]
Supply Regt ^[2]

Infantry Regiments

2nd Infantry Regiment (-) ^[2] (Regiment had units detached)
13th Infantry Regiment (-) ^[2] (Regiment had units detached)
17th Infantry Regiment (-) ^[2] (Regiment had units detached)

Artillery and Anti-Tank

3rd Artillery Regiment ^[2]
5 Art Regt (Artillery Regiment) ^[2]
6 Art Regt (Artillery Regiment) ^[2]
3/1 AT Co (Anti-Tank Company) ^[2]
2 AAMG Co (Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Company) ^[2]
155 AA Bty (Anti-Aircraft Battery) ^[2]
3 Eng Co (Engineer Company) ^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Donnell, Clayton (2014). Fletcher, David (ed.). Fall Gelb 1940 (2): Airborne assault on the Low Countries. Campaign. Osprey Publishing. p. 33.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Thomas, Nigel (2014). Hitler's Blitzkrieg Enemies 1940: The Low Countries and Scandinavia. Men-at-Arms. Osprey Publishing. p. 18.

[Osprey_Campaign_265-1] Donnell, Clayton (2014). Fletcher, David (ed.). Fall Gelb 1940 (2): Airborne assault on the Low Countries. Campaign. Osprey Publishing. p. 33.

[Osprey_493-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v Thomas, Nigel (2014). Hitler's Blitzkrieg Enemies 1940: The Low Countries and Scandinavia. Men-at-Arms. Osprey Publishing. p. 18.

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[2]