0512_05 WDS: Vorwärts Reiten! - PzC 12 France '40

Scenario Briefing: Separated from the most populous regions of the Netherlands by the IJsselmeer, the Dutch high command regarded the northern provinces of Drenthe, Grongingen and Friesland indefensible and allocated only a token force of five battalions to their protection. Without reserves and strung out over more than 130 km, Territorial Command Friesland could not hope to withstand any German attack. The riders of Kurt Feldt's 1st Cavalry Division easily pushed through the thin Dutch defenses and Colonel Veenbas ordered a retreat. The retreat quickly turned into a rout as disorganized Dutch soldiers requisitioned all manner of civilian transport in headlong flight. The German cavalry advanced unopposed on May 11th and by the morning of the 12th had occuppied almost the entirety of the northern provinces. Though the Dutch had made little effort to defend the the northern provinces, more extensive preparations were made to protect the Afsluitdijk. Completed in the early 30s, this dike closed off the IJsselmeer and provided a highway connecting Friesland to North Holland. To ensure that the Afsluitdijk was not used as a "backdoor" through which an invader could outflank the main defenses, the Dutch built a densely packed complex of pillboxes at its entrance known as the Kornwerderzand Position. Additional protection for the dike was provided by the Wons position, a line of fieldworks stretching from Makkum, through Wons, to Zurich. Arriving on the evening of the 11th, Feldt's cavalry prepared to assault the fortifications in the morning. Held by just one battalion of infantry plus stragglers from Friesland Command, the Dutch defenders of the Wons Position were badly outnumbered.