100 things challenge - 5: Inundation during WWII
I'll give you one more serving of a 'Dutch' fact, as this period of the year we do not just celebrate Queen's Day, but also remember WWII (on the 4th and 5th of May). Always a poignant time of the year, in which many stories about this period are told and retold.
Today, I'd like to make you familiar with the use of inundation during WWII. Inundantion is the overflowing of normally dry land and was used as a military strategy by both German and allied forces. As you may know, The Netherlands for a large part lies below sea level. To keep our feet dry, we build water works, such as dykes, sluices and hillocks.
In April 1945, to prevent landings of allied forces, the German command blew holes in the dykes of the Wieringermeer polder. Within 48 hours the entire polder was submerged, with the water at an average depth of 3,75 m. No one was killed, but 7000 people were evacuated and houses, infrastructure and the crop harvest were destroyed.
In September 1944 the allied forces had freed the Belgian city of Antwerp and were marching North into The Netherlands. In the polders of Walcheren, the Germans had build strong bunkers with far-reaching artillery. To weaken the position of the Germans, the allies decided to flood Walcheren. In Oktober 1944, RAF planes started to bomb multiple dykes. The population had been warned by pamflets, but many had not understood these, leading to the death of at least 150 civilians. The tide from the Northsea flowed into Walcheren twice a day, helping the allied forces to free this area, but also destroying many farms and villages. Many livestock could not be evacuated before the flood and died and due to the influx of salt water, agriculture was made difficult for many years to come.
