Kornwerderzand

The Kazematten Museum  Kornwerderzand

Short History. 

The Battle of the Afsluitdijk was an unsuccessful attempt by the German Army to  seize the Afsluitdijk  in  May 1940, during World War II. If the Germans had taken the dike, they could have taken North-Holland from its north. The Dutch troops were led by Captain Boers and the Germans by General  Feldt.The German 1st Cavalry Division (later reformed to the 24th Tank Division) had taken the last Dutch  defences in front of the Afsluitdijk (Wonsline) on the 12th and was prepared for an assault to take the two lines of pillboxes or casemates of Fort Kornwerderzand (named after a hamlet near the dike). The eastern line was for defence eastwards, while the western line was just behind the first for threats from the rear. Altogether 17 casemates had been built. They were designed to withstand 21 cm rounds (indirect fire), and 28 cm rounds (indirect fire). The three main casemates were of 3 m reinforced concrete. The casemates sheltered 230 men, 21 heavy Schwarzlose machine guns (7.9 mm), three 5 cm guns and a naval gun of 5 cm. There were similar defences at the other end of the dike.The fortress remained in Dutch hands until the surrender of Dutch forces on May 15. Boers told the men that they had fought like lions but that in other parts of the country their armies had been defeated. Boers himself led the surrender.Local civilians said hundreds of Germans were killed, and the dike was filled with bodies. The German report says two were killed on the 12th and five on the 13th. The German wounded were officially around 25. The Dutch suffered one killed during the first attack by the Luftwaffe, two wounded during the bombing when two soldiers manning anti-aircraft guns were hit.

Since Jan-2010