Grebbe line
Encyclopedia
Dutch Water Line
The Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry...
, based on inundation. The Grebbe Line ran from the Grebbeberg in Rhenen
Rhenen
Rhenen is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands.The municipality also includes the villages of Achterberg, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost part of the chain of hills known as the Utrecht Hill Ridge ,...
northwards until the IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
.
Early history and first decommissioning
The Grebbe Line was first established in 1745 as a defensive line to protect the Netherlands from invading armies. If an invasion was imminent, parts of the area between SpakenburgSpakenburg
Spakenburg is a Dutch village north of Bunschoten. Spakenburg is formally called Bunschoten-Spakenburg since its fusion with Bunschoten. The village lays south of the IJsselmeer in the municipality Bunschoten, Utrecht...
and the Grebbeberg were to be flooded. Until World War II it was never actually used in this purpose; an attempt was made in 1794 to establish a defensive line against the invading French army under General Charles Pichegru
Charles Pichegru
Jean-Charles Pichegru was a French general and political figure of the French Revolution and Revolutionary Wars.-Early life and career:...
, but the joint English-Dutch army abandoned the line when the French troops approached.
Throughout the 19th century the Grebbe line was maintained as a defensive line. However as no attacks seemed forthcoming it was deemed less necessary to maintain the costly fortifications, and in 1926 a large part of the fortifications was decommissioned.
World War II
In 1939 the disused line was once again fortified against a German attack on the Netherlands, but due to cost and skills issues (soldiers were used as labourers) the earthworks were not well-constructed. In the original plans the line would fulfill its ancient task as a forward defensive line of the Water line. At the last moment however, in February 1940 the new Dutch commander in chief General Henri WinkelmanHenri Winkelman
Henri Gerard Winkelman was a Dutch General best known for his command of the Dutch troops during the German invasion of the Netherlands.-Pre-war:...
, decided to make the Grebbe line the main defensive line in the central sector of the Dutch defences. The Dutch Water line was deemed less useful as the modern German field artillery could reach the main cities Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
from their positions opposing the defences.
Meanwhile, the Germans were aware of the line and of its outline. Before the war German spies had regularly visited the zoo at Rhenen
Rhenen
Rhenen is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands.The municipality also includes the villages of Achterberg, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost part of the chain of hills known as the Utrecht Hill Ridge ,...
using its lookout tower to map the defences there. When the Germans attacked in May 1940, the Dutch army managed to defend the Grebbe line for three consecutive days, much to the surprise of the Germans. The Battle of the Grebbeberg
Battle of the Grebbeberg
The Battle of the Grebbeberg was a major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, which was a part of the World War II Operation Fall Gelb in 1940.-Background:In the 1930s, the Dutch government pursued a policy of strict neutrality...
saw the fiercest fighting in those few days, during which 420 Dutch and around 250 German soldiers were killed.
Directly after the cessation of hostilities a war cemetery was established at the Grebbeberg location by the German authorities.
The Grebbe line was permanently decommissioned by the Dutch Government in 1951.
Pantherstellung
During the war the Germans made use of the Grebbe line to create their own defence line called the Pantherstellung.General Model
Walter Model
Otto Moritz Walter Model was a German general and later field marshal during World War II. He is noted for his defensive battles in the latter half of the war, mostly on the Eastern Front but also in the west, and for his close association with Adolf Hitler and Nazism...
initiated on 26 October 1944 the building of the Pantherstellung. At that time it was clear that the enemy would not enter from the west but from the south. The Germans would like to keep Holland because of the V2 rocket attacks at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. They didn't want to lose the route of the rockets and so the enemy shouldn't reach the IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
.
The Germans had to made some changes to the design, because the threat came from the south. From Veenendaal to Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
the defence line was the same at the Grebbe line.
See also
Dutch waterlines- Defence Line of AmsterdamStelling van AmsterdamThe UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the Defence Line of Amsterdam is a 135 km long ring of fortifications around Amsterdam, consisting of 42 forts located between 10 to 15 kilometers the centre, and lowlands that can easily be flooded in time of war...
- Dutch Water LineDutch Water LineThe Dutch Water Line was a series of water based defences conceived by Maurice of Nassau in the early 17th century, and realised by his half brother Frederick Henry...
- IJssel Line
- Maas Line
- Peel-Raam LinePeel-Raam Linethumb|right|230px|Peel-Raam LineThe Peel-Raam Line was a Dutch defence line built in 1939 and attacked and conquered on 10 May 1940 by the German forces....
Other
- Defence lines of the NetherlandsDefence lines of the Netherlands-Old Defence Lines: Circumvallatielinie van Groenlo *Frisian Water Line Groningse Waterlinie Helperlinie Linie Bergen op Zoom - Steenbergen Linie van Beverwijk Linie van de Eems Linie van de Eendracht Linie van Noord-Holland Oostfrontier...