Bombing of Rotterdam

E322013

The Bombing of Rotterdam was a devastating German aerial attack on the Dutch city of Rotterdam on 14 May 1940 that destroyed much of the historic center and forced the Netherlands to capitulate early in World War II.

All labels observed (5)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf aerial bombing
event in World War II
military operation
war crime
aircraftUsed Heinkel He 111
Junkers Ju 88
airUnit Kampfgeschwader 54
Kampfgeschwader 54 "Totenkopf"
linked to: Kampfgeschwader 54

Luftflotte 2
alsoKnownAs Rotterdam Blitz
areaDestroyed about 2.6 square kilometers of city center
belligerent Germany
Netherlands
buildingsDestroyed thousands
civilianDeaths approximately 800–900
civilianInjured thousands
commander Generalleutnant Kurt Student
Rudolf Schmidt NERFINISHED
commemoratedOn annual remembrance ceremonies in Rotterdam
conflict World War II
country Netherlands
date 14 May 1940
DutchName Bombardement op Rotterdam
followedBy German occupation of Rotterdam
German occupation of the Netherlands
historicalSignificance example of terror bombing strategy in early World War II
symbol of civilian suffering in aerial warfare
homelessPeople approximately 80,000
immediateConsequence Dutch capitulation on 15 May 1940
threat of similar attacks on other Dutch cities
languageOfName Dutch
memorial The Destroyed City (sculpture by Ossip Zadkine)
notableFeature use of incendiary and high-explosive bombs
widespread firestorm in city center
partOf Battle of the Netherlands
German invasion of the Netherlands
perpetrator Luftwaffe
Nazi Germany
place Rotterdam
precededBy German ultimatum to Rotterdam defenders
reason to break Dutch resistance in Rotterdam
to force Dutch surrender
result capitulation of the Netherlands
destruction of much of Rotterdam city center
international condemnation
large civilian casualties
psychological shock in the Netherlands
target city of Rotterdam
linked to: Rotterdam

historic city center of Rotterdam
timeOfDay afternoon
around 13:27 local time

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Nazi occupation of the Netherlands battle Bombing of Rotterdam
Kurt Student participatedIn Battle of the Netherlands
linked to: Bombing of Rotterdam
World War II bombing hasNotableEvent bombing of Rotterdam
linked to: Bombing of Rotterdam
Bombing of Rotterdam alsoKnownAs Rotterdam Blitz
linked to: Bombing of Rotterdam
Bombing of Rotterdam DutchName Bombardement op Rotterdam
linked to: Bombing of Rotterdam