The 11th of May had been a day of preparation for the Dutch army around Ockenburg airfield. In the early morning of 12 May grenadiers advanced towards the lines of the troops of General Graf von Sponeck. It appeared that the Germans had left the fortified zone. A few paratroopers had been left behind and those were easily captured. It was clear that "Von Sponeck" again had escaped. It appeared that order had been issued to all troops available to move towards Rotterdam. The city also had to be attacked from the North.

During the march towards Rotterdam, Von Sponeck and his troops managed to escape capture at least three times. During the night of 12-13 May they finally reached the village of Overschie, near Rotterdam. He and his troop thoroughly fortified the village to all sides.

The Germans south of the city of Delft also had been ordered to move towards Rotterdam. Advancing Dutch units captured a number of retreating paratroopers, including a lot of supplies. The Dutch army again attacked the village of Valkenburg, this time from two sides, north and south, simultaneously.

As it happened, it appeared that the Germans had focused their defenses on the north. The southern attack could press ahead without any opposition. To the north it was different. The Dutch troops, while under heavy fire, made slow progress. However, they broke through the outer line of defense and made it eventually to the center of the town. Just when the Germans were on the brink of collapsing, the Dutch got the order to pull out. Some divisional commander had ordered large-scale operations to be ceased, in order to prevent losses. With the order, the units were denied the victory they deserved. When the order was withdrawn a day later, it appeared too late to claim victory again.

While the situation around The Hague was developing very well for the Dutch, the situation in the rest of the country was not. In the south, the French units had taken up positions around the town of Breda. However, a few German air raids made them pull back to Belgium. The promised French assault on the bridges around Dordrecht was ordered; however, progress was extremely slow.

Dutch troops in the meantime had made good progress towards the city of Dordrecht. In the evening they were less than a few kilometers away from the bridges in German hands. In the center of the country a German attack, supported by an artillery barrage that lasted for nine hours, succeeded in making a dent in the "Grebbeberg-line." Other German assaults had been repulsed bloodily.

More May 1940: German Assault on the Hague

General Introduction
Dutch Situation and Plans
German Situation and Plans
May 10, 1940: The War Begins
May 11, 1940
May 12, 1940
May 13, 1940
May 14, 1940 and Aftermath