Henri Winkelman

Henri Gerard Winkelman ( born August 17, 1876 in Maastricht, † December 27, 1952 in Soesterberg ) was a Dutch general. He was commander of the Dutch armed forces in 1940 and signed after their defeat in the German western campaign surrender.

Life

Winkelman graduated from the school in 1892 and attended the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in Breda in the connection. In 1894 he joined the infantry; In 1896 it was promoted to lieutenant. Between 1902 and 1905 he attended the Hogere Krijgsschool in The Hague, to be prepared for bar work. This was followed by uses in the General Staff of the War Department. In 1923 he was promoted to Major. In 1931 he became army chief of staff and took over the same year as a major general in command of the 4th Army Division.

1934 Winkelman retired, but was reactivated in 1939 after the mobilization of the Dutch troops and appointed commander of the Dutch air defense. On February 6, 1940 he also took over the supreme command of the army and navy. On 10 May 1940, the German attack on the Netherlands, the latter had not much to oppose began. The Dutch government left the country and authorized him to exercise discretion as to when the right time had come for the surrender.

On May 15, 1940 Winkelman signed in Rijsoord the capitulation and then supervised the Dutch demobilization. In July 1940 he was deported to Germany, where he remained until the end of the war. On 12 May 1945, he returned and again took command of the army. In October 1945, he finally sat down to rest.