Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Res. kapitein (Captain of Reserves)

Unit:

Wapen der Genie, Koninklijke Landmacht

Awarded on:

August 16th, 1950

Aanbeveling:
He has distinguished hinself by especially courageous and tactful conduct in combat against the enemy in the period between May 10 and 14 1940 as commander of the 2nd Company, III Depot Genietroepen (Engineers) during the fighting in and around the Beursstation in Rotterdam which also was attacked frequentely from the air.
In particular: although he had been in command of this 70 men strong unit, partially trained and not destined for direct combat for only a few days and after having received relief by a number of machineguns, to occupy and hold the Beursstation in an exemplary fashion for four days, except for a brief pause for reinforcement; by having deployed several patrols from the beginning, pushing back the enemy from the bridges across the Meuse and inflicting heavy casualties on him.
Furthermore on May 14, when he was forced to move his unit, due to the fires and the dense smoke and he found out that the crew tasked with blowing the railway overpass near Beursstation appeared to have left because of the bombing, he blew up the overpass himself.
By this courageous conduct he contributed to the enemy not being able to hold out near Beurstation, nor to advance to Beursstation along the railway track and the center of Rotterdam and thereby making any enemy rail traffic via Rotterdam impossible after the capitulation.

Royal Decree No. 15.

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)