2nd Division (Netherlands)
Open-knowledge reference entry
As a pivotal infantry formation of the II Army Corps, the 2nd Division (Dutch: 2e Divisie) of the Royal Netherlands Army was mobilized in April 1940. The division held a critical position along the center of the formidable Grebbe Line defense. During the initial days of the Battle of the Netherlands, the 2nd Division endured some of the campaign's heaviest fighting as German forces attempted to force a decisive breakthrough.
The division bore the brunt of the German attack on the Grebbe Line, particularly during the intense fighting at the Grebbeberg.
Organisation (May 10, 1940)
The division was commanded by Major General J. van der Waals.
The structure of the 2nd Division on the eve of the German invasion was as follows:
Subordinate Regiments
5th Infantry Regiment (5e Regiment Infanterie)
7th Infantry Regiment (7e Regiment Infanterie)
10th Infantry Regiment (10e Regiment Infanterie)
Divisional Troops
3rd Regiment Artillery (3e Regiment Artillerie)
2nd Anti-Tank Company (2e Compagnie Pantserafweergeschut)
2nd Signals Company (2e Compagnie Verbindingstroepen)
2nd Engineer Company (2e Genie Compagnie)
Detached Units:
III Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment – Attached to 19e Regiment Infanterie.
III Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment – Attached from 4th Division.
The public source identifies “2nd Division (Netherlands)” as open-knowledge reference entry. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Division, Netherlands and Open-knowledge.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “2nd Division (Netherlands)”, the useful work is to connect “open-knowledge reference entry” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q137583990. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1940.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “2nd Division (Netherlands)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow 2nd Division (Netherlands) primary sources, 2nd Division (Netherlands) archive and Division research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “2nd Division (Netherlands)”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “2nd Division (Netherlands)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.