A modern artillery battalion with twelve 105 mm (4.1 in) guns (10.5 cm Cannon Model 1927) was located in Hillegersberg.

[2] The Waalhaven Airbase was also the home of the "3rd Java" squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force equipped with Fokker G.I heavy fighters.

During the bombing of the airfield, nine of these managed to take off and attack the German bombers resulting in the loss of 167 Luftwaffe's Junkers Ju 52s, scoring up to 14 claimed aerial kills.

[4] The original German plan called for a task force from Waalhaven to attack the town and seize the bridges over the Nieuwe Maas using the advantage of surprise.

Oberstleutnant von Choltitz's adjutant took charge of an assault on the Dutch position but was mortally wounded in the process.

When the Germans looked for another route to the bridges to bypass the Dutch stronghold, they managed to find a wedge that advance troops had created along the quays.

The Dutch took positions around the small German pocket north of the bridges and started deploying machine guns at numerous strategic points.

Twice, the gunboat attacked the Germans at the traffic bridge on the north side of the Noordereiland (an island in the river), the second time accompanied by the motor torpedo boat.

During the second attempt, the Luftwaffe dropped a number of bombs on the navy ships that caused substantial damage to the motor torpedo boat.

The continuous battle for the northern river bank caused the Germans to withdraw to the large National Life Insurance Company building, at the head of the traffic bridge.

Dutch troops occupying nearby houses were forced to fall back, due to accurate and sustained mortar fire.

During the night and into the early morning, the garrison commander Scharroo received reinforcements from the northern sector of Fortress Holland.

The German spearhead was still formed by their occupation (about 40 to 50 men) of the National Life Insurance building north of the traffic bridge.

Casualties mounted up on both sides and the German command grew increasingly worried over the status of their 500 men in the heart of Rotterdam.

Oberstleutnant von Choltitz was allowed by Generalleutnant Kurt Student to withdraw his men from the northern pocket should he consider the operational situation required it.

The majority of von Sponeck's group succeeded in reaching the village Overschie, where they joined up with German survivors of the Ypenburg battle.

That order was a direct consequence of the arrival of the 9th Panzerdivision at the Moerdijk bridges, which threatened the Dutch defence of Fortress Holland.

[2] From the northwest, a full platoon of Marines advanced along the Nieuwe Maas and reached the northern headland without any German challenge.

It was clear to the Dutch senior officers in Rotterdam that with the failed action against the bridges, all hope would have to be fixed on a successful defence of the northern river bank.

Both bridges were covered by three anti-tank guns each, and the three batteries 105 mm howitzers at the Kralingse Plas were ordered to prepare barrages on both headlands.

[2] On the morning of 14 May, General Schmidt prepared a quick note in the form of an ultimatum, which was to be handed over to the Dutch commander of Rotterdam.

Geschwader commander Oberst Walter Lackner led ⅔ of his wing on to a course that would bring them on to the target from a northeastern angle.

When Captain Backer was being escorted back by Oberstleutnant von Choltitzt to the Maas bridges, German bombers appeared from the south.

"[citation needed] Panic struck German soldiers on the Noordereiland, most of which were totally unaware of the events being played out between the top brass of both sides.

Due to the dense smoke, the formation had been ordered to lower the flight plan and as such the angle with the Noordereiland in the south decreased dramatically.

In the meantime, Colonel Scharroo—by then totally isolated from The Hague since all communication lines had been destroyed—had to decide the fate of the defence of Rotterdam.

After a brief moment of deliberation Scharroo made the decision to capitulate, which General Winkelman approved of by means of his direct representative, Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson.

He met General Schmidt at the bridge and expressed his resentment over the broken word of a senior officer of the German Wehrmacht.

[2] Meanwhile, a meeting took place between Captain Backer (being the official representative of the Dutch commander Scharroo) and the Germans led by Generalleutnant Student.

The German soldiers considered the fact that their famous General had been shot a yellow act of Dutch betrayal.