Between the devil and the deep blue sea - University of Canterbury

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Anny was as good as ready to be shifted from its afwachtingsopstelling, there was a low
absentee rate, the horse requisition although not complete was adequate, the inundations
were prepared, and the early food problems had been solved. All the major requirements
had been met and, on the surface at least, the mobilisation had gone remarkably well.
Commentators reflected on this: Treub described the process rather too optimistically as
being "in one word faultless"; 176 a brigade commander applauded it, remarking if "one did
not focus on trivialities, one way or another, one must call [it] brilliant"; 177 even an
otherwise critical parliamentary report made in 1918 praised the mobilisation of landweer
and Anny troops, which gave "in general, reason for satisfaction". 178
Such positive impressions were not isolated and have been echoed by historians as
well. Especially when comparing the mobilisations of 1870,1914 and 1939, they have
lauded the organisation and efficiency of the 1914 undertaking. 179 The 1870 mobilisation is
renowned for its dismal defence and abominable military preparedness. 180 In comparison,
1914 was indeed splendid. Again, in contrast to 1914, the poor mobilisation of 1939
contributed to the Netherlands utter defeat by Germany in May 1940 and has received
severe criticism for the military's unpreparedness and state of neglect. The historian J. C. H.
Blom mentioned, for example, how much more the Dutch govemment spent on military
expenditure before the First World War than before the Second World War. He believed
that in that respect alone the 1914 mobilisation was superior. 181 As the previous chapter
illustrated, the actions taken to improve the size of the military, modernise its equipment,
and streamline its organisation impacted positively on the 1914 mobilisation. In many
respects, the Netherlands was even better prepared for war than Belgium. It spent 100 per
cent more on defence in the immediate pre-war years, 182 had legislated personal
conscription much earlier (Belgium only implemented this change in 1913), and while both
176 "Zij was in een woord onberispelijk" (Ibid.).
177 "Wanneer men niet wi! fitten op kleinigheden, moet men een en ander we! schitterend noemen" (Burger,
"Fragment en" p. 345).
178 "De resultaten gaven over het a!gemeen reden tot tevredenheid" (Staatscommissie, Waarnemingen bi) de
Gemobiliseerde Landmacht p. 6).
179 F. Snapper, "De gevechtswaarde" pp. 16 - 54; Klinkert et. al. (eds.), Mobilisatie in Nederland ell Belgie; Schulten,
"Van neutralisme naar bondgenootschap" pp. 3 - 16; Schoenmaker, "Clio at arms" pp. 73 - 95.
180 Doedens, "Nederland en de Frans-Duitse oorlog" pp. 39 - 43, 108 - 111.
181 Blom, "A necessary evil" pp. 96 - 97.
182 Ferguson, The Pity of Warp. 101.