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

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military preparations. At any rate, as foreign aircraft faced internment once they landed in
the Netherlands, it was more practical to close off the skies completely.69
The anned forces were responsible for preventing neutrality violations, undertaken
by border guards on land and naval patrols at sea. High Command had some serious
concerns about the effectiveness of guarding the territorial boundaries with small groups of
soldiers. Although the frontier was marked with posts and flags, the lack of natural features
differentiating the Netherlands from Germany and Belgium made careful adherence to
national boundaries difficult. 70 While troops and ships patrolled the frontier and sea 24
hours a day, there simply were not enough of them to isolate the 900-kilometre border. 71
Violations were inevitable.
LIMBURG: PROTECTING TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY ON LAND
On the eve of war, many expected that Gennan annies would cross through
Limburg in the Netherlands and into Belgium, even after Germany guaranteed Dutch
neutrality on 2 August. On invading Belgium, the possibility that German troops could
traverse roads in the far south of Limburg remained a distinct possibility, especially around
the town ofVaals. No doubt, preserving the territorial integrity of the border region was
difficult, and given that Gennany moved a huge number of troops round the "pan-handle"
(as Limburg was sometimes described) in the first few days of their invasion, a violation of
the frontier could easily occur. Yet the German leadership was genuine in its desire to keep
the Netherlands neutral; its High Command explicitly ordered German troops to avoid
breaching Dutch territory at all costS.72
Nevertheless, on 5 August reports reached the Dutch out of Belgium and France
that Gennan troops had crossed into Limburg near Vaals during their advance towards
Liege. Belgian and French newspapers asserted not only that the Gennans had purposely
used Dutch roads but also that the Dutch had willingly let them do so. Two French
69 Castren, The Present Law of War and Neutrality pp. 437, 588 - 589; L. M. G. Kooperberg, "Eenige beschouwingen
over het begrip 'Neutraliteit'" [Some considerations about the concept of 'Neutrality'] Militaire Spectator. 84,1915,
p.566.
70 "Instructie aan de Commandanten van onderdeelen van het Veldleger in het Zuiden des Lands opgesteld"
[Instructions to the Commanders of sections of the Field Army situated in the south of the country] 1914, in Vries,
"Nederland als non-belligerente natie" Appendix III, p. 121.
71 C. van Tuinen, "De militaire handhaving van neutraliteit en gezag" [The military maintenance of neutrality and
authority] in Brugman (ed.), Nederland in den oorlogstijd. p. 64.
72 Moeyes, Buiten Schot pp. 85 - 86.