This did not apply to the three-kilometer-wide outpost zone. This area could not be flooded and was therefore a weak point in the 45-kilometer-long defensive line between Rhenen and Spakenburg, dating back to the second half of the 18th century. This section lay too high to be inundated, or in other words, the Rhine River, which was supposed to supply the water, was on average too low.

Slowing the German Advance

To compensate for this weakness, outposts were established here. Over 500 soldiers were ordered to delay the German advance "to the last man and the last bullet" for as long as possible. Due to the high groundwater level, digging trenches in the clay soil was often not an option. Therefore, sand was transported from the Grebbeberg via narrow-gauge rail connections. This sand was dumped in piles in the outpost zone, where defensive positions were then constructed.

On the morning of May 11, parts of the SS Regiment Der Führer launched an attack on the outpost zone. The less well-armed Dutch defenders suffered greatly from the limited field of fire, poorly constructed defenses, and failing communications. Additionally, the many ditches, an almost dry anti-tank trench, the dense orchards, and numerous sheds provided the German attackers with significant advantages.

Doomed to Perish

Sergeant Mulder’s group was stationed between the Grebbe Dike and the Wageningse Afweg. In the afternoon, units of the third battalion of the SS Regiment appeared in front of their position. Michiel Hendriks operated the light machine gun and initially kept the enemy at bay. Shortly afterward, however, the decisive German attack came—completely unexpected from the rear of the position. German assault troops had circled around Mulder’s group and approached them undetected from behind.

The enemy fire sealed the fate of Mulder’s group. German troops stormed the position, threw hand grenades into the shelters, and set the sandbag barriers on fire. Only soldier Könning managed to survive the attack; he played dead and, as the enemy advanced toward Grebbeberg, he escaped.

Final Resistance Broken

Thus, despite fierce resistance, one Dutch position after another in the outpost zone was overrun by the Germans. When Sergeant-Major Blom’s group surrendered in the late afternoon of May 11, the last resistance in the flat land between Wageningen and Grebbeberg was broken, and the German troops could prepare for the battle for the Berg itself.

Michiel Hendriks, the machine gunner of Mulder’s group, remained missing for more than a year after the fatal attack. It was not until September 24, 1941, that his burned body was found. A collapsed shelter had been his grave all that time.

Take a moment to look at the shed along the Wageningse Afweg at Huize 'De Rijnschans'—its structure incorporates the remnants of a casemate. This casemate dates back to the mobilization period and thus witnessed the unequal struggle that raged here in the outpost zone on May 11, 1940.