
This is a bit of forgotten World War II history. I only found out about this today.
From 11 May 1940, the Dutch military received support from French troops, who advanced to Zeeland by sea and via Belgium. Many thousands of Moroccan soldiers fought against the Germans in the French army. About 30,000 of them were stationed in the north of France. These Moroccans had entered the service of the French army on the orders of the Sultan. The Sultan hoped to negotiate Moroccan independence from France. Moroccan soldiers were also deployed in Zeeland to defend the Netherlands. Usually lightly armed, they tried to protect the entrance to the port of Antwerp. Although the battle in Zeeland continued until May 17, the French army was ultimately unable to withstand the superior German forces. The French retreat was chaotic and many of the soldiers were taken prisoner. They were sent to Germany by ships and freight trains, where they had to perform forced labour or were interned in POW camps. This photo was taken in Venlo on the way to Germany.
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