Middelburg ['Middleburough'] - literally meaning "middle fortress" or "middle town" - was a small but distinctive and picturesque provincial capital. Although the settlement's origins dated back to around AD 850, Middelburg was formally granted city rights in 1217. Over the centuries, it developed into a town renowned for its rich architectural heritage. The historic centre, in particular, was a jewel of Zeeland. Its town hall, completed in 1452, was a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture and the cultural heart of the city. Equally impressive was the ancient abbey complex, parts of which dated back to the twelfth century. During the late Middle Ages, when Zeeland was among the most important commercial regions of the Low Countries, Middelburg ranked among the ten largest towns in what would later become the Netherlands.
For many centuries, Middelburg remained an important political and economic centre. The famous Dutch East India Company (VOC) - often regarded as the world's first multinational corporation - maintained one of its regional chambers in the city, and Middelburg had long served as the administrative capital of Zeeland. In more recent centuries, however, it gradually lost much of its former prominence. While many Dutch towns expanded rapidly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Middelburg remained relatively small and provincial. In May 1940, the city had fewer than 30,000 inhabitants, compared with approximately 50,000 today.
The decision to evacuate both Flushing and Middelburg, taken on 14 May, would prove remarkably farsighted on the part of Zeeland's authorities. The Germans appear to have been unaware that the city had been largely evacuated, although their reconnaissance aircraft - which had been intensively surveying the skies over Zeeland - must have observed the movement of large numbers of civilians leaving the area. The French, by contrast, were fully informed of the evacuation which lowered the threshold of shelling the evacuated cities.
After the Germans reached the shores of the Sloe on 16 May, the Luftwaffe intensified its attacks on the areas around Flushing and Middelburg. Bomber squadrons of Kampfgeschwader 4 (He-111 and Ju-88) and the strategic Kampfgeschwader 30 (Ju-88) participated in the relentless bombardment of military positions all over Walcheren. German artillery, meanwhile, was employed primarily for direct tactical support and the observed shelling of French artillery positions.
The French faced a different challenge. An evacuation plan had become imperative. Developments elsewhere on the front compelled the French High Command to withdraw forces from the north, including those defending the strategically important approaches to Antwerp. General Deslaurens received orders accordingly. As the day progressed, preparations for a retreat gathered momentum. Plans were drawn up to cover the withdrawal of the French forces, whose only practical route of escape lay through the harbour of Flushing and across the Western Scheldt.
French artillery officers considered how best to delay the German advance. In the process, attention focused on the roads running through Middelburg on the western side of the Canal through Walcheren. The principal route between Middelburg and Flushing had to be denied to the enemy. Consequently, the Station bridge and several key road junctions in the city centre appear to have become potential artillery targets.
Recent historical research conducted by local historians, supported by several respected scholars, has produced evidence suggesting that much of the destruction inflicted upon the historic centre of Middelburg in those days in May 1940 was caused by artillery fire. According to this interpretation, ground forces rather than the Luftwaffe were primarily responsible for the devastation of the old town.
During the afternoon, signs of preparatory artillery fire became apparent. Firefighters and municipal officials - most of whom remained in the largely evacuated city - noted incoming shells from the direction of the Scheldt, e.g. from the south. Damage to the southern facades of buildings suggested that at least part of the shelling originated from the south. When the French withdrawal began around 1500 hours, French artillery started to target parts of the city either to discourage German pursuit or to create obstacles by setting fires along likely routes of advance.
Since the French knew that Middelburg had been largely evacuated and that their own troops were not using the city centre as a primary withdrawal route, some historians have argued that French artillery played a significant role in igniting the fires that later devastated the ancient city centre. The discovery of a number of unexploded French shells among the ruins has strengthened this interpretation. Nevertheless, definitive proof remains elusive, and the exact sequence of events continues to be debated.
The neighbouring communities of Veere, Arnemuiden, and Flushing also suffered from the fighting, primarily as a result of registered Luftwaffe attacks and German shelling. Middelburg, however, was particularly vulnerable to fire. Its densely built historic centre contained many centuries-old wooden structures, allowing the flames to spread rapidly. The fires continued to expand until the evening of 18 May, when approximately 500 firefighters and volunteers from across Walcheren and beyond finally succeeded in bringing the blaze under control and preventing further destruction.
Throughout the ordeal, the Mayor and his staff remained at their posts in the town hall until the building itself succumbed to shellfire and flames. The lightly staffed Dutch military headquarters also continued to operate during the bombardment. Because most of the population had already been evacuated, the death toll remained relatively low. Nineteen civilians, one French soldier, and two Dutch soldiers lost their lives. This comparatively limited loss of life was largely due to the foresight of the Mayor, who had ordered the evacuation of the city at an early stage.
In total, Middelburg lost nearly 600 buildings to shelling and the fires that followed. Later that month, and again in early June, the Dutch press reported on the catastrophe that had befallen the city. These reports already reflected the effects of German censorship. Newspapers claimed that large numbers of French troops had been stationed in Middelburg when the Luftwaffe struck. In reality, only a small French headquarters staff had been present, and it had already departed on 17 May, before the worst destruction occurred.
Subsequent reports attributed the devastation to the Royal Air Force. These claims gained traction after RAF bombing raids against the harbour facilities at Flushing in August and September 1940, operations that unfortunately caused considerable collateral damage. While some civilians accepted these explanations, most local residents remained convinced that the destruction of Middelburg had been caused by German action. Yet from the outset, several eyewitnesses - including municipal officials and members of the fire brigade - had reported heavy artillery fire originating from the south.
Only after the war did the full extent of the May 1940 attacks on Dutch cities become widely known. Rotterdam had been a defended city and a target of undeniable strategic significance as the gateway to Fortress Holland. Middelburg was different. It was neither a major military stronghold nor a strategic objective of comparable importance. Yet it was not until the early twenty-first century that archival research brought renewed attention to the possibility that, alongside a limited number of German bombs and shells, French artillery may also have contributed significantly to the destruction of the city on 17 May 1940.
Fortunately, much of Middelburg's historic centre was rebuilt after the war, although many unique wooden buildings were lost forever. Despite the devastation of the Second World War - including the severe flooding caused by Allied operations to liberate Walcheren in 1944 and the large flooding of February 1953 - the city recovered. Today, the provincial capital once again displays much of the charm, elegance, and historical character that distinguished it before the war.