Jan Joseph Godfried baron van Voorst tot Voorst
Encyclopedia
Jan Joseph Godfried, Baron van Voorst tot Voorst
(Godfried) Jr. (December 29, 1880, Kampen
—November 11, 1963, Vierakker
) was the second highest officer in command of the Dutch armed forces during World War II
and a renowned strategist
, who wrote numerous articles and books on modern warfare.
and president of the Senate, and Anna Cremers (1851–1933). With his first wife, Jkvr.
Octavia Ottine van Nispen tot Pannerden (1885–1947), he had 6 children. His second wife, Jkvr. Joanna Maria Alfrida Louisa (1910–1992), was a daughter of the Dutch Prime Minister
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
.
(KMA) in Breda
in 1898. In 1901, he graduated first in his class, and enlisted in an infantry regiment in Haarlem
. During the general railway strikes in 1903, he was the only lieutenant in charge of a unit protecting the train station of Haarlem
. In 1907, he became a personal adjutant
of Queen Wilhelmina
, and in this function accompanied her on various state visits. During the First World War and the mobilization
of the Dutch Army, he served in various ranks. These experiences and his concerns regarding the Schlieffen Plan
led him to write a study highlighting the critical importance of the province of Limburg
in German strategic planning. The publication was translated into Spanish, English, French and Norwegian. In 1920, Godfried became a member of the general staff
and represented the Netherlands in the disarmament
conference in Geneva
.
In the wake of the Great Depression
, he managed to restore order after the 1934 riots in Amsterdam
. This was the first time that armored vehicles were deployed by the Dutch army. In 1935, he supervised the Dutch troops monitoring the 1935 plebiscite in the Saar
.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, he was highly critical of the "broken rifle" movement
and the prevailing pacifist mentality of Dutch society and politics, which he deemed naïve. In later life, he would comment that this era was the low point in the history of Dutch defense. In 1936, he published a widely-read book on the German rearmament —an early warning against Nazi militarism.
By the late 1930s, Dutch politicians finally realized that their country would not be able to remain neutral in the looming conflict with Nazi Germany. During the hasty and belated military preparations, Godfried firmly rejected the ideas of general Izaak Reijnders
. Godfried warned against Blitzkrieg
tactics and mechanized warfare, whereas Reijnders believed that a possible German invasion would be preceded by long political and diplomatic tensions. Although, Reinders's plans were initially adopted, his conflict with the secretary of defense Adriaan Dijxhoorn
led to the resignation of the former. Since two brothers of the van Voorst tot Voorst family served in the general staff and because their catholic background was controversial among Protestants, Dijxhoorn appointed the retired general Henri Winkelman
, who supported the strategic plans of Godfried.
Much time was lost due to these internal arguments, and when Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, the Dutch armed forces were insufficiently prepared. Godfried attempted to defend the Grebbeberg
, but was ultimately forced to withdraw to the West of the Netherlands. After the bombing of Rotterdam and the German threat to annihilate other Dutch cities, he advised Winkelman to surrender.
After the Battle of the Netherlands
, he refused to pledge an oath of loyalty to the Nazis, and as a consequence, he was sent (together with his brother, H.F.M. baron van Voorst tot Voorst,) to a prisoner-of-war camp
in Germany for the 5 remaining years of the war. Following the end of Nazi Germany, he returned to the Netherlands, where he assumed various military and civil positions. In 1960, on his 80th birthday, he was awarded the titular rank of general.
Van Voorst tot Voorst
Van Voorst tot Voorst is an old Dutch noble family from the Dutch province Overijssel.-History:The first documented ancestor is Fredericus van Hekeren van der Ese who was an adviser to Reginald II of Guelders...
(Godfried) Jr. (December 29, 1880, Kampen
Kampen (Overijssel)
Kampen is a municipality, a city and an old Hanseatic city at the lower reaches of the river IJssel in the Dutch province of Overijssel.The municipality of Kampen counts 50,073 inhabitants in an area of approximately 162 km² . Kampen is located in the North West of Overijssel and is the...
—November 11, 1963, Vierakker
Bronckhorst
Bronckhorst is the name of a municipality in Gelderland, the Netherlands. The municipality is the result of a merger of the former municipalities Hengelo, Hummelo en Keppel, Steenderen, Vorden and Zelhem, on 1 January 2005...
) was the second highest officer in command of the Dutch armed forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a renowned strategist
Strategist
A design strategist has the ability to combine the innovative, perceptive and holistic insights of a designer with the pragmatic and systemic skills of a planner to guide strategic direction in context of business needs, brand intent, design quality and customer values...
, who wrote numerous articles and books on modern warfare.
Private life
He was the fifth child of Jan Joseph Godfried baron van Voorst tot Voorst sr. (1846–1931), lieutenant generalLieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
and president of the Senate, and Anna Cremers (1851–1933). With his first wife, Jkvr.
Jonkheer
Jonkheer is a Dutch honorific of nobility.-Honorific of nobility:"Jonkheer" or "Jonkvrouw" is literally translated as "young lord" or "young lady". In medieval times such a person was a young and unmarried son or daughter of a high ranking knight or nobleman...
Octavia Ottine van Nispen tot Pannerden (1885–1947), he had 6 children. His second wife, Jkvr. Joanna Maria Alfrida Louisa (1910–1992), was a daughter of the Dutch Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands is the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. He is the de facto head of government of the Netherlands and coordinates the policy of the government...
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck
Jhr. Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch nobleman and Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1918 to 1925 and again from 1929 to 1933...
.
Military career
After he completed his secondary education, he was admitted to the Royal Military AcademyKoninklijke Militaire Academie
The Royal Military Academy is the service academy for the Dutch Army and the Dutch Air Force. Located in Breda, the Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers since 1828.-Description:...
(KMA) in Breda
Breda
Breda is a municipality and a city in the southern part of the Netherlands. The name Breda derived from brede Aa and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. As a fortified city, the city was of strategic military and political significance...
in 1898. In 1901, he graduated first in his class, and enlisted in an infantry regiment in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
. During the general railway strikes in 1903, he was the only lieutenant in charge of a unit protecting the train station of Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
. In 1907, he became a personal adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of Queen Wilhelmina
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
Wilhelmina was Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948. She ruled the Netherlands for fifty-eight years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World War I and World War II, the economic crisis of 1933, and the decline of the Netherlands as a major colonial...
, and in this function accompanied her on various state visits. During the First World War and the mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
of the Dutch Army, he served in various ranks. These experiences and his concerns regarding the Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
led him to write a study highlighting the critical importance of the province of Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
in German strategic planning. The publication was translated into Spanish, English, French and Norwegian. In 1920, Godfried became a member of the general staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
and represented the Netherlands in the disarmament
Disarmament
Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear arms...
conference in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
In the wake of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, he managed to restore order after the 1934 riots in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. This was the first time that armored vehicles were deployed by the Dutch army. In 1935, he supervised the Dutch troops monitoring the 1935 plebiscite in the Saar
Saar (League of Nations)
The Territory of the Saar Basin , also referred as the Saar or Saargebiet, was a region of Germany that was occupied and governed by Britain and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate, with the occupation originally being under the auspices of the Treaty of Versailles...
.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, he was highly critical of the "broken rifle" movement
War Resisters' International
War Resisters' International is an international anti-war organization with members and affiliates in over thirty countries. Its headquarters are in London, UK.-History:...
and the prevailing pacifist mentality of Dutch society and politics, which he deemed naïve. In later life, he would comment that this era was the low point in the history of Dutch defense. In 1936, he published a widely-read book on the German rearmament —an early warning against Nazi militarism.
By the late 1930s, Dutch politicians finally realized that their country would not be able to remain neutral in the looming conflict with Nazi Germany. During the hasty and belated military preparations, Godfried firmly rejected the ideas of general Izaak Reijnders
Izaak H. Reijnders
Izaak Herman Reijnders was the man in charge of the Dutch military high command just prior to the beginning of World War II when he was replaced with retired general Henri Winkelman after an argument with the minister of Defense Adriaan Dijxhoorn.He was a son of Izaäk Herman Reijnders and Antje...
. Godfried warned against Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
tactics and mechanized warfare, whereas Reijnders believed that a possible German invasion would be preceded by long political and diplomatic tensions. Although, Reinders's plans were initially adopted, his conflict with the secretary of defense Adriaan Dijxhoorn
Adriaan Dijxhoorn
Adriaan Quirinus Hendrik Dijxhoorn was a Dutch military commander as well as the Dutch secretary of Defense at the beginning of the Battle of the Netherlands. He had a row with commander Izaak H. Reijnders; after the latter retired he appointed the retired general Henri Winkelman...
led to the resignation of the former. Since two brothers of the van Voorst tot Voorst family served in the general staff and because their catholic background was controversial among Protestants, Dijxhoorn appointed the retired general Henri Winkelman
Henri Winkelman
Henri Gerard Winkelman was a Dutch General best known for his command of the Dutch troops during the German invasion of the Netherlands.-Pre-war:...
, who supported the strategic plans of Godfried.
Much time was lost due to these internal arguments, and when Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, the Dutch armed forces were insufficiently prepared. Godfried attempted to defend the Grebbeberg
Battle of the Grebbeberg
The Battle of the Grebbeberg was a major engagement during the Battle of the Netherlands, which was a part of the World War II Operation Fall Gelb in 1940.-Background:In the 1930s, the Dutch government pursued a policy of strict neutrality...
, but was ultimately forced to withdraw to the West of the Netherlands. After the bombing of Rotterdam and the German threat to annihilate other Dutch cities, he advised Winkelman to surrender.
After the Battle of the Netherlands
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
, he refused to pledge an oath of loyalty to the Nazis, and as a consequence, he was sent (together with his brother, H.F.M. baron van Voorst tot Voorst,) to a prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
in Germany for the 5 remaining years of the war. Following the end of Nazi Germany, he returned to the Netherlands, where he assumed various military and civil positions. In 1960, on his 80th birthday, he was awarded the titular rank of general.
Selected publications
- De Duitsche herbewapening (The German Rearmament) ('s-Gravenhage, 1936).
- De militair-technische en de economische zijde van het ontwapenings-vraagstuk voor den volkenbond (The military-technological and economic dimension of the disarmamentproblem for the League of Nations) ('s-Gravenhage,1927).
- Studiën over ontwapening (Studies on disarmament) ('s-Gravenhage, 1927).
- Via Roermond: A Strategic Study ('s-Gravenhage, 1923).