Dutch soldiers on the Hooikade

Dutch military personnel march on the Hooikade during the bridge march in Dordrecht. The photo was taken on June 24, 1939, when the traffic bridge over the Oude Maas (also known as the Zwijndrechtse bridge) was ceremoniously opened. In 1939, there were already signs of pre-mobilization in the Netherlands, leading to an increasing presence of military personnel in the streets. It wasn’t until September 1939 that General Mobilization was declared, bringing about a total of around 300,000 conscripts into service. As Dordrecht housed the garrison of the Army Maritime Engineers ( Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedisten), people were already accustomed to seeing marching soldiers in the streets. However, these soldiers belong to a different military unit, as evidenced by the uniforms and equipment they are wearing.