
Not every evil act was committed by a weapon or by sending people to the gas chamber. Some evil acts were much more subtle.
Herman Heukels was a photographer and a member of the NSB, the Dutch Nazi party, Hermans’ weapon was a camera. He took pictures of several raids. His most famous pictures are probably those he took in Amsterdam, on the Olympia Square on June 20,1943, of Jews awaiting deportation. His photographs were published in Storm, the newspaper for the Dutch SS.
It was evil because he knew these people were going to be deported to camps like Westerbork and eventually Auschwitz and Sobibor. He knew that most of these people would be murdered. He took pictures of families who would be dead only a few weeks or a few months later.

The people he took photographed were clearly distressed. Their houses or apartments were just taken away from them—all they had left were a few suitcases. They didn’t know what their future would hold for them but they knew it wasn’t good.
Herman did not take these photos for them to pick them up after he had developed them. Herman posted them in a vile newspaper so that its readers could gloat.
Herman Heukels‘ passport had expired a day after he had taken the photos on Olympia Square on 21 June 1943. He then applied for a foreign passport—I can only presume a German one.
Heukel was arrested after the war and committed suicide on 26 April 1947 while in prison.

Sources
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/thema/Herman%20Heukels

Donation
Your readership is what makes my site a success, and I am truly passionate about providing you with valuable content. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. Your voluntary donation of $2 or more, if you are able, would be a significant contribution to the continuation of my work. However, I fully understand if you’re not in a position to do so. Your support, in any form, is greatly appreciated. Thank you. To donate, click on the credit/debit card icon of the card you will use. If you want to donate more than $2, just add a higher number in the box left from the PayPal link. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
$2.00
Leave a reply to Phil Strawn Cancel reply