Collaborator
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The one thing I always fear when I do these blogs about World War II and the Holocaust is what I will discover about my family. Thus far, there is no indication that any of them collaborated with the Nazis, but I have a big family, and even now, in 2026, there is still new…
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When the guns of World War II finally fell silent in 1945, Europe faced not only the monumental task of rebuilding cities and economies, but also of seeking justice. Few names were as synonymous with betrayal as Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian politician whose collaboration with Nazi Germany turned his surname into a byword for “traitor.”…
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The execution of five Dutch SS men took place in late September 1944 in a sheep shed at Zecksteeg, near Ede. Four of the five SS men had been captured by members of the Ede resistance; the fifth had been captured by British paratroopers participating in the Battle of Arnhem. The five men were imprisoned…
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In general, I have some level, albeit low, of sympathy for those who chose to collaborate with the Nazi regime in the Netherlands because maybe they felt it was the only way to survive. However, I have no sympathy for the Nederlandse Landwacht. They were in it for their own greed and hungered for power.…
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The one thing I can be sure of after posting this blog is that my contact details will be checked a lot, especially by the likes of the “‘Polish League Against Defamation,” and will probably be followed with threats. Unfortunately, there are groups in Poland who will go to great lengths to get any bit…
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War brings out the best and the worst out of people, that is just a fact. It is easy to acknowledge the good but there is often a struggle acknowledging the bad, even to the extent of trying to completely erase it from history. When it comes to the Holocaust there is no question about…
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Maarten Kuiper stands as a stark reminder of the complexities and moral ambiguities faced by individuals during the tumultuous times of World War II. Born on January 30, 1907, in Amsterdam, Kuiper’s early life was unremarkable, characterized by a series of ordinary professions including that of a sailor and a police officer. However, his later…
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I am a great believer that people should investigate their past before they pass judgment on others. There were many Dutch who did good during World War II; many risked their lives and sometimes gave their lives to help or save their Jewish neighbors. However, on the other hand, there were also many, and probably…
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The Netherlands Union (Nederlandsche Unie) was a Dutch political movement during the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War. It was founded by a trio consisting of Louis Einthoven (Chief Commissioner of Police in Rotterdam), Johannes Linthorst Homan (Queen’s Commissioner in the Province of Groningen), and Jan de Quay (Government Commissioner for…
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It always amazes me how easy it was for some Europeans to give up their Jewish neighbours. I know it’s easy for me to say that in retrospect, because I don’t know how I would have reacted if put in that situation. But I have a feeling I would have spoken out about it the…
