the Netherlands
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The Dutch are known for their love of bicycles. For most Dutch people it is the first choice of means of transport. Needless to say, the bicycle played an important role in World War II. There is a long-running joke about the Germans giving back Dutch bikes. The origin came from the German occupiers demanding…
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At the moment there is a lot of talk how social media is used to distribute propaganda, but the widespread of propaganda is nothing new. The ‘social media’ during WWII was the radio. About 18 months after the Germans invaded the Netherlands they started broadcasting German language course programs. During World War II radio listening…
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On the night of 31 January – 1 February 1953, many dykes in the province of Zeeland, the southern parts of the province of South Holland and the northwestern parts of the province of North Brabant ,in the Netherlands,proved unable to resist the combination of spring tide and a northwesterly storm. It was to become…
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Hitler expected very little resistance from the Dutch because he saw them as kindred spirits and fellow aryans. When he decided to invade the Netherlands he expected a similar reception as he got in Austria, but he was wrong. Although the invasion only took 3 days the Germans suffered heavy losses. As in the other…
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It is a question I often ask myself “Would I do it, would I risk my life and the life of my Family to safe others? ” Honestly I don’t know. Risking my own life is one thing, but risking the lives of my Family is a different ballgame all together. And yet that is…
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Although the Dutch and the Brits are good friends now, it was not always thus. There have been several Anglo-Dutch wars. The 3rd , Anglo-Dutch war ended this day in 1674 by the signing of the Westmnster Treaty of 1647. The English were dismayed by the unexpected fact that Dutch raiders managed to capture more English…
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After months of fighting fierce battles this must have been the most adorable way ever how the US troops were entertained. Dutch children entertain U.S. soldiers. U.S. soldiers taken for a morning walk through the grounds of moated Hoensbroek Castle in Holland some of the 145 young Dutch children living there under the care of…
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Every once in a while you encounter a story which puts you in conflict with yourself. You wonder “can I really tell the story?” For me this is one of those stories. I am not going to use the word ‘Hate’ because that would be too harsh of a description, but I do really, really,really…
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On 23 January 1920, the government of the Netherlands refused to extradite the former Kaiser of Germany, Wilhelm II. His aggressive foreign policy and support for Austro-Hungary in 1914 led to the first world war. After the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, he was charged with “a supreme offence against international morality…
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In the Netherlands, the only pre-war group that immediately started resistance against the German occupation was the communist party. During the first two war years, it was by far the biggest resistance organization, much bigger than all other organizations put together. A major act of resistance was the organisation of the February strike in 1941, in protest against anti-Jewish measures. (Leaflet…
History of Sorts 
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