Collaborator
-
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.”…
-
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…
-
Mildred Elizabeth Gillars (November 29, 1900 – June 25, 1988), commonly known as “Axis Sally,” was an American broadcaster who worked for Nazi Germany during World War II. Broadcasting from Berlin for German state radio, she delivered English-language propaganda aimed at American troops and civilians. After the war she was captured in Berlin, returned to…
-
Léon Degrelle remains one of the most controversial figures in twentieth-century Belgian and European history. His life encapsulates the volatile convergence of populist politics, Catholic traditionalism, authoritarian ideology, and the radicalization produced by the crises of the interwar period and the Second World War. At once a gifted orator, an ambitious political entrepreneur, a collaborator…
-
Johan Marius Nicolaas Heesters (5 December 1903 – 24 December 2011), known professionally as Johannes Heesters, was a Dutch-German stage, television, and film actor, as well as a vocalist and concert performer. His career began in the 1920s and spanned more than eight decades. Remarkably, he continued acting until his death, making him one of…
-
(Update from the November 2016 blog) One aspect of history I find particularly difficult to grasp is the collaboration of some Jews with the Nazis. On the one hand, I understand that self-preservation is a powerful human instinct—survival at any cost can drive people to make unimaginable choices. Yet, conversely, it’s hard to reconcile how…
-
Below is the transcript of a Dutch court case. The defendant, referred to only as Mrs. C., was accused of treason and collaboration during World War II. The Dutch legal system continues to follow this practice today, where defendants’ names are identified only by the first letter of their surname. The transcript is dated September…
-
Anton Mussert (1894–1946) was a central figure in the history of Dutch collaboration during World War II. As the founder and leader of the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB), or National Socialist Movement, Mussert became one of the most notorious symbols of Dutch cooperation with Nazi Germany. His leadership of the NSB and his role in facilitating…
-
The Netherlands has produced some of the greatest football players in the world. The Dutch are proud of their footballing history. My hometown of Geleen is where Dutch professional football originated. However, there are some football stars we are not proud of. Gejus van der Meulen was a goalkeeper of HFC and the Dutch national…
-
Now I will not say if I believe Reintje Kosmis was a villain [or not], but I will leave it up to you to decide. I always try to be as non-judgmental as possible in cases like this. Reintje Kosmis was born 9 May 1900 in Emmen, the Netherlands. Survival or betrayal is a diabolical…
