Dutch resistance
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I do despair at times when I see how many of my fellow Dutch citizens were so willing to help the Nazi regime. I know it is easy (for me) to judge because I was never put in a similar situation. But it is still a puzzle to me that a nation known for its…
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Martin Haas was born Martijn Haas, at the end of 1936 in Breda, a small city in the south of the Netherlands. Just before the war started, about two hundred Jews lived in Breda. Martin survived because his parents kept him safe in hiding. His parents and 2 of his siblings did not survive. His…
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This is a first; this will be the first time I do a blog in two languages, English and Frisian. The reason why? Firstly it is to acknowledge my heritage from my mother’s side, she was Frisian. Secondly, and more importantly to honor a hero of mine. Father Titus Brandma who was also Frisian, Now…
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Ankie Stork was a Dutch resistance fighter during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She saved thirty-five Jewish children from the Nazis by hiding them in several locations in the town of Nijverdal during World War II. She acted as part of Utrecht’s Kindercomité (Utrecht Children Committee), a Dutch resistance group based in Utrecht. Louis…
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Bert Jan Flim, a noted Dutch historian who has researched the rescue of Jewish children during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. His father and paternal grandparents were recipients of the Righteous Among the Nations award for their part in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. Herman Flim, a baker from Nijverdal. During World War II, Herman…
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On February 25, 1941, the Dutch decided that enough was enough. No longer would they stand idly by to see the treatment of their Jewish neighbors. The first 8 months of the Nazi occupation did not see that much change to the Dutch. The changes were all gradual. However, there were increased tensions. The WA(Weerbaarheidsafdeling-defense…
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On 19 February 1941, the German Grüne Polizei stormed into the Koco ice cream salon in the Van Woustraat. In the fight that ensued, several police officers were wounded. The Nazi authorities did not put up with the attack on their police officers. To end the unrest, they decided to hold a raid the weekend…
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I am not sure what to make about the photograph above. It is either extremely brave and heroic, or naive, perhaps even arrogant. The photo is of Pierre Coronel, operating a radio transmitter during World War II, while in hiding. It is one from a set of pictures. Listening to an illegal radio could result…
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Nowadays we take it for granted that we can conduct in peaceful protest, as a means to highlight our grievances. However in Nazi occupied Amsterdam during World War 2 any form of protest could be and would be considered an act of resistance which could lead to being jailed and even death. On August 5,1940…
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The above photograph is of a plaque that hangs over a house in The Hague. It was the residence of Mies Wahlbeehm, where she hid a great number of Jews. The one thing that captured my attention was the words at the top of the plaque, “De herrinering aan de doden is voor hen een…
History of Sorts 
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