the Netherlands
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I am not suggesting that charity is a bad thing—quite the opposite. However, some charities are not what they appear to be. During World War II, for example, several organizations operated under the guise of charity. One such case was Winterhulp in the Netherlands, which was more focused on propaganda than on genuinely helping people.
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In the fall of 1944, South Limburg was liberated by American troops. Many young men subsequently volunteered for the Domestic Forces to contribute to the liberation of the Netherlands after years of occupation. Among them were veterans Cor van Wageningen (1918–2013) and Frits Faro (1921–2012). In the fall of 1944, they were assigned as guards
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Like in Germany, the Holocaust in the Netherlands didn’t start with the mass murder of Jews—it was a gradual process. It started with a number of measures to initially humiliate the Dutch Jews. Summer 1942SD agents check the identity cards of Jewish citizens on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, in Amsterdam. At the beginning of January 1941,
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The above photograph is a rail track I pass over nearly every day. Yesterday, when I passed it, I had to think of all those who went on train journeys and never returned. The trains that travel over this rail track are comfortable, They have soft seats you can sit on, and some even have
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The SS established the Neuengamme concentration camp on December 13, 1938.It would become the biggest concentration camp in Northwest Germany.In excess of 100,000 inmates would come through Neuengamme and its sub camps. The death toll totaled approximately 42,900: about 14,000 in the main camp, 12,800 in the subcamps, and 16,100 during the death marches. These
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For 10 years I worked for Philips and was not aware of this bit of the company’s history, although I worked in a different plant in another city, the links to Eindhoven were substantial because HQ was located there. On 6th December 1942, the RAF mounted Operation Oyster, a daylight low-level bombing raid on the
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And suddenly, they were gone. They were not ill. They didn’t read different books. They didn’t do different mathematics. They didn’t learn different geography or biology. Suddenly, they were—just gone. It started with the yellow stars. That singled them out as being different, but how could they be? They looked the same. They spoke the
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The story of Emma van Essen-Frankenstein is a story of desperation. Her maiden name is also the name of a famous horror story, but Emma’s story is more horrific than that of her fictional namesake. She was born in Salzderkilden, Germany on 18 March 1862. In May 1893 she married Dutchman, Abraham Levie van Essen,
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If you look at the photograph above, it appears to be a photo of a marketplace. Initially, you will see nothing wrong with it. There is a man with a bike talking to another man, possibly about the weather. You can see a young boy running, and perhaps he is chasing the dog. There are
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World War II officially ended in 1945, but for many who lived through it, the war never truly ended. The fear it instilled often turned into paranoia and secrecy, rippling across generations and affecting even those born decades later. This is the story of my connection to World War II. Both my parents were born
History of Sorts 