My Mother and Father come from the Netherlands. At the time of the war my mother lived in Amsterdam and my Father lived in Almelo. My Mother migrated to America in 1955 and my Father migrated in 1948. I was born here in the states. They both have stories of the war. I hope someday to visit Holland. Best regards: Michael van Weerd.
The Germans did have full organized divisions in Noord-Brabant, Limburg and Utrecht. Yet instead of liberating these provinces first, to halt the reinforcements towards other provinces should their be an attack by the allies on other provinces, they could almost immediatly reinforce those locations. While Eisenhower and other generals in the Allied forces advised liberating these first. Montegomery however focussed with a failed plan of liberating Zeeland first. Because of this, Germany caught wind of this and sent in more forces than first anticipated. Wich resulted in a very bloody amount of skirmishes.
My Dutch grandfather was supposed to be taken to Germany for labour. But his mother helped hide him in a farm and some how got away with it. He worked on that farm until the end of the war and he would remain friends with the farmers family who helped him stay hidden from the Germans.
We have a similar story from my father's family. His father escaped the trains twice, hid in the attic crawlspace of their Amsterdam house for the remainder of the war. Very interesting to hear so many similar stories. It must have been a more widely discussed option at the time.
To answer your question regarding the high percentage of Dutch Jews being killed in the war Stefan ...a couple of the reasons comes to mind .First of all it's their neighbours who are to be blamed because only denunciation on that scale could be carried by people who knew who they were .The greatest part of those Jews persecuted were Sefardis who came as refugees back in 15/16 th century when area was controlled by Spain .The influx of " maranos" never stoped during the 16/17/18 century cos only in Protestant Low Countries who managed to get independence they could live freely as a Jews and prosper ...Now being of Hispanic heritage brings and certain type of the look which is easy to distinguish between the rest of Dutch population .Another thing is that most of them were living in big merchant cities ( probably that was the reason behind those murderers heavily bombed Rotterdam ) and there were targeted by their " friendly" business competitors ( in capitalism big fish eats smaller one on every day basis and let alone in the time of the war when you are selected as a human target for whatever reason behind this) ..Because of the promised economic benefits after " arianisation" of the Jewish businesses was started they were all accounted for and later on rounded up by collaborators and Gestapo and Special Police.They were told that are going to be sent to labour camps which are also concentration and death camps at the same time ...Most of Dutch Jews ended up in Poland,most notably in Aushwitz..Very sad ending for people that were defining Spanish inquisition and survived the purges in Spain and lived undercover as "maranos" for generations and after to end up like that .Their demise could be also connected with USA entering the war against the Axis and first bombing by USA sir force of cities around Germany ( Hamburg ) .By some accounts F.D.Roosevelts family were Dutch Jews and they were in New World very early as members of Dutch colony of New Amsterdam ( from 1674. New York) ..How's that for the answer?
My mother was a Dutch child in WW2, and her family had a bad time of it - though she never told her full story, and I only ever heard small remarks over the years, and utterances of nazis and gestapo. The survivors of the family came to Australia, where I am born, after the war. I really appreciate your channel.
My Oma, may she rest in piece, was only 14 years old and her family was nearly out of food. Her older brother was very sick with the flu. The Germans had taken most of the rubber for the war, so she rode a bicycle with wooden wheels several miles in the winter, to a family friends house who owned a farm, to ask for some food. He came right away with as much as much food as he could spare for them. There were a lot of very good people helping each other in Holland, as well as some bad ones. Excellent video.
@@HistoryHustle Thank you for these great videos. My father moved to America from Holland when he was 14, and I heard these stories from him, as my Oma was very humble and would have thought that it was nothing special. My Opa also was forced into a German labor camp for a few months, to make bombs and munitions for the Germans. He didn't like to talk about those times, but my father said that whenever the Dutch workers had a chance, they would carefully sabotage some of the munitions. It's interesting to learn of my ancestors. My father's name is Jan, which translates to John in English apparently. Thanks again for your informative videos. My last name was Fijten originally, before it became Americanized.
Thanks for such an interesting and well produced series. My late father-in-law was a boy growing up in the Netherlands during WW2. He did not say much about their ordeal, but told me his family was basically starving during the winter of '44 to '45. He suffered from PTSD for the rest of his life from his experiences during the war. His family emigrated to the USA, and he proudly served in the United Stares Marine Corps. It was my honor to have known him, he was wonderful man.
My great grandfather was taken from the Netherlands to a camp in Germany. He escaped and had a scar across his hand from the barbed for the rest of his life. He spent much of the rest of the war in hiding
He knew his own mind I think, he must have had a lot of inner strength to defy the Germans, a person that kept his standards against horrific odds, a family member to be really proud of !
My great uncle was also taken to a camp in Germany, he remained in the camps for the entire duration of the war. Somewhere along the time he ended up in Kamp Amersfoort and now is one of the photos on display there and one of the last alive.
My dutch father was also sent to a concentration camp. He also escaped after just one day. He got scarlett fever just from one day of being in the camp.
Than you for your excellent lectures. My father was taken as a slave labourer 1944. He first had to work for the germans in the Netherlands and was then put on a train going to Germany. The train was halted close to the German border due to english bombing of the tracks. The prisoners were hearded out to help with repairs. During repairs there suddenly was a mass flight. My father was one of the lucky ones that escaped. Through the help of the recistance he months later ended up in liberated Belgium. Sadly he never wanted to talk much about the war years. It was to much for him. But he told me about de hongerwinter and how he on a bicycle with wooden wheels went to the farmlands and barted the families goods for food even before that disaster. Since he told me so little I find your entries fascinating. Jan Kerbosch Mörbylånga Sweden
I’ve been reading about Amsterdam during WWII, an obsession I got after reading Anne Frank’s Diary! I’m appalled with the lack of humanity from German Nazis and the bravery shown by the Netherlands! I’m a political asylee in US from Venezuela so I kind of identify myself with that kind of torture! I decided my first trip outside US is going to be a historical one to the Netherlands. You guys deserve all the honor I can show for your resistance, patriotism and strength!
Lol bravery. Lol .there were Dutch SS units and in .netherlands for hiding jews was ..fine..ticket .nith dearh penalty for you and whole your family like it Poland was. Also there was not any uprising.
@@zepter00 My uncle was arrested and murdered by firing squad for helping Jews. There were good and bad people in the Netherlands. Just like Johanna seems to go over the bad Dutch people easily you do the same with the good ones. Could you be a bit mor respectful towards my family sir? Just like many Polish people sacrified a lot for my freedom my uncle (who was Dutch) did that for you (assuming that you are Polish). It is not a one-way street.
@Wouter Kulche in western .europe in 90% of cases were only fines rockets for hiding jews. In Poland was instant death penalty for person who hide jew and also for whole his family.
This is such an insightful and nuanced view and as a Canadian of Dutch descent, I really appreciate this. All 4 of my grandparents are Dutch (all born in the 1920s) and experienced Nazi occupation in Holland. My maternal Grandpa was the only one who spoke about it since he grew up in Rotterdam and was 13 when the city was bombed and overrun (the others were from small farming towns in Overijssel and Utrecht and didn't necessarily experience the same effects of the war). My Dad was born in Overijssel and the family moved to Canada when he was 5 in 1955. All of my grandparents eventually moved to Canada because of the close connection our countries share, especially after the liberation. My Grandpa told me they have a saying in Holland: "If a Canadian knocks on your door, invite him in, give him food and shelter, and ask nothing in return- he's already paid". That gives me goosebumps everytime I think of it.
I am currently in the process of narrating English language audiobook adaptations of Anne deVries‘ four volume Journey Through The Night series. Not surprisingly, this work has inspired my great interest in the experience of the Netherlands in World War II. Your excellent presentations on this often neglected topic have helped me understand the tragic era much more fully and I thank you sincerely for them.
Hi Stehan, great video yet again. I would like to make a suggestion for one of your next video's. Perhaps you could go in depth about some of our naval activities during the war. There are manny great stories to tell for sure. Keep up the good work. I'll see you again in the next video.
Thank you for all this interesting information about the dutch i World war two, I'm dutch Canadian and my great grandfather was a resistance member. I was just doing a bit of research on him and I found this.
Thank you for watching and your message. Your surname sounds very Dutch indeed. Welcome to the channel. I have tons of WWII Netherlands content. See this playlist. Hope you will enjoy, Mateo: ru-vid.com/group/PL_bcNuRxKtpFqVkDAwQwskFibTbzaZ0sq
My Dutch grandparents married in January 1940 and my father, the eldest, was born under Nazi occupation, as were his twin brother and sister. I have always been very interested in their experience, but sadly my Opa died when I was only 10 and my Oma would not talk about the war as she found it too distressing. I think my Opa would have been more willing to share if he had lived long enough. The stories I have are gleaned from my father and aunts. I always wondered if my Opa who was a carpenter/cabinet maker might have done a bit of sabotage (in whatever way), as he frequently went into hiding during the war, but my father says it was just to avoid being rounded up to a work party by the Germans. One of his oldest cousins disappeared and was never heard of again. They never could find out what happened to him after the war. My father emigrated to New Zealand in 1961 and I therefore wasn't close to my grandparents, but through information like this I feel I can understand some of what it was like for them during those years.
This comment section is as good a place as any to tell you about my grandfathers. One was a "good" Dutchman, the other a "bad" one. My maternal grandfather served in the Dutch army during the 1940 German attack - he was an artillery wachtmeester (sergeant) and he fought in the Betuwe. While the Betuwe never encountererd many Germans (the main advances went to the north (Grebbeberg) and to the south (the armoured advance through North-Brabant) of their position, his battery was called on many times by the defenders of the Grebbeberg to provide fire support. When the Grebbeberg fell, his unit retreated to Utrecht to new prepared positions, but the Dutch surrender ended his involvement in the fighting. After the war, my grandfather was asked by the Dutch and British governments to help rebuild the Dutch army and police force. He went to the UK for training and upon return accepted a position as a policeman. He later served as a factory security guard. interesting detail: my grandparents had married just before the war, and after the surrender, my grandmother took it upon herself to go find her husband. She went, by bicycle, from where she lived in Brabant to Utrecht but had a lot of trouble reaching my grandfather because all the bridges had been blown. But eventually she found him. My mother may have been conceived at that time, as she was born about 9 months later. My paternal grandfather, on the other hand, joined the Dutch police and border patrol during the war. My father used to tell us stories about the war (he was about 10 years old at that time), that as kids they used to march with the German soldiers and sing German marching songs with them. I expect that this would be frowned upon, to say the least, by "good" Dutchmen. Also, my dad knows a little German (while his English is non-existent), which he attributes to the war. There's another story that my father used to tell: During the German attack it seems my father's family hid in a cellar somewhere, but as far as I (and my dad) understand it they hid from the FRENCH - my father lived in Zeeland at the time. And after the war, my grandfather suddenly and out of the blue moved to a different place and took on a different job. All this can be taken as hints that my paternal grandparents were sympathetic with the Germans. Obviously, after the war people who were seen as collaborators tried to hide this as much as possible, and that may be the reason that there's hints in my family history and nothing more. My father has told me that his parents were never members of the NSB, but I am not sure I believe this.
This is so fascinating to read. Many thanks for sharing this! Personal stories from family members gives us an idea what it was like 'on the ground'. When studying history you often feel like a helicopter pilot hovering above all what happened. hat you share is extremely interesting and gives perspective. Thanks again!
And so I dated a girl who told me her father's uncle was a bad guy during the war. The resistance even made a song about him to remember him by. He was a smooth talker and helped jews to find hiding places in Friesland but he had a habit of stealing their stuff. One day the SD took hold of him and questioned him, not much later all the hiding places of the jews he helped were raided by the germans. The resistance never really trusted him and this was really too much, so they shot and killed him. Here's a link to the song I referred to geheugen.delpher.nl/nl/geheugen/view?coll=ngvn&identifier=EVDO03%3ANIOD06_2029
Thanks for sharing, that is quite an interesting story. No one knows what they may or may not do in times of war. Those of us that were not there shouldn't comment. Thanks again, best wishes. 👍🏼
notsosilentmajority1 thoughtful comments are always useful. We need to think about pros and cons in light of history, so as not to repeat the errors of our ancestors
@Gerald Roebroeks You may well be right. I am fully aware that there are other possible explanations for all that I've written here. At the same time I am surprised by your response. You do not know me or my family. You only know what I wrote here, and I can tell you that I did not write everything. So I wonder, what did you hope to accomplish with your reply?
I recently discovered that both of my Dutch grandparents were taken as civilian prisoners of war during the Second World War. My dad tells me that Anzac Day in Australia made my Opa quite upset, as it reminded him of what happened, I also learned that my grandmother was covered in shrapnel scarring down her left side, and neither of them wished to talk about what they’d seen, for obvious and understandable reasons. That’s why, after they had all of their children, they packed up and moved to Australia…for a better life after the war.
I really enjoyed your video. My folks emigrated from NL post war to Canada. They came here largely out of respect for the liberators. I think there are many good stories about the history between our two countries. I would love to hear more about the soldiers that fathered children with Dutch women and the emigration challenges of people leaving NL.
Maybe you could make a video about "De Slag om Texel" When Georgian osttruppen turned against the German wehrmacht in april 1945! Really interesting story!
We recently discovered a journal kept by my grandmother (Riet) living in Rotterdam during the war. She was at a bar when a group of SS soldiers walked in, who were met with much disdain by the local Dutch. One thing led to another, and as my Oma wrote, she walked up to a soldier, mockingly did the Roman salute, and shouted "Heil Rietje" to protest the Germans. How she managed to get out of there without facing any consequences remains a mystery to this day.
You're welcome. There is heaps more if you're interesting. Here is a playlist you might find interesting: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wSRVNRZfswM.html
Great video Stefan. Really enjoyed it. My father`s family was in Amsterdam during the war. My dad was born in 1937 so he was just kid. He often told me stories about their experiences. Sure wish I had written more of them down. They came to Canada in 1948. I would like to learn more about the Netherlands in WW2, especially the experiences of children. Thanks for your work!
I am currently translating the notes of a member of the Dutch resistance who was arrested in 1944, but luckily survived the war. This video put a lot of his stories in context, thank you for your explanation. One of his letters is a letter he received in 1944 from the burgemeester of the NSB, but I didn't even know who the NSB were before this video
My father ... RIP Willem Jacobus Kaas , was 9 when the war broke out ...he grew up in Baarn ...he told me many sad stories of that time ...Netherlands is a beautiful place with beautiful people 🇳🇱❤
Congratulations---excellent video overview! I'm glad you didn't shy away from the whole issue of the NSB or Dutch Nazism. According to the BBC's famous "World At War"series ,fully three-fourths of the Dutch population was involved with the NSB. However,I remember speaking with a Dutch old-timer who actually lived back then,and he disputed this. He said the NSB was always only a small minority of the population. I remember reading somewhere about an NSB youth contingent ("JungStorm"?) that travelled to Germany to participate in one of the big Nazi rallies. However they caused some controversy when they refused to give the "Heil Hitler" salute,preferring instead to honor their own leader Anton Mussert. Apparently the Dutch Nazis didn't get along all that well with German Nazis,perhaps due to a difference in temperament? Also I can tell you that here in the U.S. it's impossible to find any English translations of NSB books or pamphlets. Why? Did the Allies burn all such material as they did in Germany and Italy, as part of a "DeNazification" program? Or do these items exist in Holland?......Also I'd like to see you do a vid on the Dutch East Indies back in the 1930s. A little-known and little-covered topic!
Thanks for your reply. The fact that 3/4 supported the NSB is simply not true. More about the pre-war NSB years here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2RUPJ0Gju_s.html Funny you mention the Jeugdstorm, I did record a video about that today. Can't tell when it will be released. More on the Dutch East Indies here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AqHcyAj-Mz0.html
Geweldige video. Van wat ik in geschiedenis klas hoorde was dat op 4 mei 1945 burgers op de Damrak hun aankomende vrijheid vierde. In een ironische twist eindigde het met het einde van hun leven toen de bezetters hun neerknalde.
Interresting topic Stefan, I think its definitely worth exploring some of these topics, such as the dutch police who helped pick up Jews, or the more than 25000 Dutchmen in the Waffen ss.
Thank you. As for the Dutch Waffen SS I am reading a book about this topic now. I find it very fascinating. Expert a video somewhere in June about this topic.
@@HistoryHustle Well after the war everybody said that they were against the Germans. but this not true at all. the uncle of my wife (canadian) was a Belgian and he enrolled in the SS corps in Bruxelles. He died in Stalingrad..
Slag om de schelde had er wel in gemogen, ook vind ik dat je filmpjes wel langer mogen duren. Wat mij betreft lul je ze een uur vol, je kan lang de interesse behouden bij jou manier van uitleg👍
@HistoryHustle I believe my Dutch grandfather told my mother that the pronouncation of Scheveningen was used as a means to identify Germans trying to infiltrate the Dutch resistance. Have you heard of this? Love the Channel btw.
My grandfather told me stories about how he traded his milk and butter with the sour Krauts (German nazis) as he called them for bread. He kept a family safe in his home at this time and was very proud of his efforts in the war. He said that all life is important and that even though he couldn't physically fight he could protect and be of service to a fellow person. Love you Opa rip ❤
My mother just corrected me, my whole family helped 7 families. They were a part of the resistance named "the good stoke" I am now with the knowledge of this only more proud of my heritage!!
@@HistoryHustle we have a proud history, we played smart so our actions aren't as recognised as others. Thank you for making this video to highlight what we actually did to help within the war effort against the nazis.
There are so many unsung heroes throughout history. Today, everything is called a hero and has diluted the meaning of that word. In your family's history the word hero doesn't even come close to describing the bravery and integrity and fortitude it takes not only to know what is right but to act on it. And there were so many of these people, these families, that did this on a daily basis. It is to look upon the night sky and see your family as one of the points of light with each light being others who performed these selfless acts. They risked more than their lives and did it without hesitation. How your story here could move me in this manner is nothing short of a miracle.
@@HistoryHustle Copyright free? I thought you can use any historical photo that can be found on internet. Alot of photos of Dutch Waffen SS volunteers can be found here: www.mourningtheancient.com/truth50zz.htm
My grandfather was taken prisoner by the Germans early in the invation. He spent the duration of the war in a German labour camp. When he was liberated by the British and sent home he was almost a skeleton with no teeth. He would never talk about his experience in Germany but lived to the age of 82. 12:05
My grandfather was a soldier there for the liberation of France, Belgium and Holland in 1944-1945. He was shot by the Nazis in Holland in the last weeks of the war.
Thank God for The English Channel and The Royal Navy! My friend's grandfather was Dutch and he flew in the RAF, where he met her grandmother. He was more traumatised by what he found when he went back home, after the war, than by the war itself.
Very nice video, History Hustle. Maybe it would be great to do a video about the Dutch who continued to fight on, like te Prinses Irene Brigade, the (Dutch) RAF squadron 322, the Dutch submarines and also the Dutch who volunteered for Germany and fought around Riga and defended Berlin in the last weeks of WWII.
thank you for letting us know what happened during the occupation. it will be a great video to talk about the dutch who fought under the british in WWII.
You're welcome. For Potsdam I cannot tell. In the Netherlands dam means dam as in English. It refers to holding back the water. Lot of these territories used to be under water.
My father told me of the war in Holland, he was a boy during it. My grandfather was sent to prison for breaking the curfew on the Queens birthday, he was marched at bayonet to the jail and stabbed 28 times. I saw his blood stained overcoat when I visited family there. Opa was released after 5 months. So many awful stories of this time from my father, aunts, uncles and grandmother. Thank you for this history lesson.
My father and mother survived ww2 in Holland. Neither liked to talk about the war years. My father was 20 yrs old when Holland was invaded and I gather he was one of those 400,000 Dutch people that were deported to German work camps. He always referred to the camps as concentration camps. At the same time my mother went into hiding as there was a question regarding her ethnicity. She was only 5 yrs old. Great video, interesting information.
Myn pake wei fan Frjentsjer in Fryslân. My grandfather ran away from a work camp and was in hiding during the war. He dressed as one of his sisters to travel and visit mem. He was nearly caught on many occasions. I would love to know more about Fryslân during occupation. Tank!
As an ex British soldier with a thirst for local military history, now living in the Nederlands, i found this very informative as a generalised video. Well done. My specific interests are the liberation by the Canadians of the Soesterberg/Baarn/Amersfoort area.
My Grandfather, Johannes Klein-Gunnewiek was an active member of the Dutch resistance. He later immigrated to Australia. He never talked about the war until apparently just before his death. He ended up taking his own life. I remember he had a bunch of medals too, but honestly I just don’t know much about him or what he did.
Not far from England, the Dutch language is not as far from English as German. We understand Dutch speech more than German in England. I found it easier to be understood than say Belgium.
My grandmother (recently passed at 90 years of age) was from Rotterdam and taken away to the country side during the bombing of Rotterdam when she was just 7 years old . She always made sure we had enough to eat. Her sister worked in the underground. I’d love to visit one day to honor her
Thank you for this video, I learnt a lot! Did you know Holywood actress Audrey Hepburn actively participated to the Dutch resistance and escaped Nazis who wanted to take her (probably to deport her)? Her story is just one among many other, but it's worth checking out!
Great stuff History Hustler. Any chance of enlightening us about the "Venlo Incident" just prior to the start of the war. Cheers from locked down in New Zealand.
My grandparents were railroad slaves in Indonesia during the Dutch occupation. He returned to his village in Ciamis to get married. When World War II began, the Japanese replaced the Dutch as the occupying force. Afterward, he joined the Indonesian guerrilla forces. I can still see his uniform, helmet, and even his M95 rifle hanging on his wall.
Great video. I enjoyed 'the black book' movie. I have visited Amsterdam several times and many parts of the Netherlands. I used to be based in Germany in the 80s and early 90s. I was fascinated by the history, Anne Frank house being one part of course. An interesting topic would be resistance operations and the starvation of parts of the country post Market Garden. More detail on Market Garden would also be good. The Dutch fascists are an interesting topic and the units called to fight on the Russian front. I look forward to your next video. (Did you ever see the BBC drama Tenko? Well worth wathing).
@@HistoryHustle I do thanks, for your effort! You have a very good manner, yours students must enjoy your lessons. Stay safe at this difficult time! Tenko, great programme, the nun and Mrs Van Meyer, tremendous characters!
Both my parents and grandparents lived through the war. I was told that my Opa on my father's side transported potatoes from Belgium to Den Hague and was shot at by both the Allies and the Luftwaffe. This is hard to verify as I only saw him and my Oma once in Australia. My Opa and Oma on my mother's side came out to Australia with my parents. There was a cloud over their history in the war. They did go back to live in the Netherlands but returned quickly to Australia. My father said that the people from their hometown rejected them. i surmise that my Opa, being a welder was one of those who either willingly or forcefully sent to work in German factories. My father did mention the famine and if there was meat in their dinner he would ask what it was. My Oma euphemistically said that it was roof rabbit. I'll let you figure out what that meant.
My mother was born in 1930, so she was 10 when the war broke out...She lived then in The Hague and saw the fire when Rotterdam was bombed! During the hunger winter of 1944 my mother and 3 sisters went to get food from the farmers, when they walked 180 km coming back, they saw German soldiers stopping people and taking their food from them. Al of a sudden a truck stopped near my mother and sisters (they were 14,12 and 10 years old ) and a young German soldier told my mother to climb in the back of the truck with her sisters but were stopped on the Hoornbridge by those soldiers and they went into the truck and using their bayonets to see if there were was anything there! Luckily my mother and her 2 sisters wasn't discovered and that 18 year old soldier delivered my mother to my grandmother, he was the saviour of my mothers family and he told my grandmother that he didn't wanted to be there but was forced, so not all Germans were Nazi's!
Thanks for sharing this. In case you haven't seen my video on the Dutch perspective on WW2, a more close look, please check: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qkPhsNfVyhM.html
Ik doe het even in het Nederlands. Toen ik in de jaren 90 op school geschiedenis kreeg, gingen alle geschiedenislessen vanaf klas 2 over de tweede wereldoorlog. Toen ik van de leraar vernam dat het in de examenklas ook alleen daarover ging heb ik het vak laten vallen. Ik vond geschiedenis altijd heel interessant en dat is nog steeds zo. Ik denk dat ik na 2 jaar, het elke week een paar keer over de tweede wereldoorlog hebben wel genoeg vond. Inmiddels veel bijgeleerd over de tweede wereldoorlog en (om antwoord te geven op de vraag wat ik mis in de video) ben me af gaan vragen waarom sommige dingen niet verteld worden. Zoals de Engelse blokkade die de echte oorzaak was van de Hongerwinter. Over zee kregen de bezette gebieden geen voedsel meer binnen. Het is dan een beetje flauw om alleen de treinstaking te noemen. Maar Engeland is gastheer geweest voor onze gevluchte koningin dus die moeten we maar niet in een al te kwaad daglicht zetten. Dat zal de gedachte wel geweest zijn van de mensen die dat stuk Nederlandse geschiedenis hebben geschreven. Ik weet dat je in twaalf minuten niet alles kan vertellen maar wanneer we het over de Hongerwinter hebben hoor je er niemand over. Ik vindt het belangrijk om zoiets tot je door te laten dringen, hoe verschrikkelijk lelijk en onmenselijk oorlog kan zijn. Dat de geallieerden, bereid waren om vriend en vijand te verhongeren om de oorlog te winnen. Niet dat de Duitsers veel beter waren maar dat terzijde.
Bedankt voor je uitgebreide reactie. Over het geschiedenisonderwijs vandaag de dag kan ik zeggen dat het op mijn school (alsmede in het examenprogramma) een minder prominente plek in neemt. Ik zelf vind dat jammer omdat ik het een razend interessant onderwerp vind, maar dat terzijde. Dat over de Hongerwinter zal ik moeten nazoeken. Nogmaals dank voor je bericht. Inmiddels heb ik ook andere video's gemaakt over WO2 in Nederland. Wellicht zit daar wat interessants voor je. Zo spreek ik over Nederlandse vrijwilligers voor de Waffen SS.
@@HistoryHustle Dank je wel, ik heb dit kanaal net ontdekt en heb nog wat video's te gaan. Maar de waffen SS, in de Leeuwarder Courant stond vorig jaar een stukje over twee vrienden die samen de marechaussee opleiding hadden gedaan. Een van deze mannen werd later de rechterhand van de grote verzetsleider in Friesland. Die andere kerel zag een groot gevaar in het communisme en is gaan vechten bij de waffen SS aan het oostfront. Hij raakte gewond en wou naar huis, dat kon zo maar niet hij moest door vechten en sneuvelde daar uiteindelijk. Over de Hongerwinter, in een andere video op dit kanaal krijgt Seys Inquart de verantwoordelijkheid daarvoor in de schoenen geschoven. Dat hij de import van voedsel verbied als straf voor de treinstaking ten tijde van Market Garden. Misschien is het waar maar historisch gezien is het uithongeren van de vijand tijdens een beleg zeer gebruikelijk en een strategie zo oud als de wereld. De Hongerwinter was ook niet typisch Nederlands, in Duitsland werd ook honger geleden, niet alleen in de concentratiekampen. Aan het eind van de oorlog leed ook heel Japan honger. Oorlog en honger gaan vaak hand in hand. Ik kom er net achter dat ik me met de eerste wereld oorlog vergis, Churchill beval toen een blokkade op zee om de Duitse marine uit de havens te lokken.
Wederom dank voor de tijd die je neemt om zo'n uitgebreide reactie te schrijven. Over honger tijdens WOII. Opmerkingelijk was de voedselvoorziening in Duitsland tot het einde van de oorlog nog redelijk geregeld waardoor er minder honger werd geleden dan tijdens WOI of de jaren na 1945.
I've been binge-watching these videos. Fascinating and as a Dutchman I still learn things from them. I was reminded of a couple of random aspects: - It's funny that the NSB were never really given power or had their political demands (like a Greater Netherlands) realised. The Germans occupied us harshly but even they never did something as cruel as letting those clowns lord it over us. The NSB were tolerated and allowed to collaborate, that's about it. - The Dutch communists' stance towards the occupation was at first borderline cooperative, e.g. their (Jewish!) leader wrote articles along the lines that the German successes in 1940 were a setback for the "imperialists" UK and France. He also called on the people to behave "correctly" towards the occupiers. In fairness this was during the early, naïve phase of the occupation and the CPN still followed the line of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. They were nevertheless banned by the German occupiers and forced underground, where they (on orders of the Comintern, who were less naïve) offered a brave resistance even before the M-R Pact was broken by Operation Barbarossa, including their role in the February Strike of 1941. Unfortunately in the Cold War this history became an issue of contention between the communists and anti-communists. Commemorations were banned or co-opted, and the commies in turn adopted their own narrative where they were the only ones who did anything. There is also in their circles the persistent theory that Hannie Schaft and others were betrayed "from London". Which could be true given the scumbag nature of Bernhard and co., but there is no proof. Also in 1950s-era purges within the CPN, the memory of the war was used by the party leader Paul de Groot who accused resistance heroes of the party who opposed him of having been secret collaborators and traitors. A lot of this stuff is forgotten as communism is irrelevant in NL now, but it's fascinating how things worked in such a highly radicalised and isolated party during the Cold War. The biography of Paul de Groot by J.W. Stutje is a fascinating book although the author is a former Trotskyite so he may have a bit of a bone to pick as well. Anyways, nowadays the memory is a bit more balanced and the role of the communists in the resistance is recognised a little bit more, which seems fair. They deserve recognition at least as much as anyone else.
Your video is very interesting. I would be interested in learning more about Kamp Amersfoort as my uncle is one of the last living survivors today. He said a German officer named Josef Kotilla ( I may have spelled it wrong) beat him every day.
Alweer een supper interessante video! Zou u misschien wat meer kunnen vertellen hoe de oorlog verliep in het bovenste deel van Nederland (groningen Friesland) hier is heel weinig over te vinden? Ga zo door!!
Dank Harmen. Friesland in WO2 weet ik niet zo heel veel van. Tijdens de Duitse inval werd er gestreden bij de Wons-"stelling", alsmede op de Afsluitdijk (is dat nog Friesland?). Tijdens de bevrijding was de laatste slag die in Groningen (en Texel natuurlijk). Een citaat die ik laatst las was: 'Friesland bevrijdde zichzelf'.
Thank you for your video. We bought our home from an Ditch coupe. The Mrs will talk a little more about home. I asked if they remeber the times of war. That was the wrong question and I have never asked about it since. They are very sweet people. I so lucky and glad that they are our friend.
I see. This topic will be more explored in the future. Here is a playlist with what's already available: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_IIsY664tE4.html
A great movie. I have a question, I'm interested in how much Amsterdam Oud-West was destroyed. Are there photos somewhere? Information? Which streets were destroyed and which were not.
Dude: the Dutch monarchy was living in Ottawa, Canada ( not England) during the war. Princess Margriet was born in an Ottawa hospital. The Canadian government passed an Act of Parliament declaring that hospital as Dutch territory, so that she could be born on Dutch soil. They lived there till the occupation was over. This is one of the reasons Canada and the Netherlands has such a strong bond. Edit: typos Proudly 🇨🇦! Stay safe, stay sane, be well
Dude: You made one mistake. The hospital wing was not made Dutch territory. The Canadian Gov’t didn’t have to go to that extreme. They de-nationalized it instead making nobody’s territory. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-O612zh12NE4.html
The germans didn't really have a quarrel with Holland, but the reason they invaded the country in 1940 was probably because that way they would gain a better position to flank France, which was their real enemy because France had declared war on Germany seven months earlier. So I guess it was just bad luck for the Dutch.
My grandfather was a farmers son living near the German border, the Nazi's took all their harvest and whatnot and my Opa collected a lot of things from the planes that were shot down near him. My Oma had to navigate fighting on the streets in order to get food
Tragic reality of wars historical effect. Scaring not only the land but the lives that endured the horrible experience. My Father now past, was in the 82nd AB 🇺🇸 during the Day of Days. Including Korean War. 6 of his 8 brothers serve as well. One would be KIA in combat During WWII in European Theater. I just shake my head to the climate of current events around the world. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. 🇺🇸 My Best Always
My great grandmother lived in the netherlands during the invasion the germans would pillage all of the farms in the area after the netherlands was liberated she always would feed my family more food than they needed because her communty would always be starving.
