Persons from Dutch WW II History: Jan van Hoof

Jan Jozef Lambert van Hoof (Nijmegen, 7 augustus 1922 - Nijmegen, 19 september 1944)

Jan van Hoof was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II.
Before the Second World War Van Hoof was a member of the scout movement (Scouting) and attended the World Jamboree in 1937 at Vogelenzang. When in 1940 the German occupying forces occupied Nijmegen, he studied at the University of Nijmegen and he ended up in the student resistance. During the war he remained a member of the scout movement, even when it became illegal after April 2 1941. After the Second World War the Cross of Honour of the 'Dutch Council Boy Scouts' was renamed in the Jan van Hoof-cross.

Jan van Hoof during Operation Market Garden
As a member of the Secret Service Netherlands Jan van Hoof collected for months information on the attached explosives to the Waal bridge and the bridge at Nijmegen. Although there is no hard evidence, but it is believed that Van Hoof on September 18 1944 made ​​the explosives harmless that were attached to the Waal Bridge ​​by the Germans. According to a report, released in 1951 by a committee appointed by the Ministry of War, was a part of the explosives still intact when the British occupied the bridge. Nevertheless they gave Van Hoof the benefit of the doubt, because the Germans actually had explosives repaired after the sabotage, however in the opinion of this committee, he may not be considered as the saviour of the bridge. The commission also suspected that the Germans did not want to destroy the bridge, because they needed it for a possible counter-offensive.
The two main conclusions from the report dated 21 November 1951 are the following:
"7. The Commission on the basis of by its determined facts, and the logical reconstruction of the possible operations of Jan van Hoof is convinced, that Jan van Hoof with on probability bordering certainty has committed the sabotage of the explosives of the bridge and that such for a distinction as certainty should be reflected."(p. 22)
and
"8. The Germans, however, have noticed the sabotage and van Hoof's possible act was not followed by penetrating actions towards the bridge by the initially on 18 September for this operation deployed American paratrooper companies. Therefore, the Germans had the opportunity to reassure the bridge back for detonation. Finally on the basis of the relevant orders given at the decisive moment they not proceeded with the destruction of the bridge. Therefore, Jan van Hoof can not be regarded as "the saviour" of the bridge.
However to him comes imperishable honour for what he did to preserve the bridge as an act of great courage, and loyalty performed with the commitment of his life."(pp. 22-23)

On September 19, at Sionshof hotel near the Heilig Landstichting (Holy Land Foundation), Van Hoof gave some drawings to the allied forces from German reinforcements around the Waal bridge. The hotel served as a rallying point for Allied soldiers and war correspondents. That same afternoon he left from hotel Sionshof to guide a reconnaissance vehicle of the Royal Engineers through Nijmegen city. On the Nieuwe Markt (New Market), near the railway bridge, the Humber scoutcar containing Lance-Sergeant WT Berry (30 years) and Guardsman A. Shaw (23 years) came under fire of the Germans and caught fire. Jan van Hoof was thrown of the car.

Wreckage of the reconnaissance vehicle

He survived the incident, but he was immediately arrested, tortured and put to death on the spot. The commemorative tile with the inscription "HIER VIEL JAN VAN HOOF REDDER DER WAALBRUG 19-9-1944" ("Here fell Jan van Hoof saviour of the Waalbrug 19/09/1944") that was applied in 1945 in the pavement of the long corner Hezelstraat Nieuwe Markt, can now be found on the Joris Ivens plein.

Posthumous awards.
Jan van Hoof is posthumously distinguished by the United States of America with the Medal of Freedom with Bronze Palm (november 1945) by the Netherlands with the Dutch Knights Cross 4th Class of the Militaire Willems-Orde (9 November 1946) and by Great Britain with the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct with Silver Laurel (November 1947).

Tomb
Initially, Van Hoof, Berry and Shaw were buried at the edge of the Kronenburgerpark. Only a few days later they were exhumed and identified. On August 4, 1945 Jan van Hoof was transported from the Rustoord Cemetery to the Daalseweg Cemetery where a monument still can be found. In 1971 he was reburied at the plot of the General Cemetery Vredehof in Nijmegen by the Road through Jonkerbos. On his tombstone stood until September 2009 as the date of death 22 September 1944. Lance-Sergeant WT Berry and Guardsman A. Shaw are about 500 meters buried away from Jan van Hoof at the Military Cemetery Jonkerbos War Cemetery by the Burgemeester Daleslaan.

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Persons from Dutch WW II History: Hannie Schaft, The Girl with the Red Hair

Jannetje Johanna (Hannie) Schaft; Haarlem, 16 September 1920 - Bloemendaal , 17 April 1945

Hannie Schaft was a Dutch Communist and resistantance fighter during World War II.
She was born as the daughter of Peter Schaft, a teacher who felt strongly related to the SDAP (Social Democratic Labour Party), and Talea Aafje Freer who was a Baptist.
She attended High school and in 1938 she started to study rights at the Municipal University of Amsterdam. Here she became befriended with her Jewish fellow students Philine Polak and Sonja Frenk, who both later during the war went into hiding at Hannie's parents home. Because of this she felt, when the war began, personally touched by the persecution of the Jews.

As a student after she had refused to sign the declaration of loyalty*, she went back to her parents. She took an increasingly active part in the resistance and helped with hiding stolen ration cards and identity cards. Her pseudonym became Hannie and her nickname was the girl with the red hair. Eventually she joined the Council of Resistance (RVV), an organization that, by its close links with the CPN (Communist Party Netherlands), who were greatly distrusted by other resistance movements. Along with Freddie and Hilda Oversteegen she committed several attacks on Germans, collaborators and traitors.
*The declaration of loyalty was a declaration that students had to sign in 1943. In that statement they had to promise that they would "refrain from any action directed against the German Reich”. The statement was introduced by the Germans on 13 March 1943, the students had until April 10 the time to sign the declaration. Those who did not sign, could no longer follow any college.

On June 8, 1944 she with resistance fighter Jan Bonekamp committed, at Heemstede, an attack on the NSB (National Socialist Movement) member and confectioner Peter Faber. He died six days later. Schaft and Bonekamp then committed on June 21, 1944 an attack on W.M. Ragut . Here Bonekamp became mortally wounded, which made Hannie Schaft to decide to went into hiding. On September 5, 1944 ( Dolle Dinsdag / Mad Tuesday ) an attack of Hannie Schaft and Jan Heusdens on policeman Willemsen failed. Hannie Schaft and Hilda Oversteegen had planned to liquidate Fake Krist on October 25, 1944, but other Haarlem resistance fighters killed him before they could execute their plan.

On March 1, 1945 NSB policeman William Zirkzee was shot by Hannie Schaft and Hilda Oversteegen. This took place near Krelagehuis at the Leidsevaart in Haarlem. On March 15 Hannie Schaft and Hilda Oversteegen committed an attack on Ko Langendijk . This was the barber from Ijmuiden who started to work for the Sicherheitsdienst. A previous attempt on him in January by Bonekamp had failed.

Hannie was hated by the Germans, because at the end of the war she commited many, in their eyes, senseless attacks. She was, on 21 March 1945, arrested at a roadblock at the Jan Gijzenkade near the Mauermuur (Haarlem) when she was carrieing underground papers and a weapon. At the police station of Haarlem the Germans discovered with whom they were doing. It was Emil Rühl who brought Hannie Schaft from Haarlem to the House of Detention on Amstelveenseweg in Amsterdam.

Although at the end of the war, an agreement existed between the occupiers and Interior Forces (BS) to kill no women, Hannie, three weeks before the end of the war (on April 17, 1945), commissioned by Willy Lages, was shot in the dunes of Bloemendaal. Here she, after a glancing shot, coolly would have said: "I shoot better", which made member of the SD Maarten Kuiper to empty his machine gun at her.

On 27 November 1945, her remains were reburied with military honors at the Honour cemetery Bloemendaal at Overveen . Queen Wilhelmina, Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard were also present. For her fight against the Nazis Hannie was in 1946 posthumous honoured with the “Resistance Cross 1940 - 1945” and the “Medal of Freedom”, an American special award.

Because Hannie Schaft could serve as a political symbol of communist resistance for the Dutch Communists, which many did not like, her name lost much of its luster during the Cold War. In 1951 the government even went so far to deploy police and army - including four armored vehicles - to make the anniversary of her death impossible. Much later, when the communist hate had died down Princess Juliana unveiled on 3 mei 1982 a bronze statue, made by Truus Menger-Oversteegen, in the Kenaupark in Haarlem.

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Photo: Noord-Hollands Archief

Persons from Dutch WW II History: Reichskommissar of the Netherlands Seyss-Inquart

Arthur Seyss-Inquart, born as Artur Zajtich, were an Austrian lawyer and Nazi politician. He initially belonged to the moderate wing of the Austrian nazi's, later he would turn out to be a hard-liner in the occupied Netherlands. Seyss-Inquart was one of the 22 war criminals who were on trial during the Neurenberg process. On 1 October 1946 he was declared guilty on 3 of the 4 charges. Two weeks later he was brought to death.
 

Reichskommisar Seyss-Inquart 07/22/1892-10/16/1946

Seyss-Inquart started his political career in 1934 when he became a cooperating member of the Cabinet of Engelbert Dollfus.
In 1938 under tremendous pressure and the threat of German dictator Adolf Hitler, he was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs in the Austrian cabinet of Kurt Schuschnigg.
That same year he played a major role in the connection (called Anschluss) of Austria by Germany (so-called Greater German solution).
Under pressure and threat on the part of the National Socialist German Reich Government President Wilhelm Miklas of Austria appointed him, mid-March 1938, Chancellor, which made it easy for the German to occupy the country without any military resistance. Seyss-Inquart was only a few days chancellor. Hitler appointed him very shortly afterwards governor of the annexed Austria (Ostmark) which he remained until the end of April 1939.
On May 1, 1939, the Austrian Government ceased to exist. On the same date, Seyss-Inquart became Reich Minister without Portfolio, a position he formally held until the end of the war in 1945. Later in 1939, after the invasion of Poland, he also became the deputy of Governor-General Hans Frank of the occupied Polish territories.

In 1940 he became Reichskommissar (official "Reichskommissar für die besetzten niederländischen Gebiete") of the German-occupied Netherlands and in the Ridderzaal he was officially inaugurated by the German Wehrmacht generals and Dutch and German officials. This move from Vienna to The Hague was also seen by many as a degradation; Seyss was within the Nazi Party known as too moderate to resolve the "Jewish problem" in Vienna.
In the Netherlands Seyss-Inquart soon got a nickname: Zes en een kwart (Six-and-a-quarter) this was because he limped.
At first he tried gently to win the Dutch for the National Socialism, this included public appearances, strict standards for German soldiers and the establishment of German-Dutch friendship initiatives. But after the February Strike in 1941 the German oppression was also by Seyss-Inquart, who was put under great pressure by the SS, greatly increased.

When the war was almost lost, he became harder and more fanatically against the Dutch underground resistance. Several times, however, he tried hard to postpone or forbid revenge action by the SS, but because of Himmler's influence this became more and more difficult.

He was responsible for the deportation of over one hundred thousand Jews to concentration camps and extermination camps. Although he knew about the persecution of Jews and labor camps (including Westerbork), he claimed at the Process of Neurenberg that if it was brought to his attention of the existence of actual extermination camps in Eastern Europe, he would have done everything to stop these deportations. To Himmler, he, and that's a fact, several times tried to stop the persecution of Jews, arguing that during the war this would only led to unnecessary unrest, in both material production and among the rest of the "Aryan" population. He did not actually opposed to his superiors, presumably because of career and love of practical impossibility without deposition results.

In the last days of the war, Seyss-Inquart was personally involved in the negotiations with the Allies on food drops in the major cities of western Netherlands. During a meeting on April 30, 1945 in Achterveld Seyss-Inquart refused to surrender. This while he knew the war was lost. This refusal led to irritation at the American General Walter Bedell Smith, he said to Seyss-Inquart "Well, in any case, you are going to be shot" to which the Reichskommissar replied "That leaves me cold." General Smith then retorted "It will."

When the war was lost, Seyss-Inquart went from Flensburg, where he had a consult with the German government under Admiral Doenitz, with a submarine back to the just still "occupied" Netherlands, where he was arrested on May 8 by the Canadian navy and was held for weeks in a special prison in the city Delden Twente, near the castle Twickel where he had a country house.

In 1946 during the process of Neurenberg he was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity (Jews Deportations, executions of condemned resistance fighters, allowing retaliation against 'anti-German' prominent Dutch). In the shortly before his death written letters to his father-confessor (Bruno Spitzl) the later reconverted Catholic Seyss-Inquart laid here more or less an admission of guilt, especially about his performance against Dutch civilians and allowing the Jewish Deportations to Eastern Europe.
On October 16, 1946 in Neurenberg he was hanged. His last words were: "I hope that this execution will be the last act of the tragedy of the Second World War, and that the lesson learned from this war, may be that peace and understanding between people must exist. I believe in Germany. "

His ashes were scattered in the river Isar to prevent that his grave would become a gathering place for former National Socialists.

Before his trial, just as with the other arrested Nazis, they did an IQ test. Seyss-Inquart scored 141, which, after Hjalmar Schacht, Minister of Economy of Nazi Germany, was the highest score.

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Persons from Dutch WW II History: Queen Wilhelmina

Queen Wilhelmina 31 August 1880 - 28 November 1962

Wilhelmina was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until 1948. Her mother, queen Emma, was regent until Wilhelmina reached the age of 18 1n 1898.

On May 10 1940 when Germany invaded the Netherlands Juliana (Wilhelmina's daughter) with her kids fled to Britain this to secure the dynasty.
On May 13 1940 General H.G. Winkelman went to the Queen to tell her that the Grebbeline had fallen: Majesty even The Hague is no longer safe. An enemy tank column has reached Rotterdam.
Winkelman advised the Queen to get aboard of the British destroyer "HMS Hereward" to leave for Zeeland. Her initial plan would have been to get aboard the British destroyer, to set sail from The Hague to Zeeland and fight there with her troops until help would came from the Allies. But because the Germans invaded more and more land inwards and because of the bombing of Rotterdam, which made General Winkelman decided to capitulate, the destroyer was commanded by the English command to set sail for England. This way they were sure that, with the big Dutch colony of the Dutch East Indies in mind, the Netherlands stayed at the allied side.

In London she was in charge of the Dutch government in Exile. She also sent radio messages to her people through Radio Orange. She did not mince words. She named Adolf Hitler the 'arch-enemy of mankind'. In her speeches she also expressed her disapproval against the persecution of the Jews that were going on in the Netherlands at the time. And she called up to resist against the occupiers. Even the illegal press distributed her speeches. Her speeches had an important psychological effect on the Dutch people. Despite that it was illegal to listen to Radio Orange and the sentence that the Germans had put on it, many people did listen the Radio Orange.
This led to the confiscation of her Dutch assets by the State Auditor Seyss-Inquart on September 16, 1941. Also it became forbidden to publish pictures of her and other members of the royal family.

Taken from the publication of the forfeiture is the following:
Wilhelmina van Oranje-Nassau houdt, zonder iets geleerd te hebben uit de loop der gebeurtenissen halsstarrig vast aan het bolsjevistische-kapitalische front en plaatst zich hiermee buiten de gemeenschap van het nieuwe Europa. Zij richt tot het staatshoofd en de weermacht van het Groot-Duitsche Rijk verbazingwekkende scheldwoorden. Zij spoort uit de verte de Nederlanders aan op onverantwoordelijke wijze aan tot het plegen van geweld tegen de bezettende macht, welke slechts de hardste represailles ten gevolge kan hebben.

My own free translation:
Wilhelmina of Oranje-Nassau obstinately clings on, without having learned anything from the course of events, to the Bolshevik-capitalistic front, and thus places herself outside the communion of the new Europe. She directed towards the Head of State and the armed forces of the Great German Empire astonishing invectives.She encourages, on a irresponsible way from a distance, the Dutch on to commit violence against the occupying power, which only leads to the hardest reprisals.

Because of this Wilhelmina became the symbol of the resistance in the Netherlands. By placing a picture of her in their underground papers they showed for what they stood.

Wilhelmina during a speech for Radio Orange

During the last year of the occupation the number of listeners to Radio Orange only increased and the colour Orange became the symbol of liberation.

On March 13 1945 Wilhelmina paid a visit to the liberated south of the Netherlands. In May, she moved permanently back to the Netherlands.
After World War II, in sympathy with the Dutch people, Wilhelmina temporarily (September 1945 - April 1946)  lived in an ordinary residential house in the Nieuwe Parklaan in The Hague. Furthermore, she took personal visits throughout the country, sometimes by bike.

In 1948 she step down from her throne in favour of her daughter Juliana.
On November 28 1962 Wilhelmina died, 82 years old.


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