Hannah Byron's Blog, page 5

The Partisan Fighter

Exciting News: the first two chapters of The Partisan Fighter are available!

I've got some thrilling news to share with you. I'm diving back into the world of De Dragoncourts from In Picardy’s Fields with my latest project, The Partisan Fighter. I'm so excited about writing Daphne’s story. Daphne is the 18-year-old daughter of Count Jacques de Dragoncourt. Do you remember the young manager of the WW1 hospital, who was so in love with surgeon Agnès? Alas, Agnès married her colleague Alan Bell instead. So, find out who Jacques married and what his daughter Daphne is like!

I'm giving you the chance to read the first two — still unedited chapters right away — completely free!

 

Flag of the Free France (1940-1944)

 

Simone Segouin during the liberation of Paris on 29 August 1944

 

What’s The Partisan Fighter About?
The Partisan Fighter takes us back to World War II, a time of bravery and tumultuous change in the French countryside. The story is loosely based on Simone Segouin’s story and the fight of the Partisans. This motley group of Resistance fighters was allied to the British SOE organization, which is now my main body of work, but The Partisan Fighter is a story purely about the French Resistance.

Based as always on actual facts, our protagonist, Daphne, a young couturier turned fighter, navigates the chaos of occupied territory. Her journey is filled with danger, sacrifice, and resilience, and I can't wait for you to join her on this thrilling ride.

Why Historical Fiction?
Historical fiction has a unique charm—it's like a time machine that lets us step into the shoes of people from the past. It's a chance to experience their world and understand the challenges they faced. The Partisan Fighter is my way of bringing history to life, creating characters you'll care about, and spinning a tale that'll have you hooked from the start.

Read the First Two Chapters
To give you a taste of what's in store, I'm sharing the first two chapters of The Partisan Fighter for free. Just head over to the downloadpage here to start reading. I hope these initial pages will grab your attention and leave you hungry for more of Daphne’s journey, which will be available in December. Exclusive for my newsletter subscribers! So it won’t be for sale.

Stay in the Loop
I'm super excited to share this novella with you, and I can't wait to hear what you think. Your support keeps me going and inspires me to keep telling stories.

To stay in the know about The Partisan Fighter and get updates on new chapters, subscribe to my newsletter or join my Reader group on Facebook.

Thanks for joining me on this historical adventure, and I can't wait to explore The Partisan Fighter with you.

Happy reading!

 

Cast off your jewels, your blue-blood, your privileges. Fight for freedom only.  

Picardy, France, May 1940

Daphne de Dragoncourt simply knows she's the new French couture designer on the firmament. With her taste for risqué combinations and bold patterns, she's anything but the sophistication of black-and-white Chanel.

Inspired by the rainbow colors of her pet macaw, Liberté, Daphne can't wait to exchange her coveted countryside life in Picardy for her own atelier in Paris. Away from her depressed, alcoholic father, the 10th Count De Dragoncourt, and his complicated marriage to her Italian-Principessa mother, Marielle de Ibrio.  

But Hitler's invasion of Northern France crushes all Daphne's dreams of a career in beauty and style. When her family's Château is overrun by German boots, and her beloved macaw escapes, she is forced to flee into the Picardy's fields.

Stranded and alone, she stumbles upon the wounded resistance fighter Paul Bâh, a Congolese-born merchant from Paris, with an avid taste for unruly warfare. Instead of a thread and needle, Paul presents the queen of patterns with a German-snatched MP 40 gun and teaches Daphne to wield it well. 

With Paul by her side, Daphne - code name Simone - and their motley cell of partisan fighters clash with the Nazis from Paris to Picardy. Until the Partisans are finally reinforced by the D-Day landings and, together with the Allies, terminate four years of German terror. 

The Partisan Fighter is the heroic metamorphosis of a capricious, starry-eyed teenager into a death-dealing resistance fighter. Buckling down in a camouflage outfit, the upper-class heiress is hell-bent on bringing Liberté back to country and castle.

Click here to read the first two chapters of The Partisan Fighter for free

Coding a Message like a WW2 Secret Agent

Just for fun, I’ll take you through the steps of how to encode a message with the use of double transposition in this blog. If you're subscribed to my newsletter, you probably already know about the coding puzzles I've been making. But this one is even more challenging.

 

A wireless operator working in the field

 

I will demonstrate how wireless operators from the British wartime intelligence agency, SOE, sent coded messages to London with the help of a poem code. Until 1942 this was the customary British way to code messages, but when the German counterintelligence cracked too many of these poems after agents were captured and interrogated, new code systems were invented.

When Leo Marks, the young master coder at the London SOE HQ, got growing suspicions the Germans had captured many of the Dutch SOE agents and communicated with London using their poems, he insisted the use of memorized poems – or even the Lord’s Prayer - was far too easy to crack. He invented other systems. More on that later. Until then, the agents operating in occupied northern Europe memorized a poem they liked. Agents in the Mediterranean often used parts of novels.

 

Agent Yvonne Cormeau (own photo SOE museum Beaulieu, England)

 

We will use Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, which is copyright free, so I can freely quote it on my blog.

Here’s our poem code:

 

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

 

When using the poem code, the message needed to be a minimum of 200 characters. It goes too far to explain why, so please just accept that fact. As the message was transmitted via Morse code, there was no punctuation.

The actual agents were encouraged to mix up English with, say French in France and Norwegian in Norway, but as coding is a difficult enough job as it is for us lay (wo)men, we’ll stick to English.

Here’s our fictive message:

latest drop successful stop need more crystals and thermal socks stop use new landing site north of river stop next moon period stop urgent pick up agent thomas urgently cover blown stop agent yves arrested in lyon stop plan to sabotage car parts factory next monday.

Now we need a key. Agents picked five words from their poem. Some chose long ones, other short ones or a mix. Let us choose these:

harness, woods, sleep, darkest, flake

Now we need to transcribe our words into a numeric code. We assign 1 to the first letter in the alphabet, then a 2 to the second, etcetera. In case more of the same letters appear in the words, give the letter to the left the first number and then add.

Start with the A’s:

Then fill in the rest:

Now put your message in a grid:

Onto the transposing process. Take your key and put it on top of the table containing the message:

The coded message will be written out in the following way. Start with the column under number 1 and write it down from top to bottom, which will read ARUSGTPY. Continue with column number 2 and progress in that order.

Our message would read as follows below. For readability, we divide the letters into groups of five. The agents also did this because a five-letter message was easier to manage during transmission. They needed to be ‘on -air’ as short as possible to prevent the Gestapo from picking up their signals.

ARUSG TPYUM NDYTR ESIKO NCSSD OSVBA FREOL SASRN PTAAX ETSEE RGSHIR NRETS TOVIR MOEPN TONKF IBYFL OPRAS ORSLR TODAD TVUWS TCDGP GAAES RCLOA ECEON PLEOA ATMTS NPLNM AYADS ETITE CTEST EOPNL AOSCE PTYEN TGNTD SWEHE TMUAI OUEOY CNNNR STOOH PENTP COPRL SRTLX ONOO

Think we’re done? Nope! Agents had to use double transposition, so they had to repeat the process. For that, they picked five different words from their poem and transposed the already transposed message once again. Experienced coders probably took the letters from the first grid and placed them directly into the second grid. I invite you to do this yourself! You may send me your attempt at hannah@hannahbyron.com

Use the words: snow, lovely, farmhouse, lake, miles

After the double transposition, the agent added an indicator so London HQ would know which words they had chosen. Now came the job of the wireless operator, who sent the coded message in Morse as fast as he or she could.

Wireless Transceiver No 3 Mk II, 1943

Overview of it’s parts

Apart from the fact the poem codes were easy to torture out of captured agents, Leo Marks found they led to too many ‘indecipherables’. Some agents were atrocious spellers, which botched their coding. In London, hundreds of decoders worked tirelessly to decrypt misspelled messages, preventing agents from having to resend them and face further danger. But it was an arduous job. Marks developed what he called WOKs, worked-out-keys. The WOKs were premade codes, giving the agents ready-made keys, printed on easy-to-hide silk scarves or handkerchiefs. The agent destroyed each set of keys after use, using a different key for every message.

The most important advantage was that the agent wouldn’t be able to remember the key he or she had used, so the Gestapo couldn’t torture it out of them. That differed from the poem codes. WOKs also saved the agents a lot of time, not having to make their own keys. As they were secure with only 100 characters (down from 200), the wireless operators stayed ‘on air’ for a shorter time. Plus, no more spelling errors in the keys. A WOK would have looked something like this:

18.9.11.4.20.10.21.22.3.6.13.1.17.23.14.7.19.8.12.15.5.16.2

in pairs, with an indicator group off to one side to let London HQ know which pair the agent was using.

I hope you enjoyed this lesson in coding.

 

Part of a WOK

 

From The Crystal Butterfly to The London Spymaker

Two months ago, I shared a video (link below) on YouTube, recounting the remarkable liberation of Amsterdam in May 1945. Little did I expect it would capture the hearts and minds of 54,000 viewers, many of whom were touched by the heroics of their Canadian relatives, who played a pivotal role in Holland's liberation. All these reactions from viewers ignited a spark in me, and made me think with even more fondness why I wrote my book on the Dutch Resistance, "The Crystal Butterfly." In the 7th book in The Resistance Girl Series, our heroine, Edda Van der Valk (then Edda Valkena), joins in the jubilation of Amsterdam's liberation.

The popularity of the old Dutch news reel also evoked a profound sense of gratitude in me towards the brave Canadians, Brits, Americans, Australians, and others who landed on Normandy's beaches on that historic day of June 6, 1944 to begin their relentless march northward. It spanned eleven grueling months and was marked by countless sacrifices before the European Continent was liberated from Hitler's Third Reich. How the SOE secret agents played a vital role in assisting the Allied forces with their sabotage actions will be at the core of my new series “Timeless Spies”, coming in 2024.

At an hour’s drive from where I live lies the Canadian War Cemetery at Groesbeek, Netherlands. Two weeks’ ago, on a sunny Sunday, I went on a field trip to honor these young heroes who gave their lives for our cherished freedom. Over 7,600 Canadian soldiers died for the liberation of Holland, and 2,331 of them found their eternal rest at Groesbeek. It stands as an immense Canadian Commonwealth Cemetery, with a minority of other nationalities interred alongside.

The original Canadian cemetery 1946

The Canadian cemetery 1947

My fascination with the Secret Operations Executive (SOE), as discussed in last week's blog, led me to discover that two of the five Canadian secret agents who were murdered in concentration camps while serving in the French section of SOE are commemorated on one pillar at this graveyard. That was my second motivation to pay a visit and pay tribute.

I also reached out to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and became a Foundation member, granting me the opportunity to contribute to their vital work. It puzzled me that the records showed that three agents were commemorated at Groesbeek - Pickersgill, Sabourin Biéler (correct spelling) -, whereas I could only find two names. (See photo left). The War Graves Commission told me that WW2 casualties with no known graves, like these five agents, may only be commemorated in one location. Where Biéler is commemorated elsewhere I’m still in the process of finding out. Considering that all 104 fallen agents of the French Section are commemorated on the Valencay Memorial in France (see last week’s post), the French memorial is not classified as a Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. A valuable lesson learnt.

Mind you, these men are heroes of the highest class. They fought alone!

The author at Groesbeek, left of me you can see the two agents’ names

The 5 Canadian SOE agents who died in concentration camps

I invite you to watch my visit to Groesbeek through the video linked below, and I'm excited to share that you have one more week to download and read for free the first chapters of "The London Spymaker," set to be released next March.

  

Video visit to Groesbeek Cemetery

  

Video liberation of Amsterdam

 

The link between The London Spymaker and SOE

As I’m writing the last book in The Resistance Girl Series (for now), I’m already transitioning to what I’m going to specialize in for probably the rest of my writing career. The secret agents of SOE, an abbreviation for the Secret Operations Executive. A name and organization as shrouded in mystery as its non-descript name.

 

Hannah at SOE plaque in Beaulieu

 

In book 7 in The Resistance Girl Series, titled The London Spymaker, I’m already deeply invested in SOE, the British organization Winston Churchill launched in July 1940 “to set Europe Ablaze” with irregular warfare and sabotage actions. Flight officer Anna Adams in The London Spymaker, though fictive, is based on Vera Atkins’ remarkable position at the London-based organization, as the second person behind Colonel Maurice Buckmaster, the head of SOE’s French section.

 

Vera Atkins

 

From 1941 till after D-Day in June 1944 some 400 Section F agents were dropped into France. 109 of them didn’t survive the arrests, torture, and murder by the Gestapo. Most of these heroic agents, who came from all walks of life, were killed in concentration camps. Of the 40 brave women, whom SOE started recruiting in 1942 as women could more easily blend in with the French population and were less likely to be stopped by the Germans, 13 did not survive their missions. 104 of these agents are commemorated on the Valencay Memorial in France, which I will certainly visit in person one day and tell you all about.

 

Valencay memorial for SOE French Section

 

With Anna’s story, we start at the end of the second World War as she flies to post-war Germany in search of her “missing agents.” In the chaos after the liberation, with hundreds of thousands of bewildered and traumatized holocaust survivors trying to find their way to safety, it was often unclear what had happened to political prisoners, especially these agents whom Hitler had branded the worst enemies of the Third Reich. They fell in the “Nacht und Nebel” category, people the Nazis didn’t want to leave any trace of where they’d gone (Night and Fog), so their families would never know what had happened to them.

   

Anna not only attends the opening of the Nuremburg trials in November 1945, she also interrogates arrested camp commanders from Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen to find out about the fate of “her girls”. The real Vera Atkins made it her life’s mission after the war to trace all the agents so she could tell their families what had happened to them.

To give you a taste of the history and research behind Anna’s story, you can read the rough draft of the first chapters of The London Spymaker here. The book is on preorder and will be available on 7 March 2024.

 

The London Spymaker sneak peek - click to download

 

Next week I will tell you about my visit to the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, where 2 of the 5 French-Canadian SOE male agents are commemorated. Though I intend to start my new series “Timeless Spies” (2024) with the female agents, in time I’d like to honour the brave men as well. What’s more, they usually worked together in teams.

In the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn

For my final blog for Book 6 in the Resistance Girl Series, The Crystal Butterfly, I spent a day in the footsteps of the famous 20th century actress Audrey Hepburn. During her life, little was known about her war years as a teenager in The Netherlands, but one of her more recent biographers, Robert Matzen, together with Audrey’s youngest son, Luca Dotti, unraveled most of the mysteries around this period in the moving and impressive biography Dutch Girl. Audrey Hepburn and World War II.

 

Robert Matzen's Dutch Girl, Audrey Hepburn and World War II

 

I read Robert’s book as part of my research for my own book on a ballerina under German occupation in The Netherlands. And also, because I’ve been a lifelong fan of Audrey Hepburn. Robert’s detailed description of Audrey’s life in Oosterbeek (before the war), Arnhem and ultimately Velp, three places in the Province of Gelderland, made me decide to visit all the places where she either lived or spent (dancing) time. 

Come with me on my trip.

 

Field trip to Oosterbeek, Velp & Arnhem in the footsteps of Audrey Hepburn

 

There’s just one aspect of Robert’s book, which I highly recommend, by the way, I want to touch on because I’m not sure many people knew this about Audrey. She, herself, had a lifelong admiration and tender spot for Anne Frank, who in a way was her soul-sister. After the liberation in 1945, Audrey moved to Amsterdam with her mother so that she could take dance lessons with the famous Sonia Gaskell. 

They happened to live in the same building as the editor working on Anne Frank’s Diary. Audrey was the first to read this moving account of a girl only six weeks apart in age. She was also among the very first to visit “Het Achterhuis” on the Prinsengracht, where the Frank family hid until they were betrayed. 

Of course, Audrey heard when the Diary of A Young Girl became an instant bestseller in America. Then she was asked to portray Anne in George Stevens’ 1958 movie on the Jewish girl who died in Bergen-Belsen. Typically, the thoughtful and emphatic Audrey refused the role. Even after meeting up with Anne’s father Otto in Switzerland, who asked her to reconsider, Audrey declined. The war and its scars were still too raw for her. And how could she accept money for a role about a girl who felt like a sister to her but who hadn’t survived the war?

However, in the 1980s Audrey went on a tour through the US to give readings of Anne’s Diary in her function as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. And thus, raised money for the organization that meant everything to her.

I wanted to share with you this story of Anne and Audrey to round off my series of blogs for The Crystal Butterfly.

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

There is no mention of Audrey Hepburn in my own book, of course, as Edda–my main character - was unaware of that budding film star and ballerina - who would capture the hearts of millions a decade later - living in the same country as she was. But there are many similarities. Both are dark-haired ballerinas, resilient girls that strive for the top. Both have parents that embrace Hitler’s Nazism, and both come from Frisian nobility. 

Here's the link to Robert’s book Dutch Girl:
https://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Girl-Audrey-Hepburn-World-ebook/dp/B07MSCBVBJ/
(Amazon US store but I’m sure it’s available everywhere)

In the footsteps of Anne Frank in Amsterdam…

Though Anne doesn’t play an active role in my fictive book on the Dutch resistance and Jewish persecution in WW2, “The Crystal Butterfly”, she is an important symbol of Holland in WW2. No wonder, that her name came up time and time again in my research. Both in Amsterdam and in transit Camp Westerbork. 

Partly to honour Anne, I have my main character, Edda, keep a diary as well. But Edda, who is not Jewish but the daughter of collaborators and a resistance fighter, only writes what she witnesses around her during the Nazi occupation. So it’s not a personal diary like Anne’s.

Also, Edda is at almost the same time in Transit Camp Westerbork, when Anne briefly stayed there with her family before being transported to the German concentration camps. 

Enough reason for me to go to Amsterdam and visit the two places where Anne lived and the one place where she is commemorated with all other 120,000 murdered Jews, Sintis and Romas. Will you join me in her footsteps? 

 

Field trip to Amsterdam. In the Footsteps of Anne Frank…

 

But what is – in a nutshell - Anne Frank’s legacy?

Anne Frank's importance for the world stems from her powerful and poignant account of her life in hiding during the Holocaust, documented in her now-famous diary, "The Diary of a Young Girl." Why was the voice of a teenage girl so significant?

   

Symbol of the Holocaust
Anne Frank's diary provides a personal and relatable perspective on the horrors of the Holocaust. Through her writing, she humanizes the millions of victims and gives a voice to the countless innocent lives lost during World War II.

Impact on Education
Anne's diary has become an essential educational tool in schools worldwide. It helps students learn about the Holocaust, discrimination, and the consequences of hatred, fostering empathy and understanding.

Testament to Resilience
Despite facing extreme hardship, Anne's diary reflects her resilience and optimism. Her courage and determination to keep hope alive amid despair serve as an inspiration to people facing difficult situations.

Human Rights Advocacy
Anne Frank's story has become a symbol for promoting human rights, tolerance, and inclusivity. Her words remind us of the importance of standing against prejudice, discrimination, and injustice.

Preservation of History
Anne's diary provides a first-hand account of life during the Holocaust, preserving an important historical record for future generations.

Global Recognition
The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, where Anne and her family hid, is now a museum attracting millions of visitors each year. This international attention helps ensure that her story reaches people from all walks of life.

Cultural Impact
Anne's diary has been translated into numerous languages, making her story accessible to people around the world. It has also inspired various adaptations, including plays, films, and other literary works.

Unfinished Potential
Anne Frank's untimely death at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, shortly before the camp's liberation, serves as a poignant reminder of the potential that was lost due to hatred and intolerance.

In summary, Anne Frank's significance lies in her ability to humanize the Holocaust and serve as a beacon of hope, education, and inspiration for generations to come. Her enduring legacy reminds us of the importance of promoting understanding, compassion, and the protection of human rights.

Anne Frank statue Merwedeplein

Significant Anne Frank sites

The Liberation of the Netherlands

This blog sheds a quick light on the events surrounding the liberation of the Netherlands during World War II. After the Allied landing in Normandy in June 1944, the Western Allies advanced towards the Dutch border, raising hopes of liberation among the Dutch population. In September, Operation Market Garden was launched, an unsuccessful attempt to reach the north of the Netherlands and Germany due to the failure to capture the Rhine bridge at the Battle of Arnhem. However, substantial regions in the south were liberated during the operation.

   

Parts of the southern Netherlands were not liberated by Operation Market Garden, but British and American forces managed to defeat remaining German forces through Operation Aintree. Battles were fought in various regions, including Zeeland and North Brabant, to clear the way for liberation. During these operations, the Dutch faced a harsh winter in 1944-1945 known as the Hunger Winter, resulting in significant casualties due to starvation and disease.

 

Bicycles were confiscated by the Germans, so were hidden by some people. These two men are digging up a bike after the war.

 

The liberation of the western provinces faced delays, but negotiations for the surrender of German forces were finally successful on May 5, 1945, three days before Germany's general capitulation. The liberation process involved battles like the Battle of Groningen and the Battle of Otterlo. Additionally, the Dutch government initially considered annexing a part of Germany but later dropped the idea.

 

Liberation of Amersfoort including clogs

 

After the war, some individuals accused of collaboration faced extrajudicial punishment, while others were tried for treason. The Dutch government implemented plans to deport Germans from the Netherlands. The war also led to the loss of the Dutch East Indies, leading to Indonesian independence after a four-year war. World War II had lasting effects on Dutch society, with emotional scars carried by both the first and second generations. The Dutch Red Cross issued apologies for its failure to protect certain groups during the war.

 

The Liberation of Amsterdam on 8 May 1945

 

In The Crystal Butterfly, Edda is liberated when she’s still a political prisoner in Camp Westerbork. Here’s a snippet from her own diary:

 

Westerbork, 13 April 1945, 8:00 pm

I am so happy I think I’ll burst and at the same time I’m way too ill to stand on my feet for longer than 5 minutes. What a contrast. We’re free! We’re liberated! The Germans are gone, gone, gone!!!! We couldn’t believe our eyes but yesterday, 12 April 1945, the First Canadian Army liberated us. We saw them coming. 

But let me first tell you how Gemmeker and Frau Hassel were made to eat humble pie. All the rumors were so loud that liberation was imminent. We only saw Allied planes fly over and they dropped us food! Real food! I mean flour, margarine, coffee, milk powder, cheese, chocolate. Things we haven’t tasted for years. I was so hungry, but I remembered Miss Sterling saying we need to eat small portions, so I ate a little bite every hour. Honestly, I feel my strength already returning but that must also be the mental boost that it’s really, really over. 

See, I can’t even return to the topic of that Gentleman Crook, but I need to. This notebook, by the way, was given to me by one of the sweet Tommys. I was talking with him last night, his name is Sergeant Stuart Gildersleeve (his last name sounds like a character from a ballet!!!) and he told me he’d been keeping notes ever since landing on the beaches in Normandy, which was over 10 months ago!!! The diary kept him sane, and I told him about my little notebooks hidden at my sister’s. 

“I’ve got a spare one, now that I hope to head back to Vancouver soon,” he grinned. So now I have a Canadian notebook, a simple thin cahier with a brown cover but I’ll cherish it all my life. It’s my liberation gift, almost more important than the chocolate that melts on my tongue.

Alright, I promised you Gemmeker and Mistress Hassel. Well, there isn’t a grand finale there. They just left. Like that. Each had a small suitcase and they walked away. I hope by God they’ll be arrested before they walk hand-in-hand into Germany, but they kept their heads high. You know what Frau Hassel said to me on my last visit to them, which was months ago as they didn’t like my company anymore. I know I am a bore, but I was a deliberate bore with them as I hated every minute in the green villa. Anyway, back on track. She said to me: “My Albert is the Jesus Christ of Westerbork.” Can you imagine? I almost choked on the coffee I was drinking and spit it out on that striped sofa. The Jesus Christ of Westerbork. The woman is insane. I won’t be surprised he’ll be convicted of sending all these Jews and Sintis and Romas east with little chance of survival. 

Though I’m writing horrible things, you can’t imagine what joy it is to write freely again. Oh, how I missed my own thoughts on paper. I simply love the act of my pen going over the page. Maybe I’ve got a bit of a writer in me? Who knows! But for now, it’s Heaven on Earth. Food in my stomach, the sun on my table, and me with my diary. 

The Canadians have ordered us to stay here until Amsterdam is liberated but Stu told me it’s a mere matter of days now. I’ll be going home. But I almost dread the idea. What will I find at home? Will my flat still be there? And what about Tante Riet? No word of her all these months. Gemmeker kept promising me he’d find out if she was still in Zwolle but he said he couldn’t find her. I fear the worst. My instinct tells me something’s wrong there. But no sad thoughts today. There will be plenty of decisions to be made over the coming weeks but for now I’m going outside again and enjoy the company of the Canadians! They’re such fun.

  

Canadian soldier being kissed on Damsquare Amsterdam

 

The Dutch Resistance: A Complex Tapestry of Non-Violent Heroism

Introduction
World War II witnessed the Dutch resistance's remarkable non-violent heroism against the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Led by diverse organizations like the Communist Party, churches, and independent groups, the resistance slowly grew, fuelled by significant events like the February strike of 1941. 

In this blog we’ll explore the background of Dutch neutrality, the resistance's defiance, and their pivotal role in supporting Allied forces during the occupation. Despite their brave efforts, the Dutch Jewish population suffered greatly, and after the war, many resistance heroes remained unsung, lacking recognition for their illegal tasks during the war.

 

How downed airmen were helped by the resistance

 

Dutch Resistance During Nazi Occupation: A Struggle Against Oppression
The Dutch resistance bravely confronted the Nazi occupation during World War II. Initially facing a deceptive sense of mild occupation, the resistance was challenged by the country's open terrain and dense population. As the Nazis intensified their oppression through Nazification and persecution of Jewish citizens, the resistance grew more organized and forceful, targeting collaborationist officials. Despite large-scale reprisals, the resistance displayed unwavering courage and determination in their fight against oppression.

Unyielding Dutch Resistance: Key Battlegrounds and Heroic Standoffs
The major areas of intense military confrontations where the Dutch resistance showcased their bravery and determination was as large as the Battle for The Hague to the Battle of the Grebbeberg. The Dutch forces fiercely defended their positions and repelled German attacks. Despite setbacks, the Dutch resistance continued their fight in various European theatres, demonstrating unwavering dedication to the resistance cause.

Dutch Resistance Organizations: Courageous Acts of Defiance
What were the various organizations that comprised the Dutch resistance during World War II? From the Communist Party of the Netherlands to the Council of Resistance, these brave groups played a crucial role in resisting the German occupiers and providing support to those in need. The sacrifices made by these organizations' members and the challenges they faced in their fight for freedom and justice were considerable.

 

Some female Dutch resistance fighters in WW2

 

Resistance Activities: From Sabotage to Hiding Refugees
The diverse activities undertaken by the Dutch resistance in their opposition to the Nazi occupation were the February strike of 1941, the small, decentralized cells that engaged in acts of sabotage, and the resistance's efforts in hiding refugees, including Jewish families like Anne Frank's. Then there was the impact of the Stoottroepen, a Dutch army unit formed from certain resistance groups, and the role of "Engelandvaarders" in keeping the resistance alive.

After Normandy: Dutch Resistance and Allied Infiltration
The Dutch Resistance faced increased pressure after the Normandy invasion and the Allied Drive to the Siegfried Line. Liberated areas in the Netherlands provided valuable intelligence and support to the Allies, while Amsterdam and the north remained under Nazi control until May 1945. The Dutch famine of 1944, known as the "Hunger winter," further compounded the challenges faced by the Dutch population during this time.

 

American pilot thanks Dutch Resistance after WW2 with cigarettes!

 

Conclusion
The Dutch resistance during World War II represents a complex tapestry of non-violent heroism against Nazi oppression. Led by diverse organizations and individuals, the resistance's unwavering courage and determination played a crucial role in supporting Allied forces and preserving the spirit of freedom and justice. While the Dutch resistance was largely non-violent, their contributions were immeasurable, and their sacrifices should forever be remembered as a testament to the human spirit's resilience.

Some numbers
·         Active Dutch resistance fighters: some 450,000 (5% of total population)
·         Female resistance fighters: some 70,650 (15.7%)
·         Active Dutch collaborators: some 450,000 (5% of total population)  
·         Jewish victims: between 102,000-104,000 (about 85%)
·         Roma and Sinti victims: 215
·         Civilian casualties due to war: some 30,000
·         Hunger winter casualties: between 15,000-25,000
·         Victims Forced labour in Germany: 8,500
·         Non-Jewish victims in prisons and concentration camps: some 5,000
·         Executed resistance fighters: between 2,000-3,000 

 

Resistance posters: "The soldiers of the Netherlands Underground Forces greet the soldiers of the United Nations"

 

In “The Crystal Butterfly” main character Edda Van der Valk isn’t the traditional resistance fighter, though she’s fascinated and encouraged by the first resistance movement The Geuzen (see blogpost here) after the Bombardment of Rotterdam (see blogpost here) and the German occupation. Edda keeps a diary for most of the war, commenting on the Nazi and NSB terror and eventually becomes an active member of the Dutch resistance herself.

The Hunger Winter or the Dutch Famine 1944-1945

 

Two participants in the hunger expeditions during the hunger winter

 

The Hunger Winter, also known as the Dutch famine of 1944–1945, was a devastating period during World War II when the German-occupied Netherlands experienced a severe scarcity of food and fuel. The famine was most acute in the densely populated western provinces, resulting in widespread hunger and suffering.

The cause of the famine was a German blockade that cut off food and fuel shipments from farm towns to the western Netherlands. As a result, at least 20,000 people died of starvation and cold, with the majority of the victims being elderly men. The situation worsened as the harsh winter of 1944–1945 set in, freezing rivers and canals and further impeding the transport of supplies.

During the Hunger Winter, the adult rations in cities like Amsterdam dropped to dangerously low levels, with people receiving less than 1000 calories a day. The scarcity of food items, including bread, butter, and meat, led to the consumption of unconventional and insufficient substitutes like tulip bulbs and sugar beets. Many people resorted to the black market, trading valuables for food, while others were forced to dismantle furniture and houses to use as fuel for heating.

  

In the face of such dire circumstances, humanitarian intervention became crucial. The Swedish Red Cross provided "Swedish bread" flour, and humanitarian airlift operations, known as Operations Manna and Chowhound, were conducted by the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces. Additionally, Operation Faust organized a land-based, civilian supply chain to distribute food within the country. These efforts alleviated the immediate emergency, but the famine persisted until the liberation of the Netherlands by the Allies in May 1945.

The Dutch famine of 1944–1945 left a profound legacy on the health of its survivors and future generations. Studies have shown that children born to pregnant women exposed to the famine were more susceptible to various health problems, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and microalbuminuria. Moreover, grandchildren of women carrying female babies during the famine also experienced increased health issues, suggesting intergenerational inheritance of the famine's effects.

The famine also played a significant role in the discovery of the cause of coeliac disease. The shortage of wheat during the famine led to improvements in children with coeliac disease, providing crucial evidence to support the hypothesis that wheat intake aggravated the condition.

 

One notable figure who survived the Hunger Winter was actress Audrey Hepburn, who spent her teenage years in the Netherlands during World War 2. Despite her later fame and success, she suffered lifelong negative medical repercussions from the experience, including anemia, respiratory illnesses, and œdema.

 

Overall, the Hunger Winter was a tragic and heart-wrenching chapter in Dutch history, highlighting the devastating impact of war and famine on civilian populations and underscoring the importance of humanitarian efforts in times of crisis.

The Hunger Winter and The Crystal Butterfly

Edda the main character in The Crystal Butterfly escapes most of the Hunger Winter because she is interred at Camp Westerbork. But when she returns to Amsterdam after the liberation of the camp she becomes aware of what’s been taking place in her home city Amsterdam and the entire west of the country.

Here’s a snippet of what she hears:

“Sit, Miss,” Corrie said again. “I’ve done my best to prepare you a proper breakfast but it’s easier said than done with no eggs and only a pinch of flour.” Then Edda remembered the hunger winter that had struck the big cities in the west of Holland in the past months. How had Duifje and her children survived? And her parents? Probably fed by the Germans, Edda thought, but strangely without any anger. Despite being captives at Westerbork, at least they had enough food.

As if guessing her train of thought, Corrie said, “You’re lucky you found us here, Miss Edda. We’ve only just returned here, you see. We were on Valkena Estate all winter. Took the sickly Marchioness with us. So, we’ve had plenty of eggs and milk. We haven’t had any shortages. Mrs van Leeuwen is only back here with Mr Sipkema to sell the house. We’re all moving to Friesland for good.”

Edda was aware she gaped at the housekeeper and uttered not very coherently, “Valkena Estate? Mother? Friesland?” Sinking on the chair, she tried to make sense of it all. The Sipkema name rang a bell. Her father’s solicitor. Papa had mentioned him as Edda’s go-to, should she need to talk business. That last strained conversation she had had with her father. Talking about his will.

 

Malnourished children at the time of the liberation in May 1945

 

Camp Westerbork: 97,776 Jews deported to German and Polish concentration camps

 

Top left: the bent rail track. Top right: Hauptsturmführer Albert Gemmeker and Frau Hassel’s Green Villa overlooking the camp. Bottom left: the only original barrack. Middle: every deported and killed Jew has a stone with a starBottom Right: the original cattle train that deported the Jews and Sintis/Roma’s with the tour guide.

 

Camp Westerbork was a Nazi transit camp in the province of Drenthe in the Northeastern Netherlands. Transport trains arrived at Westerbork every Tuesday from July 1942 to September 1944; an estimated 97,776 Jews were deported during the period. Anne Frank and her family arrived in Westerbork on 4 August 1944 and the family was put on a transport to Auschwitz on 3 September.

During World War II, Camp Westerbork, situated in the Northeastern Netherlands, was known as the ominous "gateway to Hell." Originally established in 1939 as a refugee camp for Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in Germany and Austria, its purpose drastically changed when the German forces invaded the Netherlands in 1940. It was then repurposed as a transit camp, used to stage the deportation of Jews to concentration camps like Auschwitz and Sobibor.

Although not designed for industrial murder like extermination camps, Camp Westerbork played a significant role in the Nazi's horrific agenda. The camp covered only half a square kilometer and was considered "humane" by Nazi standards. Jewish inmates with families were housed in interconnected cottages, while single inmates resided in oblong barracks.

 

Number of Jewish communities in Netherlands before and after WW2

 

The deportation process involved regular transport trains arriving at Westerbork every Tuesday between July 1942 and September 1944. Around 97,776 Jews were deported during this period, destined for concentration camps where the vast majority faced immediate death upon arrival.

Surprisingly, Camp Westerbork featured various facilities and activities designed to give inmates a false sense of hope and maintain order during transportation. These included a school, orchestra, hairdresser, and restaurants.

Among the notable prisoners at Westerbork were Anne Frank and Etty Hillesum, both of whom documented their experiences in diaries later discovered after the war. Sadly, Anne Frank was deported to Auschwitz from Westerbork and perished there.

The camp's leadership changed over time, with Jacques Schol, a Dutchman, serving as the commander initially. However, in 1942, German authorities took control, and Albert Konrad Gemmeker became responsible for sending thousands of Jews to their deaths.

The camp's dark chapter finally came to an end in September 1944, as transports ceased, and Allied troops approached. The camp was liberated by Canadian forces on April 12, 1945.

In retrospect, Camp Westerbork serves as a haunting reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust, and its story continues to bear witness to the resilience and courage of those who suffered under its oppressive regime.

 

Field trip to Transit Camp Westerbork during Remembrance Week in Holland (May 2023)

 

Camp Westerbork and The Crystal Butterfly

Though Westerbork wasn't per se a camp where Dutch resisters were held, as I say in my video, some of our brave WW2 heroes and heroines were taken there usually to be immediately killed n front of a firing squad somewhere in the province of Drenthe. Edda Van Der Valk ends up in Westerbork in August 1944 together with her neighbour Tante Riet. To read more about Edda’s uncommon treatment by Hauptsturmführer Albert Gemmeker read chapters 39 to 44 of The Crystal Butterfly.

Here’s the snippet where Edda meets Gemmeker for the first time….

She placed the brown leather suitcase, with its reinforced metal corners, on top of the table. Still somewhat weak yet with her legs feeling surprisingly strong, Edda gazed outside, trying to come to terms with her captivity, her aloneness, the mission Doctor Samuels had given her. “Stay alive”. Why had this never seemed a mission before? One breathed in and out, one lived, but getting orders to stay alive, seemed odd, unnatural. And yet there had been an urgency in the old psychiatrist’s voice, as if commissioned by God to deliver this message to her. “Stay alive!”

Edda gasped. She suddenly understood. The epiphany made her sink down on the chair, open-eyed, horrified. She was the witness of a secret, inconceivable, inhumane act of barbarity. Far worse than the occupation, far worse than bombs and casualties of war. Her sixth sense had tried to tell her every day but she hadn’t listened, couldn’t listen. Hitler was massacring all the Jews he could get his hands on. They were not coming back from the East. Not coming back. Ash would not come back. Not come back.

And she? She had to stay alive to bear witness to the times her people were living through. She would testify to the rest of the world what the anti-Semites had done in Holland during the war. Find evidence, bring to justice those who’d systematically extinguished the Jewish race—innocent people, families, husbands, wives, siblings, children, babies, and grandparents .

“Miss Van der Valk?”  A German-laced voice said behind her. Edda turned gracefully, as a ballerina would, tears in her eyes but her heart full of confidence in her mission. Before her stood an attractive German high official, whom she immediately recognized as the Camp Commander, Albert Gemmeker, who was better known by his nickname, the ‘Gentleman Crook’.

She’d heard the talk he lived with Frau Hassel, who apparently doubled as his mistress and his secretary in the big green villa overlooking the camp. Opulence starkly contrasting with the hand-to-mouth existence in the barracks.

He stretched out his hand, well-manicured but ringless. Edda hesitated. It was against her principles to shake hands with Nazis, but Doctor Samuel seemed to whisper in her ear, ‘Stay alive!’ so she snapped to attention without words of greeting but with a curt nod.

“I heard you’ve been quite ill, Miss Van der Valk. Was the treatment in our hospital satisfactory?” The tall German with his open face and polite manners looked at her frankly with what seemed a genuine smile of interest on his lips.

You’re an enigma, shot through Edda’s mind, but you’re not who you pretend to be.

“Quite satisfactory, Sir. Doctor Samuels is an excellent doctor.”

“He is,” Gemmeker replied with a sigh. “The great doctor will be sorely missed here but his expertise was needed elsewhere.”

Then why did you let him go? Edda wanted to shout but bit her tongue.

“Anyway, Miss Van der Valk, I came here to personally invite you to dinner with my secretary and me tonight. My housekeeper, Frau Asch, is an excellent cook and Doctor Samuels advised me you had not been eating well before you came here.”   

 

Monument at Camp Westerbork for some of the killed Dutch Resistance fighters