Holland under the Nazis

One doesn't often think of Holland under the Nazis, but the history is very interesting and worth examination. Like most countries that fell to the Third Reich, its story is one of armed conflict, suffering, and resistance. For an interesting look at Holland in WWII, see this ancient website (1996).

It was assumed by German military leaders that since the invasion of Holland had been necessitated by strategic military reasons, the administration of the occupied country would left in the hands of the military. This is what had been done with Denmark. But Hitler had other ideas; he decided that Holland would be placed under a civilian administration with a fanatical Austrian Nazi (Arthur Seyss-Inquart) as its head.

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In the period following first the Capitulation the Dutch were in a state of collective shock. Eventually the Dutch would arouse themselves out of this shock. Slowly but surely resistance began to grow against the German occupiers. At first, the resistance was manifested in relatively minor ways. I mentioned about how many Dutch would boo during the course of German newsreels. With the Nazis in full control of the media, and the radio now dominated by Nazi propaganda, many Dutch began to turn on the radio to listen broadcasts from London--either to the BBC or to the Dutch government in exile. Such listening was in itself an illegal act and a form of resistance. Dutch newspapers also, as stated earlier, were firmly in the hands of the Germans and their Dutch sympathizers. As a means of disseminating out the truth, several Dutch individuals took it upon themselves to produce and distribute underground papers. This was highly illegal, and many Dutch people were to lose their lives for such activity.