Women of the Dutch Resistance: Hannie Schaft and Truus & Freddie Oversteegen

The Reference Desk

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by three women of the Dutch Resistance: Hannie Schaft and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen.

When the German Nazis invaded the Netherlands in 1940, local resistance groups and everyday Dutch folks organized ingenious ways to fight back against their occupiers. From distributing illegal newspapers to bombing supply lines to killing Nazis, the Dutch resistance was a powerful example of how even against the biggest forces of evil, everyone can do something to fight back. Hannie Schaft, who once dreamed of using her law degree to fight fascism with the League of Nations, gave up her ambitions to save her two best friends and join the Haarlem resistance. Hannie worked alongside sisters Truus and Freddie Overstegeen, who’d been involved in resistance work since childhood. The young women were able to infiltrate spaces the men could not, and this skill made them invaluable to the resistance. The trio saved countless lives by moving Jewish families to safe houses, collecting intelligence on German missile sites, and luring Nazis to their death with a wink and a smile.

All books shared in this episode can be purchased at our Bookshop!

Staff picks:

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi

The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter

The Mystery of the Haunted Dance Hall by Charis Cotter

Recommended Reading:

Fiction:

To Die Beautiful by Buzzy Jackson

The Assault by Harry Mulisch

Non-fiction:

Now Then, Not Now, Not Ever by Truus Menger- Oversteegen

Three Ordinary Girls by Tim Brady

Seducing and Killing Nazis by Sophie Poldermans

The Light of Days by Judy Batalian

Sources:

Three Ordinary Girls by Tim Brady

Seducing and Killing Nazis by Sophie Poldermans

National Hannie Schaft Foundation

Seducing and Killing Nazis

Holland vs. Netherlands: What's the Difference?

The Most Wanted Woman in WWII Netherlands: Hannie Schaft

The Netherlands: the greatest number of Jewish victims in Western Europe

Hitler's rise and fall: Timeline

This Teenager Killed Nazis With Her Sister During WWII

THE RESISTANCE Truus and Freddie Oversteegen

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