3
12
35
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/f05df0897b293451c948de242f5bf734.pdf
56df9e1f048ba284e782db41831585e0
PDF Text
Text
Having spect 5 long years under enemy
occupation, the narrow focus on freedom
nurtured for endless days and nights on
end, in an uneven struggle ended up in
an unjust manner.
Eighteen hunderd and t,nenty five tinms
twentyfour hours there had been an ever 1nL
erasing need and desire for freedom,
until it finally came about.
Victory Europe Day: the enemy gone.
But our expectations had been wrong
the exhilarating joy of freedom lasted
much less than than the lengths of the struggle
to obtain i t .
And there is what was wrong with us ; the
anticipation of continued exhilabion proved
to be wrong by the composition of our human
nature.
No suffering, no privation can be adequately
compensated for. We have paid in big bills;
but the relief that the adversity has passed
away, comes in change only.
It appears that the high anticipations of
freedom one has nurtured during the privation
is part of the joy of its ooming to pass,
so that small change must be accepted as
adequate compensation.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-295
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Musings on liberation
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat about the liberation of the Netherlands from Nazi occupation.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dutch
World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands
World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/32cc3b22c03f3b1ad327fa74e97eff54.pdf
48f662491c66fa192208256ab174bcaa
PDF Text
Text
***
Peter N.Termaat - closing remarks.
I was sitting in a room where the discussion centered on anti-semitism.
One of those present made the following remark
11 I considerthe jews completely as human beings 11
You see, that man is an anti-semite. He doesnt know i t , but he is.
His premise is that he presents an absolute truth as something that
subject to dispute.
He is like a mathematician who is trying to prove the axiom.
That kind of remark is not inaccurate, but it makes a subject of discussion that which has been accepted generally as self-evident.
***
In formerly occupied countries looms a danger, especially in the ones
that were occupied the longest, like Norway and The Netherlands.
It is a historical certainty that a people , overpowered by a usurper
after its liberation appears to have been somewhat infected by them.
Freedom of the press, an absolute before the war, was being curtailed
after the occupation ended.
There certainly are ateempts by the government to influence the press.
11 Confidentials II to the editor-in-chief
, discussions by unnamed sources
outside the normal flow of the news, and especially the press spokesmen
in the service of government. All these are not directed towards influ_
ence of the press on the government in its duty to critical review,
but just to the opposite.
***
�Conflict and cooperation.
Conflict is the inescapable fact of life at any time.
It ie l'le'if a:ne it we:s i'A y:eaPs gone by , i'A y:ol:lP time
in y:ow ;paPents time and g;pam.pa:Pwi.ts tiM ,
Read the newspaper, turn on radio or television, it is there
So, why talk about a conflict that is far in the past, in
your grandparents time?
You and everyone in your age group did not experience i t .
You are living now in this time and that time was so different.
Or was it? Were the e~ents of humanconflict different tEfu.n?
Or was it the sheer magnitude of that conflict?
With 57 million military and civilian casualties and many
millions more affected to the depth of their being?
That conflict is still the darkest period of this centuri:Dy,
if not of all times. It raged worldwide, there was no hiding from it.
And it is on a grand scale the most immense tale of power, its abuse,
violence, injustice and murder.
All aatempts were directed to stamp out freedom as we know it
and cherish i t .
Ye~ did !'let e*pe:11Pie"Aee it. Shollld yoQ thePefeP ehPug it eff?
Your life in freedom , your existence have been made possible
because then harder than at any other age, close by and far off
'jJeJc.L ~ fought ~ , many battles against the darkness of
totalitarianism , and they were won at an unimag'i'S"le cost in lives
I hope that you will understand something, ,me mllj"8e more
deeply than ever before , why
·
· ~
try to bring the reality from that time back. There is always
hope that your generation, and you as an individual5may yet
learn to help prevent it happening again.
Is an individual capable of xaccomplishing anything that might
have influence on the course of events of so violent and insidious
a nature as was common in that conflict 7
Is not the all pervasive p~~nce of enemy forces and behind it
the vile tyranny of a morally rotten political system of such
a dimension that to lay low and get along is the better part of
wisdom? Is it not smarter to live for one's country and its
ideals than to die for it? Espeoi:cially when you are young?
Or is the agressive and fanatic political system imposed on
entire peoplesand even more hrsxhly upon individuals who stand
tall , motivation xenough to arrive at a point where honorable men
and women say~ enough.
Was there a philosophy or a compelling foresight that could prepare
men and women for contingencies which could not reasonably have been
foreseen in all its consequences?
Does history provide guidance? Crucial crossroads to which people
came and had to choose to either act righteously or bow to the
inevitable? In a storm cannot a strong tree that stands unbending
be broken, while rushes that bend with the wind right themselves
after the wind dies down ?
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-297
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Musings on Anti-semitism, Occupation, and Resistance
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat about anti-semitism, occupation, resistance, and cooperation.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dutch
World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands
World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/708bccf47a7d77bccaff36ee75f85024.pdf
be5b7270874b9fdceb414356b8d0cf22
PDF Text
Text
Adm. Thomas Moorer:
I think the greatest satisfaction one
gets is derived from the opinion that
people have about you-people who
have been around you your whole
life-as to your character and your
compassion and your fairness, and the
way you deal with people, and the
way you do your job and whether you
have tried to sacrifice other people for
your personal benefit. In the Navy, we
call it service reputation, and I think
that's the most important thing.
-ro!i1.·Mca~)icssman, Th, A.ch;,,,,,,,,,,, Factors
W.N.P.BARBEILION
11
The Jom.mal of a disappointed man"
1 returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet
bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understandin
nor yet favour to men of skill, but •ime and chance
happen to them all.
For man also knows not his tin!, as the fishes that a.re
taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught
in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil
time, when it falls sudenly me them • "
upon
, 11
Gerda Weissmann Klein:
Most people think the Holocaust
camps were like snake pits-that people stepped on each other for survival.
It wasn't like that at all. There was
kindness, support, understanding.
I often talk about a childhood
friend of mine, Ilse. She once found a
raspberry in the camp and carried it in
her pocket all day to present to me
that night on a leaf.
Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry, and
you give it to a friend. Those are the
moments I want to remember. People
behaved nobly under unspeakable
circumstances.
-Kristin Hdmorc in Th, Christian Sd,nc, Monitcr
"ADEAU IE:
U EN VAN WlL EL I
I
E
T
z.o.
�...
��•I
Gerda Weissmann Klein:
Most people think the Holocaust
camps were like snake pits-that people stepped on each other for survival.
It wasn't like that at all. There was
kindness, support, understanding.
I often talk about a childhood
friend of mine, Ilse. She once found a
raspberry in the camp and carried it in
her pocket all day to present to me
that night on a leaf.
Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry, and
you give it to a friend. Those are the
moments I want to remember. People
behaved nobly under unspeakable
circumstances.
-Kristin Hclmorc in Th, Christion Scin,c, Monitor
-----
-
Adm. Thomas Moorer:
I think the greatest satisfaction one
gets is derived from the opinion that
people have about you-people who
have been around you your whole
life-as to your character and your
compassion and your fairness, and the
way you deal with people, and the
way you do your job and whether you
have tried to sacrifice other people for
your personal benefit. In the Navy, we
call it service reputation, and I think
that's the most important thing.
-B. Eugene Gricssman, Tl,, Achi,-rnt Factors
(Dodd, Mead)
11
W.N.P.BARBELLION
The Jottynal of a disappointed man"
, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet
bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understandin
nor yet favour to men of skill, but ·Ume and chance
happen to them all.
For man also knows not his time, as the fishes that are
taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught
in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil
time, when it falls sudenly BK them • n
upon
F.F.
CHTER
CADEAU IDE :
-'"1
HE ....
..WU
21
w
w
I
E .:I i
1./
VAN
z.o.
���
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-Quotes-humanity-of-WWII-364
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Quotes of humanity on World War II
Description
An account of the resource
Notes and quotations compiled by Pieter N. Termaat about humanity and World War II. Partially handwritten.
Subject
The topic of the resource
World War, 1939-1945
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a75ad276650f11b876b56e946e94ace0.pdf
211bc6703d7fd2c698b273368cf50f14
PDF Text
Text
1
THE RELIGI ON OF N.Z:tZIS!Vl
The religious qua lity in man is o n e of the things -r:.hctt
distinguishes him from an ima l s .
,-:es h.im
maJ
There is something in man that
seek for some Great Power, Perfect Being , or
Autho r ity as an object of worship and a source of inspirdtion .
Nazism was ab l e to satisf y these religious needs by establish in g
the " racial sou l" as a higher power and by inspirin g the German
people t o strive toward the atta.inme nt of purity and p e rf e ction .
The appeal of t he Nazi religion is r ooted in the ego of ma n.
Nazism is self-g l or i fy i ng .
of a god .
Man can rai se himself to the p o sition
The attainment of perfection is within his reach .
When beginning a study of the Nazi religion , it is
important to real ize that, unl i ke oth e r rel i gions , Nazism did not
hold to be liefs that transcended beyond th is world to some
heavenly region .
In fact, Nazism made no attempts to ide ntif y a
re a li ty outside the bounderies of political power and social
order.
It was a se cul ar iz ed re lig i on.
Nazism, however , like any
religion, d i d have its own gods , but the god of the Na ~i religion
was not some supernatural being .
It was rather the natural (the
German race) raised to a supernatural level.
This transformation
of the natural into the superna tural is exemplified by the
deification of Nazi l e aders , the establishment of the will of the
people , as it was expressed by the Fuhrer, as the divi~e wi ll,
�2
and the Nazi belief that supreme truth and perfection would be
reveale d by the purification and domination of the Arya n r ac e .
In short, Nazism turned the human into the divine .
Vol k becarne the object of worship.
had become their own gods.
The people or
In a sense, the German p e ople
The personal God that is revered by
othe r relig ions as an all-powerful, supernatural b e ing is openly
denied by Naz ism and regarded as a myth.
Althou gh the seculari zed religion denies t he existance of
the all-p owerful, supernatural being that other religions reve r e
as God, Nazism.does contain many religious e l ements .
We will n ow
begin our ana lysis of the Nazi reli g ion by identifying s e vera l
elements of Nazism that are comparable to those f ound i n other
more familiar reli g ions.
To beg in with, Nazism, like all other r e ligions, had its
own ceremon i es , rituals, and sacre d meetings .
The public ralli e s
and mass-mee ting s were a time of inspiratio n and were ce l ebrat ed
as sacred actions by the enthusiastic f o ll owers of thi s
nationalistic religion.
be minimized.
The influence of these me e ti ngs must n o t
They were instrumental in uniting the people to
join in the p ursuit of a common goal.
However, it mus t be
emphasized that it was not the content of the spoken mes sa ge s at
these me etings that was the critical factor; rath e r, i t was the
way the messages were presented that caused the population t o
take up the battle cry and r a l ly under ·c.he cornmon banner of a
....
deified national soul.
The atmos phere of the meeting s had almost
mystical power t o inspire, excite, and uplift the spirits of the
pe op le.
�3
The Nazi religion also had its own "creed".
Nazi f ol lowers
placed their faith in themselves and in the power o f t h e i r ra ce
In order to re ach
to raise the world to a state of perfection.
this ideal state, they had to overcome the opposing evil fo r ce
which was the Jew.
This conflict between the goodne ss ,
perf e ctio n, and purity of the German race and the e v il, d ecadent,
a nd defiled Jewish p e ople was the basis around which all o the r
Nazi beliefs revolved.
Nazi doctrine exhorted the German s t o
maintain racial purity and promote cultural rebirth.
The
followin g three fundamental Nazi beliefs, as presented b y
Geoffrey Fie ld, adequately summarize the Nazi creed:
An obsession with racial "purity," the conviction
that the modern era was characterized by a worl d
struggle b e tween Aryan and J·ew, and the belief t hat
other nations had become miscegenated and decadent ,
l e aving Germany as the standard-beare r of
Aryanism. '
1'he principal element of any reli g ion, however, i s its go d.
The god o f Na zism, which was identified a nd briefly discu ssed
earlier in this paper, is now considered in greater detail as we
examine how the German "racial soul 1 ' was spiritualized, the
result o f this spiritualization, and the unwavering d e v o tio n of
Nazi disciples.
Volkisch nationalism and the conce p t
o f the "racia l so ul"
were necessary ingredients in the building o f the Nazi r e li g i o n.
In a sens e they we re the glue or mo rter that he l d the who le
structure together.
Without nationalistic and racial pri d e the
" Geoffrey G. Fie l d , Eva ng e list o f Race .
Press, 1981), p. ~ 5 1.
( Ne w Yo rk:
Columbi a Un iv e r sity
�German peop le would never have been able to raise themselves up
to a level of superiority and sovereignty.
If nationalism was
the mart.er of this religion, however, popular sovereignty was the
foundati on .
During the eighteenth century, the ideas of popular
soverei g nty and the genera l will of the people began t o emerge
and develop.
This movement established the people as the essence
of the nation.
The rulers of the nation were not their masters
but their s e rve nts.
The power of the nation was no lon g er
perceived as residing solely in one great prince or royal
dynasty. Instead, the power of the nation was the po ssess i o n of
the people.
This power, however, could only be realized through
unity. This is where nationalism played a key role.
As common
citizens and blood brothers the people were able to draw to ge ther
and express a general will.
It was the power of this will, the
will of the pe o ple, that they believed would lift the world o ut
of degradation into a new and glorious future.
The development of the idea of popular sovereignty had led
to the perception that the people were the source of go o dness,
gre atness, powe r and glory .
control.
Their will was divine; it was they who would determine
the future.
11
The nation's destiny was in their
Here we see a transiti on from the monarch's claim of
divine right" to the people's claim of divinity.
However, this i dea of popular sovereignty alone co uld not
build an activ e reli g ion.
....
With all it's religious qualities,
there wa s s till something missing.
The idea of popular
sovereignty prov ided the religi ou s ideolog y but not the a b ility
to put that ideology into practice.
The "power ", afte r all,
�5
could not be realized by the individual.
It was only wher..
individuals were acting together in unity that their power became
functional.
factor.
Volkisch nationali sm , then, became the uniting
Blood and race united the people so that they were no
long er primarily seen as individuals but as members of some
greater entity, namely their race.
It was not personal identity
but nati o nal identity that became the all important factor.
Nationalism was us ed by the Nazis to modify the people's object
of worship.
"The worship of the people thus became the worship
of the nation."·
The destiny of the German nation and race, then, became the
cheif conc e rn of the Nazi reli g ion.
The perpetuation,
purification, and progression of the German race was the "higher
goal" tha t became the driving force of all Nazi actions.
This
"higher goal" became the supreme law which determined the Nazi
plan of act ion.
The role of this s upreme law for the Nazis i s
perhaps comparable to the role that the law of love played in the
French village of Le Chambon. ' '
All actions and response s were
guided by one great principle.
Alex Inkeles, who uses the term
mystique to describe the idea of this "higher goal" and guiding
principle, describes for us the effect that this Nazi principle
had on the people's interpretation of what we today see as t he
questionable morality of their leader.
'George L. Mosse, The Nationalization of the Ma s ses.
:J;,ertig, Inc., 1975), p. 2.
(New York:
Howard
' 'The story of Le Charnbon i s recorded in Hallie, Philip, Le st Innocent Blood
Be Shed .
(New York:
Harper & Row Publishers, 1979).
�6
The mystique dictates their morality, indeed it
stands above ordinary human morality and places its
adherent outside the demands normally to be made of a
man and leader. Hence the totalitarian may be
cyn ical about and manipulate II law, 11 "truth,"
"honesty , 11 and so on.
For as long as he manipu l2,t.es
these in the service of the mystique, his action is
beyond question--it is law, truth, honesty, loyalty,
unto its elf. '·
When dealing with Nazism, it is important to re alize that
this religion had an altogether different idea of what is good ,
right, and true than our predominately Judea-Christian so c iety.
Nazism had its own set of commandments which superceded all other
"truths" and principles.
Nazism determined the value of all
other principles by evaluating the service they contributed
toward the acheivement of the "hi gher goal ".
For the zeal ous
Nazi, achievement of this "higher goal" was the very purpose of
life.
The r e was no other moral principle great enough to justify
any action that worked contrary to the attainment of this
purpos e .
Again Alex I~celes' words appropr iately describe such
Nazi devoti o n:
'rheir consecration is not t o man, but to the myst.ical
law which they seek to fulfill.
If they be moved b y
the hopes, the fears, and especially the pains of
their fellow men, or be slowed in the execution of
duty by the hatred of those fellow men , then they
lack the qualities essential in a disciple of the
leader. The sufferings o f ordinary human beings a re
but temptations designed to deflect the elect fr om
the pursuit of the true goal.···'
The Nazi religion demanded the complete submission of its
followers.
Nazi goals were to be g iven top p riority over all
i carl J. Friedrich , To talitarianism.
92 .
:·· rbid., p. 96.
(New York:
Grosset & Dunlap, 196~), p .
�7
other goals and desires.
An all - consuming , passionate l ove f o r
rac e and nati o n we re expected to take first place in th e l ives
of every good Nazi.
'I'his claim to preeminence and unqualified
authority i s not unlike the claims made by other reli gions .
Reve r e nce for and s u bmis s i on to a higher p ower are indeed a
com."Tlon element among al l religions.
In fac t , Leon Poliako v has
identified this submission as one of the three necessary
characteristics of a religion.
Let us simply state that the three necessary
c haracte ristics of a reli g i on--the perceptio n of a
higher power, the submission to that . power, and the
establisb.ment of relations with i t --were indi s putably
a part of Naz ism. '
This s ubmission t o a "higher power
1
''
however' was n o t
expressed through submission to the abstract ideas of blood and
ra ce but through subm ission to the absolute power of the Third
Reich.
How d id Hitler and his totalitarian re g ime obtain t his
almighty power?
The answer to this question is f ound in the
process of the deification of t he Nazi leaders .
Since the Nazi
movement was perceived as be ing the expression of the true will
of the people, the established Nazi state was seen as an
instrument us ed by the people to acheive the ir ends.
power of the state was their own power (i. e .
power).
He n ce , the
the people's
This conception makes opposition to the state a bso lute ly
ridiculous because the state is no l o nger some oppressing power.
Rather, the state is merely the tool used to carry out the will
of the people.
Hitler was also able to obtain unque stionable
• Leon Poliako v, Harv est o f Hate .
(New York:
Ho locaust Library, 1979), p . 5 .
�8
authority.
As Fuhrer, he was seen as their spiritual leader that
brought them into fuller communion with the "Power" that was
within them.
Poliakov ·writes: "he alone was the high priest who
knew how to express the divine will.
11
This adoration for the
'
spiritual l eadership of the Fuhrer gave him virtually unlimite d
power.
"As the Nazi jurist, E.R. Huber, put it:
the Fuhrer is the will of the people.
The wil l of
tt ; ,
The greatest threat to the absolute authority of the state
was the presence of other human associations .
Unlimited power
could only be achieved through the subordination of all other
organizations and institutions that may demand the loyalty of the
individual.
The presence of existing religious institutions, of
Alfred Rosenberg , Hitler' s
course, was a primary concern.
philosopher, expressed his hope of transforming Christian
bodies into "chapels of one racial church."
The role of o ld
religion was to be replaced by totalitarian ideology.
religious groups would lose their independent identity but
maintain an external existence.
Freedom of religious
confessions would remain as long as they did not imperil the
stability of the state or "offend a gainst the eth i cal and moral
senses of the German race.
tt ::,
This subjugation of the Christian
church gave rise to what was known as "positive Christianity."
The churches of "positive Christianity" obeyed the commands that
:L
....
Ibid. , p. 5 .
~' Carl J· . Friedrich, Totalitarianism,
120.
'·'Ibid., p. 111.
(New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 19 64) , p.
�9
were dictated by the state and accepted the state's ide ol ogy .
These churches became instruments of Nazi propaganda.
There was
some resistance to this compromise, but all in all, the churche s
of Germany, whose influence over the people and existing
spiritual condition were already very weak, gave in to the
demands of the Party and the State.
They "were willin g t o f i ll
the void created by their own disbelief with political
enthusiasms.
11
i
This subjugation of the Church alon g with "the
subordination of the traditional human associations, the
organizations and institutions, of which the individual is a
member becan1e the chief tool for its [the totalitarian regime's]
ultimate subordination of the individual to the state." ·
Individual loyalty was to be, first of all, for the nation
(volk), and the value of all other associations were t o b e
measured according to the service they rendered unto the
all-embracing national power of the state.
Once all other
organizations and institutions had been subordinated, the
totalitarian regime had the absolute obedience of the individual
and the power to control and direct everything.
The following passage from Alex Inkeles' essay paints a
vivid picture of the devotion, loyalty, and complete submission
that was demanded of the individual, I would like to pre s e nt this
passage from Alex Inkeles' essay:
No one is wholly, fully, one with the party and its
cause until he in fact or in reasonable facsimile has
'· Ibid., p. 111.
,::Ibid., p. 90.
�10
smashed aga inst a wall the h ead of a baby of r acially
in fe rior stock or denounced a close comrade to the
secret police.
Such unho ly acts of consecration are
th e most important rites of p as s a ge into full status
in the totalitarian movement. '
Inke les goes o n to show that once a totalitarian regime , like the
one under Hit ler, i s in p ower, there is n o turning back .
The
regime has unchecked and unlimited power, and it will do anything
to maintain that power and perpetuate the percep tion that it i s
unassailable, almighty, omnipotent, and omnipresent.
The use of terror to guarantee continued loyalty proved to
be very effective for the Nazis.
Immediately followin g the
passage cited above, Inkeles writes these words:
One wonders, futher, whether or not this demand o f
the mystique does not figure prominently as an
element in the logic of the purges, for so ofte n
their victims seem to be sacrificed not so much for
what they have done as for what they have not done.
They are cast out not for bashing in the wrong head s ,
but for not bashing in enough heads.
They are tried
not s o much for acting incorrectly, but for inac ti on
which is taken as a sign of waning d e votion and dou bt
in the mystique. The terror i s most merciless with
those o f its agents who have blanched at the
execution of the mystical imperative. ; ·
The terror o f failing to meet the expectations that are set forth
by this higher law (mystique), which is enf orced by the
all-powerful state, forces men to conform and obey out o f fear
and anxiety.
The regime seeks to create in e very man the naggin g
f e ar that he may have done something wrong , that he
may have left s omething undone , that he may have s a id
some impermissible thing .... The non-victim thus
becomes the prisoner of a va gue uncertainty which
., Ibid., p. 97.
c rbid., p. 97.
�11
nags him.
It is this nagging uncertainty in the
non-victim which the terror se eks to create. For it
is a powerful force in making every man doubly watch
his every step. ,.
In an analysis of the Nazi religion, Hitler's role can not
be ignored.
It was Hitler who became the central focus of this
new religion.
He, like Jesus and Muhammad, was attributed
god-man characteristics and hailed as a divine instrument sent to
rescue and restore his people.
Hitler was the high priest,
mediator, and savior of the Nazi religion.
He, like Jesu s , was
seen as a Messianic figure, especially by the f o llower s of the
Houston Stewart Chamberlain,
nationalistic cults like Wagnerism.
who was perceived a,_s a
and
11
spiritual father" of the Nazi movement
a "prophet of Germanism" writes this concerning Hitler:
This man has worked like a divine blessing cheering
hearts , opening men's eyes to clearly se e n goals,
enlivening their spirits , kindling their capacity fo r
love and f or indignation, harde ning t heir courage and
resoluteness. Yet we still need him badly. May God
who sent him to us pre serve him for many years as a
"blessing for the Ge rman fatherland. 11 ' '
Hitler became the idol of the German people. He was the
object of hero-worship and adoration.
The people were fully
convinced that it was he who would save the world by leading
them to victory and world domination.
Hitler himself believed that he was a divine agent. He
believed that he had been placed on earth to enlighten the
people, make them conscious of their destructive foe, and lead
,...
'· Ibid., pp. 106-107.
•~Geoffrey G. Field, Evangelist of Race.
Press, 1981), p. ~~2.
(New York:
Columbia University
�12
them t o a b e t ter and more glorious future.
His lif e was
consecreted t o the f ulfillme nt of this task.
"Thus Hitler i s ,
from this point of view, seen as re garding himself as destined by
fate to secure the fulfillment of the histor i c destiny of th -2,
German race.
11
·'
La stly , l e t us consider the eschatol ogy of Nazism .
kind of h ope did Nazism offer for the future?
ques ti on is rather s imple.
What
The a nswer t o this
The Nazi promise was the s ame promise
of fered by other religions, name ly, perfection.
Nazi s m p r omised
that the futur.e would be f ree fr om all the troubl es o f toda y .
Beauty and order would replace corruption and chaos .
c iviliz at ion would reach perfection.
Huma n
Thi s perfecti on ,
accord ing to Nazism, would be re a lized through the
establishment of an Aryan dominated society .
Nazi f o ll owe rs
e nthusi ast i ca lly received this message believing that the end
result would be a glorious one-thousand-year reign for the Third
Reich.
Knowing the promises of Nazi eschatology, one c an easily
understand the appeal that this religion had t o a humilated
people who were experiencing hard times .
Unf ortunatel y, t he
people were willing to overlook the imperf ections and sacrifices
of the present for the sake of the promised future.
They let the
end justify the means. The claims for the future order ser ved as
a justification f or the power abuse and absolute domination of
.,,..
the Nazi regime.
'Carl Friedrich , Totalitarianism.
96.
(New York:
Grosset & Dunlap , 19 6 4), p .
�13
In addition to the Nazi promise of a glor i ous futur e ,
there were also other factors of the Nazi religion that appe a led
to the German people during the early decades of this century.
These factors which enhanced the appeal of Nazism all seem to
revolve around one central theme, namely, self-aggrandi zement .
In short Naz i sm was self-exalti ng .
It satisfied the
e go
o f ma n.
This self-exaltation of Naz ism i s evident in the
secular nature o f this religion.
Naz ism, as a s e c ul a r
religion, replaced God with nation.
blood, became the ob ject of worship.
Mankind, united through
When seeki ng pro sperity,
happ i ness , or vict?rY over unpleasant circumstances, Nazi
followers d i d not need to seek the favor or assi s tanc e of s ome
supreme being.
within them .
They only needed to mobilize the power that wa s
By nature this power was theirs and by right
victory , prosperity , and happiness belonged to them .
The Na~i
rel i g i on did not require its disciples to bow before a god;
inste ad , it required others to bow before them and acknowledge
their supremecy.
The blamelessness and innocence that Nazism off e red the
people was perhaps even more appeal ing.
Nazism be lieved in a
people that were good and pure by nature--not evil and d e prav ed.
This l ed them to conclude that the difficulties, corruption, and
degeneration that plagued their troub l ed world was not their
fault.
The sour ce of this evil was the work of a des tructive
foe (the Jew) that had s ubtly attacked the unsuspecting people
and pulled them down so that they could no longer experience the
g l ory and success of the p as t generations .
Furthe rmor e , in the
�ll.
Nazi religion one did not have to acknowledge their sins and
imperfections to a holy God.
required.
Confession and penance were not
The only things necessary to restore Germany to its
former glory were the enlightenment of the people and the
completion of a sanctifying and purifying process, and "[ t]he
only virtues or sins recognized were those of social
significance.";.
Thus, the people were not accountable to
anyone but themselves.
A third characteristic of the Nazi religion that promoted
self-aggrandizement is their "plan of salavation."
Nazism, like
other religions, did require that the German people acknowledge
their need for deliverance.
The method of their deliverance,
however, differs from all other religions.
The German people
did not need to rely on divine favor because although they had
allowed evil forces to taint and corrupt their society, they
were not hopelessly degraded and helpless.
Therefore, since the
German people did not have to rely on divine favor, they neither
had to humble themselves before the gracious God that offered
them salvation nor earn the right to salvation by performing
good deeds and expressing religious fervor.
The source of
deliverance, according to the Nazi religion, was the will of the
people expressed through the Nazi movement.
The Nazi movement,
which had brought enlightenment to the German peop l e, had opened
their eyes and made them aware of the subtle, destructive
influence of their foe.
By conquering and destroying this foe,
J. L. Talman, The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy.
A. Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1960), p. 23.
1
(New York: Frederick
�15
the German people would have successfully eliminated all evil and
restored perfection and order.
Thus , the destruction o f the Jew
became their mission in order that they might not only lift their
nation out o f degradation but also save the entire world.
Thu s,
Nazism e stablished the German people as their own s a viors.
Nazism also appealed to the pride of the Germa n peop l e .
It set up the Aryan race as superior to all other rac e s.
Aryanism became the expression of perfection and divinity.
t-Jhat
a boost this must have been for the demoralized German people who
still acutely felt the shame and disgrace of their l o ss in Wor ld
War I.
The world, blaming them for the war, had treated the m
with scorn and derision.
Their power had b een d estroye d, and
their country had been stripped of its glory.
This humiliati o n
and disgrace was still fresh in the minds of the people.
morale was at an all time low.
Public
This was the atmosphere in
Germany when Nazism appeared on the scene.
Nazism replaced the shame and disgrace of the Ge rman
people with renewed national pride.
It promised to remove the
stain of humiliation, avenge Germany, and restore her former
glory and power.
To the humilated people of Germany, the
prospect of glory and superiority was just too good to pass up.
The people were ripe for Nazism.
They were ready to do anything
to attain the self-glorification that was at the heart of the
Nazi religion.
The loss of World War I was not the sole factor that
contributed to the German environment in the 1930's in which the
seeds of Nazism germinated.
The economic, social, and p o litical
�16
conditions of the day were perhaps even more important factors.
During the early 1920 1 s, Germany experienced catastrophic
inflation.
The financial collapse of the Reich wiped out German
savings and produced unprecedented chaos.
Large-scale strike
movements broke out, prices and unemployment rose, and
increasing dissatisfaction with the government resulted in the
rise of anti-republican coups.
be forgotten.
These crisis years were not to
Even though the people experienced a brief period
of economic recovery and relative political stability after
1923, they would never again restore their confidence in their
government.
Their government had failed them.
It had folded in
a time of crisis giving rein to chaos, disorder, and instability.
It is not surprising then that the German people placed their
hopes in Nazism when in the 1930's they were again faced with
economic crisis (the Great Depression) and the political failures
of the Weimar government.
In addition to the economic and political conditions of
the day, the German people also felt the "menace of modernity."
They found themselves in
11
a society where old and new overlapped
in an almost random fashion, a society where no one could quite
be sure who he was, where he was, or where he stood in relation
to those around him.
of insecurity.
11 1
:
This contributed to a general atmo s phere
In this rapidly changing society, the people
of Germany often felt as if they were helpless victims without
any control over the future and their fate.
' Dennis Showalter, Little Man, What Now?
p.
16.
They were anxious,
(Conneticut:
Archon Books, 1982),
�17
uncertain, and overwhelmed by feelings of powerlessness and
insecurity.
This feeling of powerlessness, more than any o the r,
explains the enormous appeal of Nazism.
Existential angst is produce d when the individual
f e el s that he or she can no long er master vital
facets of life.
In this state of powerlessnes s the
person feels trapped and the survival is
threatened .... Existential angst motivates the se a rch
for an orientation that will promise a more secure,
predictable, and satisfying future. 1
Nazi promises of a healthy and happy world provided this sense o f
a secure future as well as a feeling of permanence in the midst
of a rapidly changing world.
back in control.
In addition, Nazism put the p e ople
It replaced their feelings of frustration and
anxiety with power.
11
Hitler offered power and rec og nition t o
the disappointed who felt powerless, and ari s tocratic s tatus t o
underdogs, who now became Nordic Aryans.
11
' ·'
The power that Nazism offered is probably the chief
appeal of this religio n.
Roles in the SS and the Nazi
bureaucracy g ave individuals the opportunity to obtain power and
prestige .
These power roles offered to individuals were o ne of
the important factors that motivated the perpetrators o f the
Holocaust.
Eicrunann is a prime example of this.
greed and fear were also powerful motivators.
In addition,
The subject of
individual motivation is an important consideration in the study
of Nazism.
However, a detailed discussion of that subject is
beyond the scope of this paper .
Instead, we shall look at the
.,,..
' Joel E. Dimsdale, Survivors. Victims and Perpetrato rs.
Hemisphere Publishing Company, 1980), p. ~18.
(Washing t o n:
�18
p ower el e ment as one o f the attract ions of the Nazi reli g i on .
The appeal of Nazi s m was its ability to eliminate the f ee l i n gs
of powerl ess ness, isolation, and inadequacy o f the p e o ple by
restori ng t h e ir co nf i d ence in their contro l over the f utur e .
Nazi doctrines restored the peopl e 's confidenc e in the i r own
p ower and c o ntrol by setting forth o n e simp le s olution f or a l l
the troubles and anxieties of Germany.
Nazisrn's one so lution to
all the concerns, conflicts, and unpleasant circumstance s that
faced the German people was Aryan domination and sub jugat i o n of
that one inherently evil element o f society, namely th e J e ws.
The J e ws were identified as the source of all t he evil
that had b ef a ll e n Germany.
By making the J e ws the sca pego a t ,
the people were able to avenge themselves of the wron g s t hey had
suffered.
They were able to v e nt their frustration s , anger, a nd
bitterness at some definate object.
They had turned their
battle a g ainst evil into something t a n g ibl e .
Opposing some
abstract e vil forc e was impossible, but battling the J e w wa s
something within their control.
Whe n the Jews became the
scapegoat, the evil foe became conquerable.
Once the J e ws were
conquered, beauty and order would be reestablished.
The p e opl e
who had been overwhelmed by their defeat in World War I, the
followin g economic upheaval, political failures, and s oc ial c h aos
would again be in control.
By gaining absolute authority and
control over the Jew, the German people could regain contro l
over their fate.
In summary then, the three factors that made Nazism
attractive to the German people were self-glorification, pride,
�and power.
19
At a time when the people felt that they had reached
rock bottom, Nazism not only gave them hope for the futur e --an
element which is also present in other religions--but it also
made them feel better about themselves.
The only probl e m is
that when man allows his life to be motivated by selfish
egotism, justice and compassion are neglected.
All efforts
become motivated by self-aggrandizement without any
consideration for the sufferings and sacrifices of others.
As this paper concludes, the following questions remain:
Why is it important to realize that Nazism is a religion?
What
significance does it have on our understanding of the Holocaust?
What role did religion play in the destruction of millions of
lives?
The appeal of Nazism is understandable.
Considering the
economic, social, political, and religious conditions of the day,
it seemed reasonable that Nazism would attract quite a following.
One is disturbed, however, by the fact that Nazism was able to
lead the German people further and further down a road that would
ultimately lead to mass killings while the people blindly
followed them.
leadership.
There was little or no resistance to Nazi
Why didn't the people raise their voices in protest?
Didn't they see that things had just gone too far and that Nazism
was requiring them to participate in actions that were obviously
wrong?
When answering these troubling questions, the
significance of the fact that Nazism is a religion becomes
clear.
Since the Nazi movement and its leaders were deified, a
�20
true follower would never question the "goodness" of the leader's
Even when the actions and commands of their leaders
actions .
seemed questionable, the people never doubted the goodness of
their guidance.
They believed that their enlightened leader s
were ab l e to see the needs of the nation more clearly than they
could. Whatever conduct was required must be n e cessary, and in
the long run, it would all work out for the good of the people.
Were all the people such ardent followers of the Nazi
religion?
followers?
What about those who weren't such dedicated
Why didn't they speak up?
Well, some did, but it
didn't d o any good because criticism was viewed as heresy; who
was going to liste~ to a heretic?
Since Nazism was a religio n,
i t allowed one party, one loyalty, and believed that here was
only one "truth".
To tolerate any expressions of criticism,
would be to sanction blasphemy.
Just as a Muslim or Hindu community will not tolerate the
presence of a Christian, Nazism would not tolerate any oppossing
views.
If someone were to question or criticize the Nazi state,
i t is certain that the entire community would have turned on him.
His freedom and perhaps even his life would have been in danger.
Religions become so fervent in the perpetuation and defense of
their beliefs that one dares not propose a contrary view.
was such a religion.
Nazism
Thus, the religious qualties of Nazism,
which were instrumental in exciting and motivating the German
people, also help account for the continued control that Nazi s m
was able to maintain over these people.
As a religion, Nazism was able to 1) raise up fervently
�21
dedicate d followers consecrated to Nazi goals, 2) take o n
infallible and omnipotent characte ristics in the eyes o f the
p e ople, and 3) establi s h virtually unlimited and unque s t io n ed
power.
Furthe rmore, since Nazism invoked a reli g i ous r e s p o nse ,
it was able to establish its own moral code.
Nazism so alte r ed
the Germa n p e rcepti o n of the Jews that the y were able t o c o nvin c e
thems elves that they were battling the devil, not destroying
human lives.
They were not doing evil.
were destoying evil.
On the con trary, t hey
In the Nazi religion the people were not
only not guilty of wrongdoing, they were commended f or t h e ir acts
'
of "righteousness" which fulfilled the commandments of their go d.
If Nazi s m had not h a d these reli g ious qualitie s, the r ever sa l o f
German value s , a necessary ingredie nt of the Holoca ust, could no t
have taken place.
Re ligion seems to be the o nly s o cia l f or ce
that has the influence to change lives by completely alte ring
one's perception of the world, one's moral judgement, and o ne's
response to his fellowmen and the various circumstances he fac e s .
...
,·, · ,
�"
BIBu:x;RAPHY
Dimsdale, Joel. SUrvivors, Victims aruf Perpetrators - Essays on the Holocaust.
Washington: Hemisphere Publishing Compnay, 1980.
Field, Geoffrey. Evangelist of Race - The Gennanic Vision of Houston Stewart
Chamberlain. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.
Friedrich, Carl.
Totalitarianism.
New York:
Grosset
rvbsse, George. The Nationalization of the Masses.
Inc., 1975.--- - Poliakov, I.eon.
Harvest of Hate.
New York:
&
Dunlap, 1964.
New York:
Howard Fertig,
Holocaust Library, 1979.
Showalter, Dennis. Little Man, What Now? - Der Sturmer in the Weimar Republic.
Conneticut: Archon Books, 1982.-- - Talmon, J .L. The Origins of Totalitarian Democracy.
Praeger, Inc., Publishers, 1960.
c·
,,..,,_-,., -- - -
'" "",
-,.-- ----_---- . - .
New York:
Frederick A.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
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Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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RHC-144
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Text
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application/pdf
image/jpeg
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eng
nl
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RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-Religion-of-Nazism-by-P-Termaat
Creator
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Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
The Religion of Nazism
Description
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Essay by Pieter Termaat about Nazi beliefs and religion.
Subject
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Fascism
Germany -- Social conditions
Social conditions
Germany
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
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Text
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application/pdf
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eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8df59f6c2cec8221615af0e1b565c7d6.pdf
a89b247933bb03d05887d38f4964ce1e
PDF Text
Text
One Week in
MtJ©
by Pieter and Adriana Termaat
as told to Keith Term:i.at
Spring norimlly canes early in the Netherlands, and this spring of 1944 is no
exception. The Gulf Stream flowing from the Ol.ribbean to Hollandts shores,
brings tropical waters to lowlands that would otherwise be frozen in arctic
ice. Warm April winds tease buds, blossans and leaves into feathery foliage.
The famous tulips are normally in riotous bloan by Miy. Sadly there are few
tulips this May. The bulbs have long ago been ground up, mixed with potato and
wheat flour and baked into bread to feed a population systenntically deprived
of the means of survival by the G:?rzmn Occupation. Diffodils are seen, their
poison keeps them from being eaten.
The area around the town of Alkrmar, located in the Northwest peninsula of
Holland, consists of drained lakes known as polders. It is normally a vast
vegetable growing areaJ but not in the form of large fields. Instead hundreds
of srrn.11 islands, each no more than ten meters by thirty and barely above water
are laboriously tilled by hand.
Here, though diminished by the GerMn
Occupation, there is enough food for the local population. Potatoes, cabbage,
car rots and even milk and cheese provide meager sustenance, but assured
survival.
It is for survival that Pieter Tenmat and his wife Jannie moved
with their two toddler sons fran Alkrmar to nearby Broek-op-La.ngedijk, comoonly
known as Broek (brooke), in the middle of a polder. From here, Pieter runs his
accountancy practice which also serves as a cover for his clandestine
activities in the Netherlands' Resistance Movement.
Sunday in Broek is very quiet. The sounds of water, birds and the ever present
wind are undisturbed by hmmn traffic. The conservative farmers leave hane
only to attend the 100rning and evening church services. The village is
isolated, there being only one access road fran Alkmaar on a dike flanked by
water on both sides. Pieter and his family live in a rented parsonage on this
access road which doubles as the ma.in street for Broek.
It is nearly five
otclock as Pieter prepares himself for church. Jannie attended the morning
service while her husband cared for the youngsters. She will babysit tonight.
Their familiar routine is interrupted by the doorbell.
It is their friend
Evert Brink.
rrwe don't have time for explanations, you must leave imrediately. They're
coming for you this evening. n Q.ii ckly, a trustworthy neighbor is cal led to
bring a crate in his punt, a flat ~Jttaned, pointed wooden boat typical of the
region.
The entire house is grimly purged of all evi de nee pointing to the
Resistance. Weapons, newspapers, counterfeit ration cards and ID's are packed
and taken by boat to be buried on one of the farrrer's island plots. The crate
~ill not be found. The islands are virtually identical and there is more water
than land.
©February 1986
�-2"Now go," says Evert.
"Toke the bicycle path behind the white church in St.
Pancras to Koedi jk.
If the pontoon bridge over the North Holland canal is
unguarded , cane directly to our house. I will take the dike road through St.
Pancras and Oudorp and link up with you at hane." Pieter hastily bids Jannie
farewell and reviews again the business trip alibi for his
absence. The purported business trip is backed up by financial docunents kept
in readiness for rapid flight.
The documents describe the sale of stock
options in a venture to build cold storage warehouses for export imrediately
after the war. Pieter leaves quietly so as not to arouse suspicion, taking his
toothbrush and pajamas but no luggage . Worrisanely, Jannie watches him go.
and the boys
The town of Alkrmar lies off the track of rmjor World War II battles, this is
as quiet a day as has occurred since the invasion four years ago. There is
just a srmll Genmn garrison here. Toe Nazi authorities in hnsterdarn have
learned to rely on an effective network of Nether lander spies to rrai ntai n
control. A D..ltch front is kept on that control by the local police department
in Alkrm.ar which patrols traffic and roonitors ordinary personal conduct •
On this Sunday, 7 May 1944, the police station is manned only by officer Jacob
van Di jk, a relative newcaner to this traditional town. Jacob v.tl.S born and
raised in Kampen, about 150 kilometers to the Southeast. It is midday and his
mind wanders to the swat teams recently organized by the Netherland's
Resistance Movement. The local team, of mich he is a part, is armed and
assigned to violently harass Nazi operations and installations. His day-dream
is inte~rupted by an attractive young wanan. nMay I rmke a long distance call
to ..Amsterdam?" Her ID shows her to be a C£stapo agent so Jacob has no recourse
but to allow the call.
Mrs. Fransje de Munk rings Gestapo headquarters which is located on the
Euterpestraat in hnsterdam. Jacob busies himself with paperwork as she informs
the Gerrmn authorities that she was provided false identity papers by one
Pieter Terrraat, a resident of the nearby village of Broek. Jacob does not
react as she req1.Jests authority to arrest his cousin Pieter inmediately.
Jacob's shift will be over in a few hours, at three o'clock. He is anxious to
get hcxne but plans to alert the Resistance.
On his way home he stops by a trusted nanber of the Resistance, Evert Brink,
and tells him of the afternoon 1 s happening. "You must warn Pieter now," he
urgently advises. "He has to go into hiding.n . Without hesitation Evert jmnps
on his bicycle, his only transportation, and begins the eight kilometer trip to
Broek.
Jannie can 1 t sleep Sunday night. Her two little boys sleep soundly in cribs in
the rrester bedro001. The shutters are closed and the doors are locked as she
lays in bed wai ting and listening to night sounds, fearing the sound of
footsteps . They don't come. Toe following rmrning, she takes the boys to
Alkroo.ar on her bicyc le, one in a seat up front and the other on the luggage
rack, and drops them of f at her rother 1 s .
�-3-
She manages to reach Evert Brink's house undetected to tell Pieter that there
had been no sign of the Gerimns at the parsonage. It is decided he will stay
away another day to be sure. "Has our swat team been warned?" he asks. "Yes."
Jannie reassures, and leaves to pick up the children and go hane, pretending
all is well. The day drags on.
That same day a list of Resistance fighters and other citizens targeted for
being taken hostage is left exposed in the office of Mayor Stoutjesdijk of
Broek, a Nazi sympathizer. The oldest daughter of neighbor Jacob Balder, who
works in the office, sees the list and alerts everyone. Pieter and Jannie
Termaat are not listed, a ruse suggesting that the exposure was deliberate.
Warned, their neighbors do not sleep Tuesday night and see the cars pull up to
the parsonage in the preda~~ darkness. And they see the soldiers surround the
house and invade it.
Jannie lay lightly sleeping until jerked awake by the noise of a gunbutt
slamning into the front door. She runs to the door wearing only her nightgown,
fearing they will break in by force. The soldiers rush in as Jannie runs back
to the bedroan to cover herself with the first thing she sees, a grey sunrner
coat with thirteen buttons. She checks on her babies. The soldiers follow and
feel both sides of the bed for warmth as evidence that two people had lain
sleeping. The surrounded house is thoroughly searched in a matter of minutes
as Jannie steadfastly sticks to the business trip story. The S.S. officer
coomrnding the ten men wears an overpowering perfume, unmanly in that era.
Mlyor Stoutjesdijk of Broek is also there.
The soldiers search under the bed and in the closets, everyv.here! All the
V¥tlile the S.S. cornmnder keeps Jannie under close surveillance.
He asks a
question and imrediately beams a bright flashlight in her face. Then he drops
the hand holding the light to his side until the next question.
In her
presence, he personally searches the house, including books to look for hidden
docmients. Jannie sees armed men outside the kitchen window. It is the same
in other roans. Nien the officer climbs the rickety ladder to an attic storage
roan, she mockingly tells him 1 "Be careful! Saneone else fell frCIIl there." He
irrrrediately jumps down not knowing mether to take her seriously. Soon after,
they leave and Jannie steps outside to see how oony zren are uniformed and how
IIll.ny are civilian collaborators.
She wants this information to warn the
Resistance but is roughly ordered inside before she can see them all. Later
that morning she sends the word out, "They have been here." What a relief!
They found nothing.
......
After the G?stapo search, the perft.nred officer is identified as the feared
Friedrich Cllristia.n Viehbahn S.S., Aide-de--Qunp to S.S. Stunnbannfuhrer Willy
La.ges frcm headquarters in .Amsterdam. This level of attention hightens the
danger
All sv.-rat team rrembers are warned to stay away. Only Jacob Balder
stays home, his wife is seven months pregnant with their sixth child, Despite
Jannie's repeated warnings, he cannot bring himself to go. Arrested on June 23
bv S.S. Viebahn and Ruhl, aided by the traitor Kuiper, he is shot on July 16 in
the sand-dunes near Overveen along with fourteen other Resistance fighters. On
this spot, between Haarlem and Z9.ndvoort, rest the remains of 371 figh ters in
~nat is now the Nationa l Resistance Cementery.
C
�-4Officer van Dijk alerts Dr. Nico Louis of the Alkmaar swat team about Pieter's
predicament.
Later on Tuesday, the Doctor's Rena.ult is seen leaving the
Brink's house driving in the direction of the Heilo woods. Unobserved, Pieter
hunkers down on the floor behind Nico, heart pounding in his throat.
In
Uitgeest they leave the car and wait for the train to take Pieter to
Koog-aan-de-z.aan, near .Amsterdam and then to a safe house in .Amersfoor t.
Quietly Pieter and the Doctor discuss actions ramining to control further
daroo.ge to the regional Resistance. Pieter also asks him to shelter Fransje de
Munk \\hose Resistance group had been arrested. Dr. Nico pranises to take care
of these matters.
"Here is your train my friend, see you after our
liberation."
Wednesday, Dr. Louis has Fransje de Munk cane to his office during normal
business hours and she explains the plight of her arrested husband and his
Resistance group.
Syrll)athetically, Nico asks, "Do you have any pressing
needs?" "Yes," she says, "I badly need identification papers." Nico freezes
as he remembers that officer van Dijk overheard a phone call from a young ~ n
to the <£s tapo, asking for the arrest of Pieter Termaat. This had happened
just last Sunday. Dr. Louis also recalled Pieter's conversation on the train
platform. He had explained Fransje's situation. Her Resistance group from
Waterland was betrayed and captured, including her husband. She needed a roof
over her head and was willing to work for roan and board. Pieter had already
provided her false identity papers. This was the key to the betrayal!
On
Doctor Louis invites Fransje to come by Friday evening to pick up the ID. She
is captured by the Alkrmar swat team as she enters Dr. Louis' house and
confesses. It seems her husband was having an affair with her sister. Out of
revenge, she had informed the G:!stapo of his Resistance activities.
The
Gestapo gave her a choice, work for them or be condemned to a concentration
camp. She is sentenced to die by National Resistance Headquarters. There is
no other way . It is either her life or those of loyal Dutclinen, too many have
already died as a result of her betrayal. Burial is in the dike near
Rus tenburg •
Several weeks pass. Allied air attacks on road traffic cause the Germans to
dig fox holes along road shoulders using forced Dutch labor. One man happens
upon Fransje's body. After the conrrotion settles, the Gestapo advertises a
reward for inforimtion leading to the arrest of those res?onsible. The Alkimar
swat team scatters, but they are not betrayed.
June 6 in .Amersfoort, Pieter walks fran the safe house to a nearby barber shop
for a much needed haircut. On the way he pauses to read a newspaper displayed
on a bulletin board. A nearby chalk board carries the latest headlines. With
a shock he reads of the Allied invasion in Nor1IB.ndy. After returning to the
house, he is paid a surprise visit by Evert Brink. "What in the hell are you
doing here?" says Pieter. "Is that any way to greet a friend who brings you
clean underwear and letters fran hane?" replies Evert. Pieter announces the
Allied invasion.
" You're crazy," says Evert, so Pieter walks him to the
bulletin board. "You can't stay here with all this uncertainty," continues
Evert, "cane hane with me." They take leave of Pieter's hosts and catch the
train, hiding behind Gerrmn language newspapers and not speaking.
�-5-
On her frequent trips to Allamar, Jannie always take her little boys to see
their Dad. Little Nico doesn't recognize him, but Kees {Keith) does. On one
of her visits she becanes pregnant, a dangerous condition with her husband gone
and one not easily explained. One day, after a visit to her hairdresser, she
was fol lowed.
She entered the V and D department store through the rm.in
entrance on the Ridder Straat and shopped long enough to know she had not been
followed into the store. She then exited out the back door on the La.at Straat
and quickly Nilked to her nnther's, just a block away. "ffllen he hears it,
Pieter is desperately worried. She has to take extraordinary care to visit
him. He cannot return hane.
It is l\'la.y 1945. The C£rnllns have been fleeir,g for nnnths, sensing imninent
defeat. The Netherland's Resistance has been gaining strength and numbers for
the same reason. The unit in Allamar, now 700 men, controls key points within
the city, at least at night. The lightly armed men must stay in hiding 1rost of
the da.y. The Csnadian First Army is sighted on May 8 and three officers of the
Resistance assemble at city hall to await the First's triumphant entry into the
city.
Doctor Nico Louis walks up and greets the officers, whan he has not seen in a
year. nlt is finally over." The year in hiding after Fransje de Munk ms
captured at his office has taken its toll • .An orderly approaches, "Are you Dr.
Louis?" "Yes." "Fransje de Munk's father is in the city, armed and looking for
you." Nico quickly leaves knowing that he is the cause of her death. captain
Vels Heyn and the two other officers run into city hall. After a short
discussion with Captain Muris, Vels Heyn orders a five man patrol to disarm the
distraught father and bring him in. Lieutenant Cblonel Gcmlag receives him,
explains the circumstances leading to his daughter's death and convinces him of
her guilt. Her father is crushed. "I won't trouble you again,IT he says, and
leaves the city.
The third officer, Lieutenant Pieter Terma.at, contemplates how the lives of two
men frcxn Kampen crossed in Alkrmar. The marriage of policeman Jacob van Di jk 's
uncle to Pieter's aunt was the link that allowed Jacob, by chance, to become
his cousin's rescuer.
kbt/escapel
2/ 07/ 86
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_One-Week-in-May
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Termaat, Adriana B.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1986-02
Title
A name given to the resource
One Week in May
Description
An account of the resource
Memoir by Pieter and Adriana Termaat about the Dutch Resistance movement and the night their house was raided by the Gestapo while Pieter, who was wanted for arrest, escaped to a nearby farm.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Termaat, Keith B.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dutch
World War, 1939-1945 -- Netherlands
World War, 1939-1945--Occupied territories
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c5efce4865a634e611e6bb1ccf0fc8a3.pdf
31dd295a4cb74d40ee79c842ec9d99a3
PDF Text
Text
Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman was the son of Klaas Schuurman and
Adriana Barbara Schuurman-Hennipman • When he was 6 years old his father
died (1896) and his mother was left with 8 children and 2 farms to
keep going. Something had to give and the result was the loss of the
farms, and very little for the children.
The Hennipman family was well to do •
Lijsje Hennipman married Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman, and towards the
end of the 1920ties she inherited some 10,000 guilders (that represented
at that time about 5 middle class houses) and she inherited also 3
houses in the city of Hillegom.
Nicolaas P. J. was manager with van der Schuit , a firm that ran a shipping
business. I n 1928 with the 10,000 from his wife he bought a 50% interest
in a freightcompany , the "Stad Alkmaar" , while 3 partners : Grondsma ,
Wolzak and Jonker put in together also 10,000 guilders. Voting rights
were limited to 3 per person regardless of the input of capital.
So Nicolaas P.J. had only 3 votes.
He passed away in 1943 and his 5 children properly inherited each 2
shares, originally worth 2,000 guilders.
The voting rights changed dramatically. From Nicolaas' 3 votes against
9 from the other partners, the change brought about was now: 10 votes
for the family and 9 for the partners •
.•.n the first bo!lrd meetinP- aft13r the 0<1ssin,,.. <1w.qv of mv ~-ith~r . i"'l l'lw
~ proposed that tne corpor11t1on P!lV 11 oension to ~v mothrir in-l"IW. who
also nad a 9 year old daucrhter to C'lr"3 for. I ,iraurid th"lt si.n~e the
investmen~ of 10,000 guilders came entirely from her inherit,nce, and
iay fatner-in-law had for lL ye4rs be13n a~ activP p~13sident of the comp'lny
it was tne only decent thiner to do
J.ne proposal passed with JRaP dissentinl?' • He aro-ued th11t it was the responsibility of the 4 adult children to take care of their mother.
Despite the fact that the children each held 104 of the shares, Jaap
did state that he "did not work for his sisters '' •
Jaap did pay the pension until his mother ' s death ;
Until Jaao's death , we were not aw!lre of what tr nspired among the
family members in Holland •
v, e visited Gees in 1976 a ~ear after his passim7 away ,md from then on
we learned about many thinP-s that had pone wrong .
The remaining trucks of the comoany had been requisitioned by the Germ ns
and the payments for these assets was not recorded on the books.
Jaap did buy out the sh!lres from the non-family partners , after openinpthe books to their account.qnts.
Jaap wanted to move to Berp-en, and found somebody who wanted to sell
a perm.it to settle there, of course for a price.
At that moment Jaap persuaded YrfY mother-in-law to sell the 3 houses in
Hille~om, and used that money to buy the permit .
The payment to the non-family partners is also suspect .
Shocked by these revelations, we h"ld all these alle~ tions investiP-ated
and they proved to be true.
On ~arch 15, 1978 we decided to put the qffair behind us, and 4Uthorized
our sister Leida to settle mother Schuurman inherit nee.
From Gees came only the ~r~tuitous remark th4t her in-l~ws h4d alw ys
hated her, but that she h~d proved to be the only sm rt one.
�,Ucolaas Piet er J.<J.n Schuurman was the son of Klaas Schuurman and
Adr iana. Bar bara Schuurma.n-Hennipman • \.,hen he was 6 yeqrs old his f11ther
died (1896) and his mother was left with 8 children ~nd 2 farms to
keep going . Something had to ~ive and the result w s the loss of the
farms , and very little for the children.
The Hennipman family was well to do .
Lijsje Hennipman married Nicolaas Pieter Jan Schuurman, and towards the
end of the 1920ties she inherited some 10,000 ~uilders (that represented
at that time a.bout 5 middle class houses) and she inherited also J
houses in the city of Hille~om .
Ni cola.as } . J . was manager with van der Schuit , a firm that ran a shippin~
business . In 1928 with the 10,000 from his wife he bowht a 50~ interest
in a freightcompa.rw , the "Stad fllkm,qar" , while '3 partners : Grondsma ,
wol zak and Jonker put in to~ether also 10,000 ~uilders. Voting rights
were limited to J per person regardless of the innut of capital .
So Nicola.as P.J. had only J votes .
He passed away in 19i3 and his 5 children properly inherited each 2
shares , originally wor th 2,000 guilders.
fhe vot in~ rights chan~ed dramatic lly . From Nicol as' J votes against
9 from the other partners, the change brought about was now: 10 votes
for the family and 9 for the partners.
In the first board meeting after the passing away of my father-in-law
I proposed that the corporation pay a pension to my mother-in-law, who
also had a 9 year old daughter to care for. I argued that since the
investment of 10,000 guilders came entirely from her inheritance, and
my father-in-law had for 14 years been an active president of the company
it was the only decent thing to do.
The proposal passed with Jaap dissenting. He argued that it was the responsibility of the 4 adult children to take care of their mother.
Despite the fact that the children each held 10% of the shares, Jaap
did state that he "did not work for his sisters" •
Jaap did pay the pension until his mother's death;
Until Jaap's death, we were not aware of what transpired among the
family members in Holland.
We visited Gees in 1976 a ¥ear after his passing away and from then on
we learned about many things that had gone wrong •
The remaining trucks of the company had been requisitioned by the Germlns
and the payments for these assets was not recorded on the books.
Jaap did buy out the shares from the non-family partners, after opening
the books to their accountants.
Jaap wanted to move to Bergen, and found somebody who wanted to sell
a permit to settle there, of course for a price.
At that moment Jaap persuaded my mother-in-law to sell the J houses in
Hillegom, and used that money to buy the permit.
The payment to the non-family partners is also suspect.
Shocked by these revelations, we had all these allegations investigated
and they proved to be true.
On March 15 , 1978 we decided to put the affair behind us , and authorized
our sister Leida to settle mother Schuurman inheritance.
From Gees came only the gratuitous remark that her in-laws had always
hated her, but that she had proved to be the only smart one.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-1978-History-of-Stad-Alkmaar-drama-426
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1978
Title
A name given to the resource
Schuurman Family Estate
Description
An account of the resource
Story of the Schuurman-Hennipman family estate, by Pieter N. Termaat.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dutch
Estate planning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/cf02f2893726da938ffacceb095b80e2.pdf
08ab7ea570003899c52b5869022e233b
PDF Text
Text
Anti-Semitism existed in Germany and other European countries for many
hundreds of years. The racist doctrines which made their initial appaerance in the 19th century added momentum to the hatrsd of tne Jews.
In many countries, racist anti-semitism was used as an instrument of
political propaganda to gain the support of the masses. However it was
only in e 1930's with the growth of the National Socialist Party and
Hitler's rise to power in Germany that anti-Semitism was adopted as a
policy by a major political party.
Racisme added new and substantial dimensions to t.radi tio ·inal antisemitism. In the past. hatred of jaws had had specific grounds and
vertain lines of development. The hatred nurtured by ancient Christian
.concepts regarded the jews as the people of Israel and the people of
the Messiah, but also as the people who had re3ected its redeemer
Jesus, and thus had condemned itself to ostracism and the eternal
enmity of the Christian world. The jews had to be kept in a state of
servitude, misery and degradation.
Moreover , their eternal wandering among the nations forever at the
mercy of Christians, seemed. to coni"irm the veracity of Christian
teachings.
Later aniti-semitism was reinforced by a greatre stress on economic
social and pol..J.tical factors.
According to Nazi theorists the danger ca.me only from their tainted
J ew1.sh blood •
The German people constituted. in their opinion the highest stratum
of the Nordic -Aryan race. All others especially jews were sub-humans.
Manifest destiny demanded of the Germans that they wage an uncompromising struggle for their heritage, primacy and power.
According to Nazi theory, humanity is not a homogenous unit, and the
human race has no common denominatot.
On the eve of WWII in January 1939 Hitler said:
11
Today I w111 once more be a propnet • If the 1ntinmational financiers
inside and outside Europe should again succeed in pl~ng the nations
into a world war , the result will not be bolsnevisation of ~he
ear'th and thus the victory of jewry , but the annihilations of the
jewish. race tnrougneut Europe • "
Thus jewry ca.me to be regarded as enemy number one, and the murder
or jews became one of the aims for which the war was being waged.
In 1Y2J the NSDAP attempted a political coup in MUnich.
In 1924 the Nazi's received only J %of tne votes cast and had 14
representatives in the Reiohstag.
In 192~ they received only 2.6% of the vore and had 12 Jllll"epresentatives
in the Reichstag •
However 1Y29 saw the commencement of a worldwide economic crises, with
the accompnaying social ferment and political unrest.
Thus in 1930 the elections gave the Nazi 1 s lb.J %of the vote and 107
seats in the Reichstag •
In 1932 howver they lost 34 or their seats in the elections.
They never gained an absolute majority in a free election, not, even
in the election or March 1933, when they were already in power.
It was Field Marshall Paul von Hindenburg who appointea Hitler Chancelor
on the advice of Krupp.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-Anti-semitism-319
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Notes on anti-semitism
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on the nature of anti-semitism in Europe and Germany.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Antisemitism
Germany -- Social conditions
Social conditions
Germany
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/36d7863face2a703933314b89b2c8aee.pdf
05b6bae1cce7c5456894b42d06c5c150
PDF Text
Text
Wilhelm PrU.1.ler, drafted into tne German Army, not a Nazi,
nas published abooklet : "Diary of a German soldier 11
Re fought wi.tn nis unit on the Russian front •
He writes :
"We reached. our first target Nish Dolgoe, or rather the place
wnere it used to stand up till a few hours ago. The few wooden
huts were blown tQ smithereens by our rocket mortars.
Tony remains - a few strong wooden beams and bits of household
equipment are all that's left. Frightened covilians crwa.ling
out 01· tne cellars , the !'ear of death in their eyes ,
weeping children , grown-ups shaking with fear , the apathy
of the very old ones • '!'hat was Nish Dolgoe •
Dear God, we thank thee that this war must not be fougnt on
German soil • 11
Peter Sichrovslg has written about the children and r.andchildren of Nazi families.
He writes aoout 15 of the , a mixture of important personages
and simple fellow travelers. It was the vast mass of loya
decent oureaucrats, officers, policemen, mayors, railroad
employees, teachers and so on, that greased the wheels
of the Nazi dictatorship.
Says one:, For you gentiles and jews who s~:vived, the
suffering ended with Hitler's death. But for us the children
oft.he Nazi's, it didn't end. When their world collapsed
1n ruins and ashes, the heroes of the Thir
eich staked
another battle ground - the family."
Says another: 11 Once, one single t1me, my father was drunk enough
to talk about i t , how terrible 1t na been, that time
they had to shoot children one by one with a nandgun because
these idiot soldiers had aimed their automatic weapons too
nigh above the heads of the children • 11
I
Jean and I can tell you of our particular experiences, but
we must f it them to the purpose of the whole, with proper
attriDution to the many of our small band who did not live to
see the day of liberation.
We survivors are fast dwindling in numbers; we have the fee l ing
that we are still too close to it to write the definitive
history about i f . The names of them who passed away, mean
little to the generation of today. A few have been commemorated
on monuments or in street J[l'lames. In many cases history
has been falsified: in the period between Sept ember 17, 1944
t o ~ May 1945 , 9 of the 11 provinces of The Netherlanss
remained occupied , and unrepre.s ented in t he government .
In the f reed provinces of Brabant and Limburg a strong minority
existed of dubious loyalty, which has managed that cleansing
the country of Nazi's, collaborators etc. was frustrated .
�The German war industry put Hitler in power in 1933 and 193~ .
Bernt Engelmann came out of an intelligent, liberal minded
German family , and happened to survive Dachau when the A.m erican
armies overran that concentration camp.
In his book : "In Hitler's Germany" he explains , wonderfully
clearly ( and by the way in excelllent translation) how a small
minority of thugs could take over a great power.
What strikes our imagination is the speed with which these thugs
played on the field of geo-politics to set the stage for the
final blow against the Allies.
- - - - - - ---
J
Jan 26, 193~ German-Polish friendship and non-aggression pact.
Feb 7 , 1934 German Defense council orders the economic prepara: ·t ion
for war •
Jun 3u - July 2, 1934 Leadership of the s.A. killed off.
their "leader" R8hm inclu:led •
Aug 2, 1934 German President Hindenburg dies.
The office:;of Reichspresident and Re~chscharmlor
united in the hands of Hitler as:
"Fuhrer and Reichschancelor"
On the initiatmve of General Blomberg-Reichenau
the armed. forces take the oatn of loyalty to
Hitier personally.
July 25, 1934 Austria's democrat ,ically elected chancelor
tloll fusz murdered.
Sept 9, 1934 USSR joins the League of Nations.
T.ne thugs who took over Germany, the Nazi's, never amounted to
more than 10% of the adult popupiQ;tion.
In the other totalitarian country Russia, 7% of the adult
population had membership in the comm.must party.
It does not iake much to destroy freedom.
What followed 193~ what a systematized destruction of useless
elderly people ( 70, uoo Germans were annihilated ), Jews , in Germany
since old times the most nationalistic group, gypsies etc.,
Now we cannot face death without blinking; but to face not
only one's own !'ate , but also that of parents -grandparents,
children, grandchildren, familymembers, friends and acqaintenances simultaneously, is still another dimension.
Evil again proved more powerful than good. It seems a distinct
entity like a devo31ring flame, like a hcllocaust, like a mighty
storm, like a huge tidal wave.
The slmk to human dignaty A,~l)personal dignity was numbing •
"you are nothing , your country is all" the never ending drumbeat of propaganda droned on: to hate became the goal, and it
_ _ _ _ _____ was carefully taiaght day in day out.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-Nazi-brutality
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Notes on Germany
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on Germans and Germany before and after World War II.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Germany -- Social conditions
Social conditions
Germany
World War, 1939-1945
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c222c9b3c77dc94f6a246bf16e234f68.pdf
eb70d65bfa99d2c53ab09affcbf4d7cd
PDF Text
Text
Liddell Hart, the English military analyst,
did interview many German generals after the war, and has writeen
a oook about tnat named: ."The other side of the hill"
para's
Generagl Student had been in command of the German airborne forces,
then the first of its kind in the world.
Quoting Stment, he told that Germany had in 1940 4,500 experienced
paratroopers.
Generals Student and Sponeck were called in by Hitler on the second
of May, 19~0, and tney were the first ones to learn the date of the
attack on western Europe: May 6th. Weather conditions postponed
this to May 10th.
Hitler's special instructions were to capture Queen Wilhelmina and
the members of the Royal House, witnout doing them harm.
Queen Wilhelmina was not only nignly popular in Holland, but was
respected throughout the lfOrld. Tnis part of the generals instructions
was in writing.
Hitler told them that he would take Holland with,n ~hours.
5 batallions together 4,000 men strong and the 22nd airlanding regiment
12,000 men strong were to attack.
General Student commanded the attack on the bridges in Rotteraam,
Dordrecht and the Moerdijk, thus trying to capture the main roads
toward the south. The bridges were to be captured before they could
be blown up.
The surprise attack was completely succesful, with losses on German
side of ltlO men dead or wounded.
The second ll[attack was directed towards The Hague.
The royal palace, mi.litary headquaters, and civilin departments,
were the goal of Graf' Sponeck.
Small airports round The Hague were used to land German transport
planes, as were the beaches .Many transports were lost because of
the soft muddy soil conditions, as were the transports which landed
on the beach, which 1mmediatrly sank their landing gear into the
sof't sand.
Withing 2 days Dutch depot troops had recaptured the airfields
On the airfield Ypenburg, operational orders from General Student
re attack ,tactics and training, were captured by the Dutch and flown
to England. and the p.o.w.'s from the German divisions were immediately
shipped. to Eng lana •
On the 5th day of the attack Hitler ordered tne bombardment of Rotterdam
, furious that that his time ll.lllit van tl hours had not been met,
and even more inceased over the loss of most of paratroapers .,
This last Dutch acyion postponed the German on England by about J months.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-nazi-strategies-318
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Notes on German aggression against the Netherlands
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on Germany's military agression and strategy in the Netherlands during World War II.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Germany
World War, 1939-1945
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1643713b5cf367f925dccbb537961c91.pdf
d08a3191edfdaa7e48ae5ba7a49f68cd
PDF Text
Text
On March 31st ' 1986 ' the Connl.General of State ot Israel
placed the neva of our recognition by Yad Vash• on the Tela:.
Thereupon the Gram Rapids Pres• wrote an article about ua ,
which was written soberly and thovghttully •
On April 10, 1986 the st01"7 reached oar Church. bulletin , attar
Holy WMk and Easter •
.
The pr~ous Sllr.dq, ow Senior Pastor Dr.Shoup had. aslced. ua
after the eervioe te join hill 1n front of the Chwchoongregation
and introduced us. We joined in the singing of the hym 361:
" Once to f!IVer'Y man and nation " •
After that I spoke of the early commitment ot OUI" Re.farmed Chwch
f'ollowing the Nan occupation of The Netherlards.
Our Synod had a message read,. :f'rom all pulpits , warning us of' the
diff'icult years to come, exbrted us to stand on principle and reminded
us of' the words of the prophet Isaiah as printed in this Nevaletter •
I emphasized that these vellkncnm words, took on a immediate meaning
stood out , came alive ,neshed out and took on a lif'e all its own.
It became our guidance , nll nigh a mar'~ order dUl"ing the 5 years
to come or persecution, bloodshed, discrimination, cruelty, treason
and tears •
It was the stre1gth or 01:11" faith that carried us: a solid rock.
Many martyrs tell in our mostly unarmed struggle •
s
This too , next to the Grard Rapids Press article becomes part o:f'
yow heritage •
Mq all of you be spared tor the calamities, our generation worldwide
had to face , with 57 mill.irm soldiers and civilians dead •
But when difficul.ties or adversities do come , turn to God's Word •
It is a sure foundation.
Attached:
h1Jlll
361
award cer•o117
church nevaletter
•\.
�NEWSCENTRAL
E
E
N
T
R
lA
L
1986
I
w
s
C
April 10,
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
The annual Congregational meeting for
the election of Elders and Deacons
will be held in the Sanctuary
imnediately following the worship
service this Sunday, April 13. 'Ihe
people nominated are as follow:
ELDER:
Barbara Davidson
Bernard Kool
Elin Moerland
Helena Riekse
Kenneth VanderKolk
DEACON: James Galer
Arthur Hasse
Timothy Hillegonds
Sally Tapley
Scott Usadel
'I.
J"
CEN1RAL MEMBERS IN TIIB NEWS
In recent years, PETER and ADRIANA (JEAN)
TERMAAT have received recognition for their
roles in World War II as part of the Dutch
resistance movement. Most recently they
were honored by the Yad Vashem with a
medallion which reads:
To Peter and Adriana Termaat - The
Jewish people reaognize that ''whosoever saves one Life saves the entire
universe." The BaaL Shem Tov.
Their service is expressed well by the words
of the Prophet, Isaiah, " ••• Shelter the
homeless, do not betray the fugitive."
(Isaiah 16:3 NEB)
Peter and Jean were further recognized by
our congregation at the close of worship
Sunday.
�Once to Every Man and Nation
361
8, 7. 8. 7. D.
Tho. . . Jolu, Williama. 1890
IIUNIIZD (TON•T•IIO'rU):
Jamu Ruuell Lowell, 1815: ale,
~
.,9--,.-~
I. Once
to
2. Then to
J. Though the
na - tion C.Omes the
no - ble, When we
ev - ery man and
side with truth is
cause of e - vii
'tis
•\.
l
-6-
.,
1
Some great cause, some new de - ci - sion, Of . - fering each the bloom or blight,
Then it
is the brave man chaos-es While the cow-ard stands a - side,
Yet · that scaf-fold sways the
fu - tun:, And, be • - hind the dim un - known,
I
I
And the choice goes by for - ev - er 'Twixt that dark-ness and that light.
Till the
mu! - ti - tude make vir - tue Of
the faith they had de-nied.
Stand-eth God with - in the shad-ow Keep-ing watch a - bove His own.
..(2..-19-_J;-l'II
Mo,lc copyrlgbt by Gwenlya Eva11s. Ltd.
,..-;---
A-MEN.
1I
Used by ,.ermlulo11.
[ 307 ]
LIPE IN CHRIST: TRIAL AND CONFLICT
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-on-Yad-Vashem
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Notes on Yad Vashem Righteous Gentiles Award
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on the story of receiving the Righteous Gentiles award from Yad Vashem.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Righteous Gentiles in the Holocaust
World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews -- Rescue
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
-
https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3621d9e71fa69171fd6f6bd7d4f5547e.pdf
194a59cc8f5ab27ebe89949664c04315
PDF Text
Text
Tomorrow morning at dawn.
These words were spoken by the German Colonel Hans Oster to Major Sas
the Netherlands ambassador to Germany . on May 9th 1940.
From November 1939 to May 1940 there had been other warnings, all
of whom proved to be false or pre~ature.
Now there were reports coming in about troop movements and about
increased raio communications from the border area's with Germany
and high alert messages went out to the army, navy and airforce.
At 3:55 A.M. May 10th 1940 German infatery and armored trains crossed
the border, airfields were being bombed, and for the first time
in military history the vertical factor entered into the picture:
paaatroopers descended right on the bridgeheads of all major river
crossings, and around The Hague, where the Queen's residence,
the Cabinet and the Congress were situated.
They landed on 3 small airports around The Hague and got support
from German panes which landed .. . . troops with light armor •
The city was heavily defended by anti-aircraft guns, but besides that
had only depot troops present who had been in military service
only 6 weeks. Some of their barracks were bombed.
Many casulaties resulted and this rude introduction to actaal warfare
dented the morale at first •./
Yet these troops, attacked on the soil of their country, being ably
led, ~surrounded the three airports with flanting movements,
and within 24 hours had retaken theseAairports and _~,pt~ed 1200
of the 2100 para I s who had jumped • I ' - ' ~ {tn ~ ~
The 1200 captured ~,were immediately ioaded in ships and sent to
'
Eng land •
/7t1/la '..J
~,,//;Iv. ~o-,,,-~f~ Many of the German heavy transport planes were lost because the soft
~ ~ - - - ~ " ' ~ soil could not carry them • They got s t u c k ~ and became
~~:f;:'~ ..,J.,1/,.)/o/ ...... easy targets for the :a attacking infantry J. Together with the heavy
~
casualties which the anti-airt raft guns inflicted, the German losses
i1(
of paanes_~d approximately 2,000 para's dead, wounded or captured
in 5 days of 11f,ing proved a substantial factor in the postponement
1
of the attack on England .d"vll'rJ~ .S£PT£/1'113£1?/ 1111.P &tvt;t.lfrh'.s t>u=t,tJE;rjtfiAJ.;,p Jtno,/1 11111~.
'
•
ptu/'11
'''it,
The paratroopers attack on the bridgeheads across the great rivers
,w
were alas su'oessf31l •
oft. '£ c.cul'R 111:s-r o;; llot-1.//,.,1>
/4v1 "the planned timelimit~ 24 hours y e erman High Command as badly
miscalculated.
The northern attack towards de large enclosing dike which gave access
r 'l>hr/lc#1G+!J vvr,,tzs to the entire western part of the country , was stopped in its tracks.
The attack in the south avross 'the Maas river with an armo11red train :; A-uJ
the train destroyed , but massive crossings in rubber boats regardless
of heavy losses succ&:ied and after 3 days their match up with the para's
at the captured bridges in the west was accomplished.
French troops and artillery had to withdraw as their own frontline in the
east and the center was being rolled up by massive tank attack:ts •
On the 14th of May came the capitulation; after this became effective
and presumably out of spite I Rotterdam was Jnombed and its center put
to the torch.
r
�****
r
Had there be indications before the war { Yes Hitler had predicted all
in his book "Mein Kampf" rmy struggle 11 , in 1923 • But who believed this
maniac, in those turbulent times?
In 1938 the so called Kristall Nacht occur'ed in Germany. Jewiwsll businesses
were vandalized anddestroyed. After the war it became known that before the
war Hitler had ordered to be put to death 70,000 German folk, who were
elderly and debilled:.ated and were of no use to the fatherland.
A train from Berlin to Amsterdam stopped at customs at the Dutch border
~rL/1., JiAa/L:L :r town of Oldenzaal •. One. compartme:1t contained a small bapy r. It had been
~'- - - - -~s~en~t_b~a~c~k~ : regulation is reg~lation: no passport.
,
- -
_____
· -.:..!_
!!m:1~!:;r~~~de~ crossing a young Jewish couple with their child hadA wellkno
ou passport~• Frotp The Hague came the order: sent them back
th
wn newspaperman Piet Bakker happened to be present and advised
•
e young couple to throw a brick th
h
· d
arrested which would give him time t~o~ ; wint ow ' so that they could 13£
But the young man answered • .• W . 11 ry O ~e as¥Y"lum for them •
haven mich doch anstll.ndig
"~c~l nein , die Holl!lncb:iche BehSrdem
people have treated us well II
e
no, the Dutch pass control
Th
•
an~ ~=r~p:p~r~ :!;e~h;h:i~~;~~o~
:eg~~ngpar!~e~i
1 on tl_le phone,
publish your refusal 11
th
•
P II\Yvin poison and
moment I do n,-. "'et a:rl~v:~r t~ countryl, and wreck your career ' i.f'this
·
-J
ese peop e " • He got it •
Th~fall of 1940, within 6 months of the beginning of the occupation
brought the first measures against the Jews: they were dismissed from
federal, provincial and local government agencies.
beh!~:;; .~
,
/
~oi
***
H1~
~t / C'fJ./D
In the sunnner the first illegal press release "Vrij Nederland" "FRee
Netherlands" appeared , printed clandestinely as freedom of the press
r ~ ~"'"" n,..o had been canceled immediately after the capitulation • r
~
;/,.;AM"~ ~J,L,..t In the fall another__;O.ye•r appeared called the Geuzen • This name goes back
f ~ di,,;,~ into Dutch histof°"y"wffen Dutch nobility , marched into Brussels and handed
the Spanish governess a request to allow full freedom of relition.
This group included all Calvinists, Catholics, Lutheran's and Baptists.
The governess overwhelmed by their presence, trembled visibly and ger
advisor Barlaymont assured her in French that these people were no more than
Gueux , beggars • When the Resistance against the Spanish inquisition sprang
up in that year, it took this name on as an honored name.
The group was led by Bernard IJzerdraat , , Mil!: ,_,.~. That fall
all werdarrested, 43 of them. Whipped by the S.S. with metal tipped
whips, ~eaten with sticks, kicked, forced to stand up for 24 hours,
and locked in\9,, small chests folded up for a day • It did not help •
Every time theV'tfrought before the judges, they were silent.
When the guilty conviction was announced, one of the accusations read
that they represented half a million armed men. Did the Germans believe
this themselves ? . . f.sighteen drew the death sentence •
During this period an order was issued by Seyss Inquart that J e~ from now
on had to wear the yellww star of Divid on theim clothing .•
A spontaneous revoJ.t-, a general strike occurred, initiated and sp~urred
on by the dockworkers of Amsterdam • Today a statue of one of these men
stands in Amsterdam • During the 5 ;wears that Europe was under Hitler's heel
this was the only spontaneous uprising in any country. Only in 1944 was it
followed~ by the Jewish defense le~4ue uprising in the Warsaw ghetto.
so vividly related by Leon Uris in the book II Mile 18" •
I
-i
· The sentence was carried out outside The Hague on the Waalsdorper plane.
The date was March 13, 1941. The Nazi controlled Press reported it on
March 14.
In amsterdam Jan
pert
, a senior at the University of Amsterdam
Medical College, read it and inspired wrote this poem.
The eighteen dead.
It was reprod~ced on a large sca1e.
It proved to be for him also a premonition: active in the Resistance
he paid with his own life for our freedom.
7
--~-
�.tn.rtnctays in the .l:{oyal 1·am1.1y were always celebrated by flying the flag
with the orange lineyard; and on the Queen's birthday it had been the custom
to have a register of congratulations at the entrance of the Royal Palace
which many came to sign.
On June 29th, 1940 the first Royal birthday was commemorated, this time
of the Prince-Consort Bernhard.
Flags were raised everywhere, people wore the orange buttons, flowers were
placed at the nation's national monuments, and at the Palace the register
of congratulations drew untold people to sign. There were cro'Wds ever3{Where
and the demonstration of loyalty involved the entire country.
The occupation forces and especially the appointed Nazi governor Seyss .
Inquart were completely taken by surprise and furious. After that day
instrmttions were issued with the power of law taat all and any demonstrations
of loyalty to the House of G,-ange were henceforth forbidden for all times.
The National Youth organisation of which Jean and I had been members since
1932 had organized the demonstration, and received the high honor of becoming
the first organization to be outlawed. Two members of our National Board
were arrested as was the Chief Staff of the Netherlands' armed forces
General Winkelman, who also had come to sign the Pegtster and was cheered by
the crowd •
I had my teacher's degree, but our graduating class had been met by
the new rule that the number of pupils per classroom was raised from 25
to 45. The deepening ecomic crisis had -dev_J.stating results.
My dad was in military service , so I ~Af~ack~f thing , but having
these good people pay for my education, my books, and then not being
\~~t,(I,
able to earn anything , brought me half a year later to accept a modest
tro~wr]JZt<ol'Poflrl.J'!'POSition with the city in evaluating the un-employed(and paying them
',-e-r their unemployment compensation weekly •
As an illustration: for 44 hours per week I was paid 25 bucks per month.
In 1941 this local service bureau was federalized. ~y would become clear
in the next year •
In the spring of 1942 the order came down that the district directors,
(a rank I had meanwhile attained), had to select unemployed men and issue
them over our own signature a travel order to go and work in the German
war industry , to free German men for the draft •
The German attack on Russia in June 19¼1 had not gone well and their
encounter with what the Russians call "General Winter" had brought enormous
losses.
I wrote our Department Head in The Hag-,,e as follows
read letter and comment.
We were stupefied to receive the following answer:
read arrswer. This was the naked evil of the Nazi system .No to conscience.
I received several offers, one very attractive to buy into an existing
accounting practice by a long term friend. I told him that I did not have
money. Just sign a note I was told, and on my signature I became a partner.
That spring also, the small number of Jews in our hometown of Alkmaar,
about 50 had been ordered to move to Amsterdam, where all Dutch jews were
concentrated. The Resistance di"d not trust these measures and began to
offer hiding places. This lead into another difficulty. Since 1941 every
one had to carry on his person a passbook with picture and fingerprints.
For jews who chose a hiding place, we had to provide these false passbooks
which also were the base for obtaining ration cards for the scarcer and
scarcer food supply. We obtained pass books from the deceased, reported
pass books lost in order to obtain new ones, but as the need increased,
we tried falsified copies and later on had to initiate raids on the c:i:tv
bureaus that issued them. New pass pictures had to be taken and rubber
stamps made to authenticate the falsifications.
The war had intensified: British Bomber Cormnand flew over every night.
Germany and Italy declared war on the u.s. in December 1941, but it was
not until January 1943 that American Air Forces took over the daylight
bombing of Germany • Crippled allied planes came down almost daily and
then it became a race between the Germans and us to get to those airmen
who had been able to parachute safely from their aircraft.
They too had to be furnished with a passbook and ration cards, after
destroying their own • ,
,
7T{G. cJ/l?iTifoJ,11tf,J -rf//5 .J/-'te.1µ'<:; f'f(.t!IT6.J) AAI li--r Ce.i./..1-AIT lf/JJ1,v,
/ /) 1:,,1r/P yi,v R TuTA1.. or oo o /I /,ec- flll FT /"/tt.D"'1 /'JoT'I./ ~ i ()I! S ·
7
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Tl/,e j)V7c,,/ /lll{,/!o~c1;,
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·II, _, 1t-1'if.JlfL
_
,
/
Our area took in many jews and in a homogenous population, we had behind
every Resistance man or woman dozens of families willing to take them in.
Even though after the war it became evident that we had only been able
to save~ 15,000 out of pre-war number of 150,000.
The penalties for hiding a jew or an Allied flier were severe; loss of
one's house and contents, and deportation to a Nazi Concentration camp.
To a certain extent this made our task harder, as some families shjed
away because of the risks. There was no blame to be attached to their
decision, the risks were great, and the enemy ruthless.
Our operational area so comfortably familiar to all of us, all below sea
level, had 2 canals for navigation, one from Amsterdam to Den Helder
the Navy base, and one from Alkmaar straight east to the city of Hoorn.
Besides that it is intersected by drainage canals of different width
with a soft muddy bottom.
History's lessons about the eighty war against Spain paid off again,
and this terrain proved often elusive to the enemy, especially at night.
Up to 1944 shallow draft boats, moved usually by punting-pole and ~ h~
by oars, could move freely through the wide countryside for the first
4 years of the war. In 1944 when the threat of invasion with the use
of paratroopers became imminent, the German Command ordered the water
levels to be set at 2 to 3 feet higher, which made it far more difficult
in daylight to operate freely, and increased night time operations.
It also flooded the lowest lying area's and the roads that cut through
them.
In the fall of 1943 the deportation of Jews had reached a peak.
Before 1943 they had been concentrated in Amsterdam, which city for the
first time in its history suffered the indignity of having a ghetto • urJ,-ff,',./
its borders, closed in by barbed wire.
The jewG'$jJ;.e moved by train to Westerbork, a village in the northeast
province of Drente, which camp was still reasonably run compared by what
we later learned about the camps in Poland, Austria and southern Germany.
It had for instance a camp orcll!stre where the jewish members of the Dutch
symphony played for their fellow jews and which were attended by the German
campstaff. From there they were put on trains to be resettled for work
elsewhere taey were told.
On a crisp sunny Mondaymorning I was walking to my office, and in passing
the manse, our minister Ds.Koolhaas called me in and told me that he had
received a phone call from his colleague in Rumpt, a village just south
of the Rhine river, where he had preached before coming here.
The call was urgent : 3 stars • A small monastery which was hiding jews
had been spotted by the Gestapo through treason. Some of the jews had
managed to escape, and 2 of them were hidden in the house of the school
princiJ:d{.. , but could not stay there because the Gestapo combed the entire
area. I notified the office staff that I would not be in that day and
walked over to Jacob Balder the carpenter , ,.a:K4, one of our commando's •
We discussed the situation~ crossing the Rhine river without a pass
was a severe risk, as the entire area south of it had been completely
closed off to contact from north of the river. This area lay as a proteetive girdle in front of The Germ4n Ruhr , the hub of its war industry •
Trains still crossed the Rhine, but were patrolled, as were the depots
south of the Rhine. We decided to take the train, buy 2 round trip tickets
to 1 s-Hert~genbosch and try to get off at Geldermalsen, south of the
Rhine, which is only 8 miles from the village of Rumpt where the 2 were hidden.
We had to change trains in Alkmaar and Amsterdam , and had bought 2 German
language newspapers as a cover. The train patrols did not bother us.
�c11v9 1{rt/P1V111/vs.
When we crossed the Rhine river our tension inc:#a.sed • Rlt/1-,'f"l{f-SS ilr A-Pt.llY\,
Immediately south of the river was the tiny depot of Culemborg , at which
the train stopped only momentarily. The next depot would be Geldermalsen,
also with a tiny depot.
When the train slowed down we opensd the window and looked ahead. Before
the small building only one sentry was walking up and down the platform.
To us he seemed bored stiff; his head was lowered as if he were counting
his steps. When the train stopped, his back was turned to us, and we
slipped out and hid behind the building. The train proceeded and a little
while later we noticed the sentry entering the building.
This gave us the oppatunity to reach the narrow road west in the direction
of Rumpt. After walking a little while a wagon drawn by two horses and
loaded with sacks of flourt. We asked for a ride and got to Rumpt easily •
We rang the bell at the schoolprinci~' s house , and gave the name of
our minister as introduction. The man was astonished that we had been
able to cross the Rhine at all •
In a room in the back of the house he introduced us to a young German
jewish couple, engaged to be married, visibly fearful of being caught.
We discussed the situation with the schoolprincip1.- and one of his colleagues
and decided that they would provide us with borrowed bicycles and that
we would leave in the dark for Geldermalsen P£~oT.
They fed us and gave us a bag of apples to take home.
The 2 teachers provided 4 bicycles, and were going with us to buy 2
one-way tickets for the jewish couple and after that bring the bicycles
back.
We arrived in the dark and told the couple to f: llow us closely.
We entered the almost empty train and found a compartment for 6.
At the window was seated in full uniform a member of the Dutah Nazi
Youth organization. We put the couple next to him and seated ourselves
opposite this fellow. If a patrol walked past us 1 he looked like a nice
cover to us . helped by the £act that the trains in wartime had only small
bluish bulbs which created an eerie shadowy atmosphere •
If trouble ensued, we were two against one.
Fortunately, this fellow 1 hand under his chin kept staring out of the
window until we reached Amsterdam. We left the train there for the
transfer and placed ourselves between the couple and the Nazi.
Before we could enter the train for Alkmaar and Heerhugowaard, we were
stopped and had to show that the bag we carried contained only apples.
They let us go •
The rest was uneventful after the tension south ~f the Rhine, and when
we arrived in Heerhugowaard, other commando's were waiting and guided
the couple to a safe house. They survived the war.
***
***
•
That winter we had an 15 year old jewish boy staying with us. He was a
very gifted young man.
In the early spring we had a great scare , as German troops were searching
for houses to take over for quarters.
As I wasn't home , :rey wife will tell that story •
***
On May 8, 1944, ~ weeks before the Allied landings inNormandy,
the Gestapo's bloody hand fell on me, and the effects on our family
were deeply adverse and longlasting.
e:ad •
�/
***
On December 11, 1944 I was staying with my parents within the city of
Alkmaar when the alarm was spread among the underground that on the 13th
a razzia would take place. This meant that men and boys between the ages
of 16 and 60 would be indiscrimantely arrested, marched off to the railway
station and transported to Germany, to work.
So on the next morning I started out to try to get out of the city.
Alkmaar is built on a ridge of sand slightly elevated from the surrounding
meadows, maybe a few feet high, but surrounded by waterland, a place
for mttlement.
The roads of access to the city are built on this sandy ridge.
The German military command had built 6 feet high walls, guarded by
a platoon of regular army troops.
I chose the eastside exit where the canal to Hoorn has a bridge beyond
which an old millhouse was standing along the canal with the wall just
beyond that. This wall then stretched from canal to canal with a small
stepping stone on either side, just above waterlevel, to allow people
to pass.
Walking le~S'UJ."elytowards the bridge I could see the mill house, the wall
and two sentries walking in front of i t . There were squadrons of airplanes
flying east towards Germany. Beyond the wall stretched my beloved West Frieslarut
with on the right side the canal with its six windmills, and the road
which stretched beyond the wall for a mile before turning at a crossroads
with some farms surrounded by trees •
I walked up to the wall; the two sentries faced me, crossed their rifles
in front of me, bayonets up.
11
Wllhin gehst du ? 11 Where are you going ?
11 Nach hause , Ich habe meinen Eltern besucht
11
11
11
Home , I have visited my parents
In silence they looked me over, and one soldier put his rifle down and
said : 11 Nah , geh 11 11 Well , go 11
While I climbed down to the waterlevel and negotiated the narrow step
around the wall, I realized keenly that for the next mile I would be
visible, water on either side of the road and flat meadows across the
water. I forced myself to continue walking at the same leasurely pace
until I could turn off behind the farms and their trees.
It was my longest mile.
The next day, German soldiers poured into the city of Alkmaar, closed
off streets, searched houses, and marched men and boys towards the
waiting trains , without being able to say good-bye or taking anything
with them.
***
In march we moved 700 commando troops into the city of Alkmaar, in small
* be
groups, helped by darkness, knowledge of the narrow streets and occupied
a few strategic houses. It would*6 weeks yet until VE-Day, but German
morale was sharply reduced and their wish for survival in what was already
a lost war, and being among a hostile population must have depressed them.
Our armaments were pitifully weak • All had a stengun and further we had
only 2 bren guns ( small machine gun)/ Our commander had serious doubt
a sustained attack upon the small German garrison, which had heavy machine
guns, bazookas and handgrenades a plenty, and were experienced soldiers.
***
2 days before VE day the Germans emptier the jails of political prisoners
loaded them in a ship, which they then had torpedoed just off the coast.
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Adriana B. (Schuurman)
Termaat, Peter N.
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains genealogical, personal, and family papers and photographs documenting the lives and interests of Adriana and Peter Termaat. The bulk of the materials are related to family history and genealogical research carried out by the Termaats, including research notes and materials about places in the Netherlands that were significant to the Termaat and Schuurman families, such as the city of Alkmaar.
Other materials in the collection are related to the Termaats' experiences on the eve of and during the Second World War, especially the German occupation of the Netherlands and the Termaats' participation in organized resistance to the Nazis. Also included are materials that document the family's post-war life in the United States, including their public efforts to recognize, commemorate, and honor people and events significant to World War II.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1869 - 2012
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection, RHC-144</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Netherlands
Netherlands--History--German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements -- Netherlands
Dutch
Dutch Americans
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Text
Image
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
eng
nl
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_PNT-War-strategy-stories-296
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
War strategy stories
Description
An account of the resource
Notes by Pieter N. Termaat on military strategies during World War II.
Subject
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Netherlands
Germany
World War, 1939-1945
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
Publisher
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Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
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<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a>
Type
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Text
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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eng