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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 •
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~,,//;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
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The paratroopers attack on the bridgeheads across the great rivers
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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 • ,
,
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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
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RHC-144
Format
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Text
Image
Type
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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
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
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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
-
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
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Identifier
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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
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<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/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/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/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/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/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
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
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Text
Image
Type
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application/pdf
image/jpeg
Language
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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
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Identifier
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RHC-144_Termaat_WRI_Musings-Religion-of-Nazism-by-P-Termaat
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
The Religion of Nazism
Description
An account of the resource
Essay by Pieter Termaat about Nazi beliefs and religion.
Subject
The topic of the resource
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
Format
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application/pdf
Language
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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
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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
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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
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
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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
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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
A language of the resource
eng
-
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
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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
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<a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/719">Adriana B. and Peter N. Termaat collection (RHC-144)</a>
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Pieter Terma.a. t
r:a.rch 7, 19ll.J
:3o:r:n
Pass In Revue :
1914-1935
The Formative Years
�To Honor My Father /\.nd Mother
�-1-
I was born in the kingdom of The Netherlands in the small
town of Kampen near the delta of the IJssel River, northern most branch
of the river Rhine. About 1920 this city had approximately 20,000 inhabL
tants. It is an ancient town, in the early Middle Ages already a member
of the Hanseatic League, and its ships traded as far as the Baltic Sea.
Centuries later the river sanded up and the town's merchants' ships were
idled, leaving regional freighters of shallow draft and fishing vessels
which plied their trade on the Zuiderzee. After the middle of the nineteenth century a military garrison was established and barracks built and
expanded to a sizeable complex later named the Van Heutsz Kazerne after
a well-known general.
The Termaat family was well established in the seventeenth
century in the province of Noord-Holland in the northern most area known
as West Friesland ~n the village of Schermerhorn where they were dairy
farmers. The oldest record so far is that of the church grave of Jan
Barendsz in 1640. In the year 1664 J. Termaat is recorded. as Dike
Reeve, a term denoting president of the regional council charged with the
upkeep of the dikes against the onslaught of the sea.
Schermerhorn is situated on bogland, a narrow strip of land
between what were the Schermer and Beemster Lakes, drained in 1635 and
1611, respectively, and turned into luscious meadowland. At that time,
except for dairy farming, fishing was important as the two lakes had
access to the sea. These intrepid fishermen fished as far north as Spitsbergen and the Barents Sea (Dutch names both) and at some present day
farms there are still whale bones to be seen, standing upright in the
meadows for the cattle · to chafe their hides on. The province of NoordHolland contained 43 lakes in the Middle Ages, many interconnected and
with access to the sea.
In the year 1801, Cornelis Termaat moved from Schermerhorn to
the outskirts of the city of i\.lkmaar where he built a brick dairy farm
with stables and haylofts and bought four parcels of grazing land in the
Overdie polder. The family continued its farming until late in the
nineteenth century when they sold their farm and land because of the
expanding city. They then continued selling dairy products until rrry
Grandfather Pieter Termaat's death in 1901. Part of the barn was still
standing in 1980 (see pictures).
In 1876, Alkmaar had 12,000 inhabitants. It was then the seat
of a federal district court and a provincial court. There was a raiL
road passenger depot, a federal telegraph office and a mint mark office
for gold and silver. The city was a center for the cheese and cattle
trade. In one year, five million pounds of cheese were sold and 100,000
head of cattle traded. Grain and seed trade amounted to nine million
pounds per annum. The city was a key district for the election of members to the Second House of representatives and for members of the
�-3-
In Kampen there ~also two officers' candidate schools,
one named the Cursus on the corner of the Vloeddijk and the ~lverhekkenweg, and the Hoofdcursus situated on the Korenmarkt next to the
Bovenkerk. After graduating from the Cursus one could enter the Hoofdcursus for further studies for field officer. Da.d was named intendant
of the buildings of the Cursus and the fami}y moved in 1916 into the
apartment of the main building. Both my brothers_ Jan in 1916, and
Cornelis Barend in 1918 _ were born there.
We grew up in military surroundings and atmos:phere and the
many pictures of that time show me included with many groups of officer-
candidates. Da.d was master on foil, sabre, and sword and in bayonet
fighting and taught these skills. He was about five feet, nine inches
tall, broad-chested, strong armed and liked a good time.
The year 1918 delivered hard blows to our fami}y. My little
brother Jan died at the age of two of appendicitis within weeks of the
death of Jan Harms, my maternal Grandfather, on}y to be followed by the
death of Rinske Harms, my maternal Grandmother, within a year. Our
Mother never could quite adjust to the death of a child and her parents
in such a short timespan and her nervous makeup received another jolt
at the onset of menopause. All Mother's symptoms point to Hypoglycemia.
Letters from the physician who attended my brother Jan, and upon his
death, from my Uncle Pieter, will be added at the end of this history.
My memories of these events are weak and fleeting. I do,
however, remember vividly the birth of my brother, Cornelis Ba.rend, on
January 2, 1918. Dad brought me into the bedroom to see my new brother
and my mother. The window was part}y open and I was told that the stork
had brought him. /\.pparent}y I figured that if the stork brought, he
could also take away so I kept as far as I could from that window. The
death of my brother Jan two months later I do not remember nor do I
remember anything about him even though my parents told me later that
for weeks and months I kept searching the house for him and calling his
name.
I remember that my maternal Grandfather had a long beard and
walked somewhat stooped over with a cane. Once he took me to the park
(the plantsoen at the end of the Kalverhekkenweg along the Third Ebbingestraat). ~ duck bit me in the finger while being fed and Grandfather
chased him off with his cane. This must ha~ occurred in 1917. My Mother
told me later that he had been bad}y injured in 1911 while installing a
vault door in Zwolle. He was never able to work again and his family went
through hard times. Besides their own house they also owned two more
houses that were rented. These had to be sold to supplement the meager
income the sons and dau~hters earned as apprentice carpenters and seamstresses, This entire family was very dextrous and hard-working. When
my Hother told me about these very difficult years she sometimes had
tears in her eyes and would say, "But we never accepted help from any_
body • 11
�/\bout my maternal Grandmother I remember a few more incidents.
Cne is that she let us play in a wooden bathtub with a toy boat in her
house; another that she brought me up from the cellar when I apparently
had climbed down and could not get up a.gain, The most vivid memory I
have of her is that of walking next to her while her long skirts gently
swayed as she walked. She carried a f: reen (enameled?) pail filled with
buttermilk in which a. ?olden lump of butter bobbed up and dovm. I remember this as somethin~ beautiful. i\t her confession of faith at a~e
18 in 1878 her parents gave her the beautiful shawl which I inherited.
From friends she acquired the wooden tub with brass bands for the family
use of butter churned on the fa.rm. This I also inherited as well as the
daffodil decorated milk pitcher.
I remember Christmas Day in the Noorderkerk with my pa.rents and
Grandmother present where I was one of the children to recite a. Biblical verse. The- one I had to recite I still remember: Isaiah 9:6, "For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall
be upon his shoulder. i\.nd his name shall be called ·wonderful, Counsellor,
The I•!ighty God, the Everlasting ~a.th.er, 'I'he Prince of Peace." Was it
Christmas, 1917, or 1918? Most likely the latter.
my
After I attained the age of five I had only one grandparent
left - my paternal Grandmother, who, after beil"..g widowed in 1901, had
remarried. Her second husband I s name was Willem /\arts and he fully deserved the name of Grandfather which I a.ddressoo him by. He was very
gentle and industrious and often took me with him to the land behind
his green grocer's store where he raised a variety of ve~etables. He
taught me their names and showed me how to remove weeds and of the
danger of coming too close to his four wells. They were deep and used
for a dry spell to bring up water by means of pail and chain. On his
land and where the store was now stands a. great school, the Linden..
school on the Lindenla.an.
11y Grandmother was as tall as m.Y father and wore the West
Frisian costumes which differed on weekdays from those worn on Sundays.
Then she would wear a 1.:;olden skullcap with white lace over it with embroidery spreading out and a jeweled pin on each side of her forehead,
She was a very strong woman who walked with us tirelessly. Her inheri_
ta.nee from her first husband Pieter Termaat, was substantial, Grandfather Pieter Terma.a.t used our copperpot, tinned on the inside, to
cream milk which floated on top after standing overnight, On advice
of her banker, "de Lange & de Horaa.z, 11 she, like so many others, invested in stock (she for 60,000 guilders) whose issue was to build the
Transsiberian Railroad to Wladiwostok on the Pacific. In 1917, Lenin
took over from the Czar and all of this stock became worthless, The
Russians had the railroad but invalidated all foreign debts. Even
after that loss, which can be measured by the price of an average
middle-class home which was 2,000 guilders at the time, she and Grandfather /\ arts were well off as he continued his workinrr life until the
mid-nineteen-twenties. When our family were f!Uests during our StL"!J.mer va...
cation she used to rent an open landau with a coachman and we would ride
from ~lkmaar to 3ergen and then south to ~gmond alon~ the foot of the
dunes and from there back to 1\lkmaar. We stopped for lunch at a. place
�-5-
where there were playgrounds with swings and teeter-totters, etc.
In the nineteen-twenties trains still ran as public transportation between i'\.lkmaar and Schoorl, i'\.lkmaar and Bergen, and Alkrnaar and
Egmond. My parents took us in the summertime bJ train to Schoorl where
there was a. restaurant at the foot of the dunes and behind it a high
dune where we, w.i.th effort, climbed up and slid or rolled down. Grandma,
who then was in her mid-seventies, went up with us and came down the way
we did.
She had something indomitable a.bout her, a character trait
which runs strongly in West Friesland and of which our family has its
share. Once, in her old age Yrhen her eyesight was failing, she missed
her footing while walking and fell into a. small canal. She managed to
get out by herself and walk back home on her own. As the traffic pattern
changed from the horse and buggy days to motorcars she could not or would
not adjust and kept on crossing the road anywhere she pleased to the
great discomfort of my parents and my u.11.cle. "They will not kill an old
woman," she used to say. Some logic! Both she and Grandpa A.arts passed
a.wa..y in 1932 1-Jhen I was 18.
During vacations we alternated between them and my uncle and
aunt's house at Kerkplein 8 next to the Groote Kerk, the Reformed Cathedral. It is now the second house from Police Headquarters. Uncle Pieter
was my Dad's only brother. Two other brothers had died within a month
after their births. My aunt was the former Trien van Herwerden from the
village of Nieuwe Niedorp. They were a cordial couple and had one son
also named Pieter, born in 1909. My Aunt contracted tuberculosis which
paralyzed her legs. In the morning my Uncle would. carry her down from
the upstairs bedroom to the daybed in the living room where she stayed
all day until bedti::ne when he carried her upstairs a.gain. I do not remember having ever seen her walk. She died in 1926 a.nd my cousin Pieter,
their only son, could not have children and died at the age of Lt2 in
June, 1950. Hy Uncle Pieter died at the a.~e of 57 in 1942.
Up to the mid-nineteen-twenties, there was a quiet quality of
life in all the smaller cities. Radio and television were unknown.
Horse drawn tilburies and la.ndaus were Renerally the local means of transportation second only to walkinp; and cycling . The doctor, for example,
made his house calls in a small horse dra1-m coach. :1ercha.ndise was moved.
by boat and small canal freieshters between 50 and 100 tons did a thriving
business. Locally the merchandise was moved by horse dra1-m wae-ons, be_
tween shipboard or mill and destination. I saw my first airplane about
the mid-twenties when a small sea plane landed in the IJssel River. And
so the skies were quiet as well. Autos were far from coIT!!Tlon.
The streets were paved with bricks and most houses were also
built from brick. The brick was baked from clay dug from the numerous
rivers and so provided cheap building material. :•:any side streets, how_
�ever, were made from cobble stones of granite, centuries old, and the
ironclad wheels of the wagons would i:; enera.te a loud noise in passim; .
In those narrow streets you learned to jump out of the wa,y fast if a
horse did the inevitable.
I n tha.t quiet small town atmosphere my brother and I grew up.
When it was dark early , kerosene lamps still lif hted many a home and for
street lighting ~as was in general use. Towards dusk, city workmen
with long sticks to which a copper hook was attached, pulled a cha.in
on the lamp at day break and sunset. We did have gaslight when I was
7 or 8 years old and in our hall burnoo a small copper oil lamp made by
my maternal gra_rid.father, which I was so fortunate to inherit. Cooking
was still often done on kerosene heaters of different sizes.
~mong the games we played were several different ones at
marbles, the season for which started when it became colder but before
the snow came. Cold fingers impaired accuracy often. Boys had hoops,
sometimes made of wood and kept going by hitting it with a stick; and
sometimes ma.de of iron which had a stick attached to it with a wide
ring so that it could be maneuvered. :5'1ying kites was the springtime
entertainment and if you had a good one you could send up messaGes
written on pa.per which was then folded around the rope; if all went well
the wind would blow the message right up to the kite. Walking stilts
and jumping narrow, water-filled ditches were always fun. 1:<'rom strips
of willow bark we braided a. doughnut sha.pe called 11 toessebolte 11 with
a string also made of willow bark attached to it. Twirling it fa.st,
you let go and whoever threw farthest won. If you cut your hand there
-was always a member of the plantain famiJ.y. We chewed a leaf of it and
applied that to the cut arrl the bleed.in~ would stop.
Playing as a group, we would have access to many !llaterials
and mutual help. Every boy worth his salt had a ? Ood pocketknife. T,,Je
cut a fork from a tree branch and shaped it to form a V with a handle.
From an old innertube we cut strips which we attached to the fork. ~
thin piece of leather at the end served as a good hold and we got pro_
jectiles from a metal factory where they punched holes into iron sheets.
I cannot say that these primitive slin~shots were always put to legal
use.
When we had snow and ice - not alway s an assured happening
every winter - we skated and our family had a large bo:x-type sled that
seated my brother arrl I. At home we often played with a steam machine
which in turn powered smaller toy implements. He played a lot with a
good-sized wooden drawbridge, a source of fancy fantasies when we com,_
bined it with the many building blocks we had. In the wintertime our
house was coey and warm. r-:other would sit in her cha.ir sewing- or darning by the light of an oil la.mp with a warm yellow shade. This lamp I
also inherited, as well as the five antique oriental blue porcelain
pieces and a multicolored, oriental design bowl made in ~'faastricht.
�-7-
In Harch, the lapwing returned from its winter quarters in
Egypt and the search for their eggs was permitted but were they ever
hard to find! The lapwing is a master of deceit in leading you away
from the nest in the grass even going so far as to act crippled.
In that time, Mother would often sing for my brother and I to
teach us songs and the scene is still joyfully vivid in my mind. Mom
had fine manual dexterity and sewed, knitted, and darned a great deal
of our clothes. She was an excellent money manager and often surprised
my Dad with money she had saved up for a trip or a special outing.
Dad was very much the outdoors and sports type. f.rom J\pril
to September the three of us would get up at six a.m., jump on our
bikes and ride to the swimming pool, a fifteen minute ride. Then women
and girls had separate hours for the use of the pool.
This pool was situatoo in the river just outside the Boven..
haven. The city had two harbors, both rather small. In the southern
pa.rt the Boven (unstrea.m) harbor and in the northwest downstream the
Bui ten (outer) harbor. The former was also used to store the swim.Tiling
pool in the winter and as a sailboat anchorage. The latter was used
by commercial fishermen. The swimming pool was large, made from cement
caissons with individual cabins built all a.round and contained three
pools. One was for small children, ver'J shallow and maybe two feet
deep. The second was larger and about three feet deep, outfitted with
the swimming instruction gear. This consisted of a wooden pole with a
sturdy rope at the end of which a broad adjustable belt was attached to
fit the pupil around the waist. Instruction was given by the bathmasters.
The third pool took up almost two-thirds of the complex, had no bottom
but the riverboo and had a one meter divim~ board. In the middle a small
platform was built over four barrels which floated and were kept in place
by steel cables. Additional cables were strung at two more places about
two feet above the water so that one could hang to take a rest. The river
then was still unpolluted and a mouthful did not hurt you. Your certifL
cate was issued after a test which included swimming three times around
the large pool at breaststroke, once at backstroke and one jump from the
diving boa.rd. Carpeted steps were at every corner of the three pools.
As soon as we arrived and had changed into our bathing suits,
we jumped in - descending the stairs was considered kid-stuff according
to Dad. We swam for half an hour, jumped, dove, and played ball as an
exercise for waterpolo. The swimming was in the full current of the
river as it ca.me a.round the bend just above the pool. Swimming against
that current in July and i\ugust was ha.rd because the stream had swollen
from melting snow and ice in the mountains. Then we bicycled back home
where Hom had prepared the usual breakfast: thick oatmeal with brown
sugar and a glass of milk. J\.fter that we walked to school a.lorn~ the
Vlooodijk (literally the flood-dike which in old times protected the
city against high water before the walls were built two blocks farther
out) to the Luttekes school so named after the headmaster. This parti_
�cular great school was a 9reparatory school for further study.
Both my parents were voracious readers and visits to the local
library were a regular occurence. The library was located on the Oudestra.a.t near the Town Hall and called the "Gothic House." It dated back
to the t-1iddle Ages and is a magnificant example of the craftmanship of the
guild.masters. This may be said equally of the To1-m Hall and its interior.
In this librarJ I became acquainted for the first time with the fascinating
National Geographic, and I remember very well that it was my wish that as
a grownup I would be able to subscribe to it.
A family by the name of Hond.ius retired after raising their
children and moved avray and my Dad bought their family library and so my
brother and I received a great mnnber of children I s books, travel adventures from Jules Verne, Worishoffer, Karl May, Johan Kievit, etc., as well
as many history books about the 80 years war of Liberation against S~ain,
the Boer War iin South Africa, etc.
The high point of Kampen's life was the Queen's Birthday on
August 31st. The streets were adorned with spruce and fir boughs. Flags
were everywhere, many with the oranfse pennant. Bands marched, f!a..l'!les were
played, parades held and. the day ended with a fireworks display across the
river with cro'Wcl.s watching on the city's quays.
In the year 1923, both officers' candidate schools were trans_
ferred to the city of Breda in the southern part of the count~J called
Noord-Braba.nt and. were established as the Koninklijke f,~li tairy Academie
(Royal "Military A.cademy). Dad was transferred to the Arnhem garrison in
Janua~J, 1924. After the first world war, in which The Netherlands remained neutral, there was for several years a shorta~e of housing and our
house on the Dr. Kuiperstraat was not quite ready when we arrived. We
stayed for several weeks in the Hotel r.feeberg near the Willemsplein. In
the morning a cavalry regiment would pass_ on occasion in bright dress
uniform. From the hotel to the river Rhine was only a short brisk walk.
When we moved into our house, the moving company from Kampen had diffi_
culty reaching us as the street was still in the process of being paved.
Little could anyone imagine that twenty years later one of the
bloodiest blunders of the second world war would take :.=,lace right here.
Hy brother entered the first grade and I continued in the fourth
grade in a school on the same street where we lived. Later I was transferred to a prep school do1-mtown to which I commuted by tramway. As soon
as the weather improved we took to our bikes and made trips all around
Arnhem a..Yid to surrounding villages. The Open /\.ir ?•Iuseu.l'!l had been opened
to the public a few years before. On Sunday evenin~s there were concerts at
Sonsbeek in a park setting , vrhi.ch had a restaurant, playgrounds and a small
waterfall under which there was a. :!)assaf!' eway.
�-9-
SWimming in the Rhine River was even more of a challen~e than
in the IJssel River in Kampen. The PJrl.ne is broader and flows faster.
~fter entering The Netherlands at Lobith, the river splits into river_
beds - the Waal River which flows past Nijmegen and takes half of the flow
and the rest continues as the Rhine River. Just before Arnhem, the IJssel
River splits off and flows north while the PJrl.ne turns west. We visited
Oosterbeek and Velp and the castle am. grounds of Roosendaa.1. The latter
had two main attractions for us: a chain brid~e over a small brook (chains
were hanf ing over the brook and narrow slats had been fastened to them
providing a safe but wobbly passage) and the other was "de bedrie1?ert_
jes" (the feelers), a flat, dr'IJ basin in a nice setting. When walking over
it, at stagg ered times, water faucets were turned on and all aroun:i you
from small openin~s a fine spray would shoot up which y ou could not escape
from.
11ie
often passed Bronbeek, a veteran's home for the men retired
from the Roy al Netherlands East Indies Army, in their black uniforms. Dad
always spoke with great respect about them. Going north we visited the
Tafelberg , a hill overlooking the city, where a stone table showed the
na..~es and directions of other cities and villages and landmarks. On the
Veluwe I remember the mighty trees of the Westerbouwing which were com..
plete}y destroyed twenty years later.
A.this request, Dad was transferred in August of 1924 and attached
as instructor to the garrison at t,mersfoort. 1:Je lived there in an apartment opposite the cavalry barracks - a li_fely neighborhood. He could watch
the training of the horses and could swim in the small :r-iver Eem behind the
barracks. Amersfoort is one of few cities that has a water bastion left,
a bulwark through which a waterway flows into the city, the Koppelpoort. In
medieval ti.~es a heavy iron grate could be lowered from within the bastion
to below water level in order to prohibit entry in wartime.
In the fall of 1924, our fifth ~rade teacher led his class out
into the schoolyard to see the first test fli ght to the Netherlands Ea.st
Indies, piloted by van der Hoop, f}y over.
Amersfoort became for us the third base point in the trian~le
Kampen-Arnhem-Amersfoort which providoo us as a family the rich and varied
joys of the Veluwe, that jewel in The Netherlands he11rtland which provides
so :na.ny varieties of plants, trees, and birds, and which, with its many- bikepath~was bordered in the south by the Rhine River, in the east by the
I Jssel River and in the north by what was then the Zuiderzee. Covered by
fir, spruce and beech, tracked since times immemorial from east to west by
Hessenwegen (trade roads) which carried trade from Central Europe and the
Middle East to the sea and vice versa. From !(ampen to the Veluwe the road
led, at one stretch, over a long strai~ht brick paved road, common}y called
"The Endless Prayer" by the soldiers who marched on it. 1\11 were happy to
see the tall pigeon house in Hezep where the landscape was of pleasant
variation. Within easy reach were Baarn with the royal palace, Soest with
its military airfield, Spakenbure with the typical fishermen's housing
and state}y, colorful dress.
�I want to mention that close to our house in l\.mersfoort lived
a colorful amazon, walking to the stables in ridin~ breeches, black
jacket and a black hat, a ridin2' crop in her hand, someti~es smoking a
cigar and always accompanied by a hu~e, pitcl1-black shepherd do~ named
"Satan." Women's liberation never saw the likes of her.
In June, 1925, Dad was transferred back to the Instruction
Battalion in Kampen and we moved into an apartment on the second floor
of the Van Heutsz barracks with all the rooms on the side of the Oudestraat and a beautiful view on the IJssel River from the sittin2' room
next to the entrance gate. Just there, right in front of us, the river
branched out again into the Ganza',4d.iep (i:;eeseflow) and we could see the
small ferry going back and forth from Grafhorst to the Karnpereiland.
It was a pleasure to be back in Kampen because during the
seven months in f,rnhem and the eleven months in i\.mersf oort we had not
ha.cl time to establish roots there. In Kampen we were again in well
known surrounding s and amongst the closeness and ord.erli~ess of military
life.
At that time this life was slow]y but steadily cha_-r1gin2' . ·world
War I, with its horrible carnaq;e lasting for four years alone; a front
line which changed hardly at all, had produced over all of Europe a sense
of 11 never again. 11 The United States' participation in this war to end
all wars strengthened that feeling and d efense bud~ets were cut every_
where. Troop strens th was reduced, officers and subalterns dismissed,
training and maneuvers cut down in size, service tL~e for recruits reduced
until it reached 5½ months at the time Hitler ca.~e into power in 1933.
lforale, so high in 191 Li-, with a well led and well trained army at the bor_
der - such that the German High Command under General Von Eoltke decided
to limit their attack to Prance and 3elgium _ began to erode.
The social fabric of Europe broke up. Speeding up this process,
the Bolshevik Revolution spread to Poland and Germany. Comm1.L"11ist and
socialist parties in western Europe, stren~thened and spurred on by
spreading economic discontent and poverty, added to their strength in parliament, agitated in their newspapers. They often took to the streets to
demonstate. Labor Day on Nay 1st saw large crow:ls ma.rchin!! under a sea.
of red :lags. 1\. s a boy I remember walking next to my Dad and often heari:ng
catcalls of "murderer." Proud of his uniform, he simpl y took my hand and
did not hasten his stride. Poverty, though, was a terrible pla~ue and re_
lief of the unemployed, the injured a."l"ld sick and the elderly were in their
infancy and inadequate. /\. s the gap between the welL to-d o and the very
poor increased, class antagonism increased also and sou2:ht vent in the
building of a more concerned party system with its own newspapers, propa.~anda and rallies and a. strident journalism which had access to the new
mass communication of the radio.
2trernism never took root in The Netherlands.
�-11-
Before we moved to Arnhem I had a few experiences which eXpressed the social tensions of the times. A boy named Jan, a few years
older than I and poorly dressed, daily came out to the barracks' ld.tchen
and the chef-cook Gerritsen invited him into the ld.tchen and gave him
a warm meal. Jan always seemed to cough a lot but was !)leasant and
cheerful and often participated in the ga..mes other children played. One
day he did not come do~m as usual and my mother told me that he had
thrown up a lot of blood crossing the bridge in front of the barracks
anc1. was very ill. I venturoo to the brid~e arrl saw the spot with the
dark, drying blood. A few days later I was told that Jan had died.
The chef-cook had some male assistants and some women helpers
who peeled potatoes by the bucket. They, too, had their meal there and
one day a dispute arose because one of the women ate meat on Friday to
the ire of another woman. Red in the face, she retorted in a loud voice
that she did not have the money to buy meat or for that matter fish and
that she was convinced that she did not sin in accepting a meal with
meat as long as her priest could afford choice cuts of fish. I thought
a lot about that at the time but do not remember talking about it.
Otherwise our daily life was pleasant. Between classes the cadets would
have coffee in the garden. One of them - Le Clerq by name - painted.
flowers in his spare time anc1. I often sat quietly watching him; how
beautifully he copied the colors and the shapes.
In the winter of 1918-19, I later learned, a flu epidemic
struck. Through the wirrlow which provided a look into the broad hallway
on the second floor, I saw many of the carrlidate officers carried away
on stretchers. I knew them. Some did come back. Others didn't.
After school, Dad often allowed me to go with him to fencing
classes, as long as I sat quietly along the side. He would don the
steel mesh mask with the leather shield protecting his throat and wore
a heavily padded jacket. The cadets were instructed to repeatedly attack
and to aim at the heart and the head. Dad would stand there, sabre
drawn, deflecting their strikes until they managed to hit him; meanwhile,
he would call out instructions. Sometimes there was competitive fencing
with Dad often acting as referee. Foil fencing was the most ele~ant.
Sabre, sword, and especially bayonet fightinR were tough battles for participants arrl for onlookers alike. They were not real bayonets, of
course, but spring-actuated steel shafts with a heavy leather knob. Once,
during a sabre contest, Dad was wourrled when struck over the head, the
sabre bending, cutting the back of his head. His adversary, a good friend
of ours, came to our home afterwards to see if he was all riEsht and the
two men jokoo about it. Mom did not think it funny.
The regiment's doctor, by the name of Jacob~ and his pharmacist assistant, Lorist, were a nice team and the few times I had to see
them they always had a good word for me. Lorist's standard joke was
that if there was something wrong inside the body you used aspirin anc1.
if it was on the outside, iodine was the cure-all.
�-12-
While living in i\mersfoort, at age eleven, I got my first pair
of glasses, one of my eyes being near-sighted and the other far-sighted.
It seems to have been unusual a.nd wa.s blamed (why not?) on the measles.
On my eighth birthday I was r;iven a bike. It was slightly
too large for me so Dad fixed the pedals to be double in size. Two
soldiers, ea~er to earn some extra money on a Saturday afternoon, spent
what seemed to me a long time in demonstrating the fine art of bicyclin~.
J\.fter several misses on my part, one of them proposed that if on the
next try I did not manage to stay on for ten meters, they'd throw me in
the canal. I managed a.nd the three of us came back sweaty but in high
spirits. Eve~Jthin!?:' was all right when Mom had chocolate milk and
cookies waitin~ for us.
After three different great schools within 1½ yea.rs in Arnhem and
Amersfoort, I had some difficulty fitting into the hi~her pace at my old
Kampen prep school. My pa.rents arra.ri.ged for private lessons for a while
and, after going smoothly through the sixth grade, I passed the entrance
examination for Al.mere College.
i\.t that time in The Netherla.n:ls there were five types of high
school all with a directed curriculum and no electives. Lateral changes
between these schools were possible in the lower grades.
The Gymnasium stressed Latin, Greek, and Hebrew with the lesser
emphasis on modern languages - French, German, and ~nglish _ and little
emphasis on ma.th. In 1926, with a total population of 9 million, this
type of school attracted 6,670 pupils. A.1.mere Coller-; e did not carry
La.tin, Greek, or Hebrew. Its ma.in thrust was on modern languages, math,
history and geography. In 1926, this type of school attracted 20,2~9
pupils of which 4,836 were girls. The Handelsschool had the emphasis on
modern lanf_'.;uages and accounting . The E.U.L. O. and U.L.O. types of schools
expanded on the great school curriculum and followed a less strin~ent
set of courses at a slower pace, were more ~enera.lized a.nd usually lasted
three years as compared with five yea.rs for the first two types mentioned.
~inally there were the Skills centers which trained mechanics, carpenters,
smiths, painters, and electricians and also taught Dutch and mechanical
drawing. In all the schools, great emphasis was placed on your native
language.
After a few years of livin~ with our 11 Honcl.ius 11 and the other
libraries, Al.mere Colle~e proved to be a pleasant challenge. 1926 saw a
jump nationwide in this type of school a.nd the first form opened with 34
pupils. We were split into two groups of 17 to allow for individuallty
and quality of teaching. Upon entering the third form the pupil total
had shrunk so that we all were in one class room a.f ain.
We had a demanding schedule with a heavy load of homework.
Va.cations were scheduled for only one week between Christmas and New Year's,
a few days at Easter and Pentecost and a sj_~ weeks' vacation in the summer.
�-13-
In the first form Dutch, 7rench, and GeMnan ~rammer an:i idiom
were taught. In the secorrl form the latter two ha.cl f!radual~y taken over
spoken Dutch in those classes. English was added in the secon:i form a.nd
had to be spoken in class in the third form.
The emphasis on modern languages must be seen in European con..
text. Hastery of your oi-m language opened study opportunities which
broadened and trained the mind. The closeness of the European countries
made it imperative to know a. few other languages thoroughly for study,
trade and tra~1el. ?or The Netherlands these were German, "5' rench, and
English. As the years passed the capacity to read foreign books, papers
and magazines ma.de for golden hours. A characteristic custom was for one
to become a member of an exchange portfolio, in which magazines in four
languages were included. These portfolios passed to the next member in
line after a week. Everyone paid a fee and a secretary bo~ht the Ma?a...
zines, filled the portfolios and pre-determined the routing .
Four of our teachers had Doctor's Degrees (ea.med) a._11d the
others had Masters Degrees so a lot of indivirlua.l attentioJ1 was given
to pupils to further achievement.
Intra..--nura.l sports consisted of Swedish gym_na.stics with full
class participation. There were rings, wa.llracks, tra.mpoline, high and
low bars, parallel bars a.nd vaulting horse. Summer athletics included
relay running , javelin throw, shotput and discus, hand and basketball.
Swi.'1'!l'lri.ng was not provided for by the school but the city swi...TT1...ining pools
were open to the entire population between m.d- 11.pril and mid-September.
Water temperature of 55 degrees ? a.hrenheit was the usual cut..off for
opening and closing. Indoor swimming pools were unknown.
Kampen was ideally situated on a river, at the beginning of a
delta and only ten kilometers a.way from the Veluwe where the ground was,
since time immemorial, well above the waterline. In the 1920 1 s the city
walls no longer existed except for three city gates an:i a small remnant
in the northwestern pa.rt of the city. Prom the riverside the city was
protected by a broad 1~1arf alonv, its entire len~th over which, next to the
sidewalk, a street provided for traffic. At low tide the wharf was five
to six feet above water level and, a.s a whole, gently sloped up to the
houses another couple of feet. ~11 a.round the city, where earlier the
walls had their begin.ning , an earthen d~~ provided protection against
high water. This wa.11 sloped down to a canal called the Singel and was
la.ndsca.:::,ed with a variety of trees, shrubbery, a.nd flowerbeds. ti. few miles
a.way, over the whole width of the delta, the meadows ended at the Zuiderzee where a low dike_ purposely built that way_ provided for the Zuiderzee to overflow the meadows once a year for fertilization.
Every fall, when heavy rains an:i northwestern storms were annual
occurences, the city would be warned to be on the alert for high water by
the hoisting of a large black canvas ball on a ta.11 stake placed on the
�farms closest to the sea.. The three city gates were then closed front
and back by strong pla~<s which fitted into built..in slots until these
barriers were a.bout three feet high. Between the front and back planking, sandbags a.nd manure were piled up and after the brackish Zuiderzee
waters had reached the city there was only one road open out of the
city - the bridge a.cross the river to the hi gher ground on t.~e other
side. For us youths it was a. great time, playing on the water's edge,
watching a lost pig swim toward shore, seeing rowboats land in unusual
places to and from farms on their elevations, called a terp. The "terps"
were man-made hills and were high enough to protect the farmhouses and
their dwellings. Ships at 'Wilarfside were tightly moored against the increased flow of the river and had long planks runnirus from t.'1-ieir d eeks
to the highest point of the wharf.
The annual floodings benefited the farmers two ways: the mea...
dows would again be lush in the spring for cattle, artificial fertilizers
being only in their beginning, and a.t the end of the su.m..rner an excellent
quality hay could be harvested. The waters usually receded before the
frost set in. The shallow canals would then freeze over and provide for
skating and sledding and a. sport called "buur-;loopen." t,,_ row of boys,
arms around ea.ch other's shoulders, would run from one canalba.nk to the
other a.'Yld then back until the ice started to give. Inevitably some would g et
wet feet or even wet pants. One of us was the son of a baker and when wet
we could always sneak in the back door while the baker rested from his
early morning chores and put our shoes and/or pants in the still warm oven.
Only once, in the winter of 1928-29, have I seen the river and
Zuiderzee frozen solidly over so that horse and wagons could use them and
the islands of Urk and Schokland could be reached on skates while their
harbors served Darked cars. That winter the temperature fell to minus 25
degrees Celsius- (15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit). This lasted for a
couple of months and our biology teacher, Dr. Ten Kate, later rector of
Almere College, orga.nize::l. volunteer squads to a.id hungry and injured waterfowl. We housed them in unused chicken coops. That winter I saw for the
first time the European bittern - five of them frozen to death. A.mon~ all
the rich bird life in the delta. and the meadows, one could hear their un..
mistakable call in spring and summer but their ca.pa.city to hide was superb.
That winter the demand on charitable organizations and churches
for food and coal was heavy. My brother and a few of his friends collected
some and brought it to needy families.
In March, the ice began to melt_ on my birthday a.s a matter of
fact - and in the riverbends above the town ice would pile up, threatening
the dikes behind which the farms lay on a lower 1evel than the river waters.
The military ,-rould dynamite the ice dams and the IJ ssel Bridge was manned
with men shoulder to shoulder with lonis, iron-tipped poles, who would do
their utmost to keen the iceflows from <lama.gin~ the brid ~e nillars or from
forming new jams - ~ gi ~antic struizgle, Th~ first brid ~e w~s built in 1liii.J 8,
�-15-
? rom heresa.y I know that in 1915 the water level was so hi~h that
waves drenched the brid <:_: e I s d eek, the railroad south of the city was
destroyed, and the city barely escaped being _flooded.
The people in that time still lived close to the benefits
and adversities of nature. A quiet civility a..vid an unobtrusive nei,;:h..
borliness permeated all of life. Births and d eaths and lin~erinr; ilL
ness brought out the best in hu.man relations. Children we:re bo:rn at
home with a midwife and neighbor's wives assistin12: . Peo:!)le died at
home with the body washed and dressed for burial ae;ain by f amly and
neighbors. Food and household help were freely off ered when illness
occurred. In the city a burial coach was used, inscribed in Latin for
eve~Jone to see. 11 Eodie Eihi, eras tibi" - "To1ay I, tomorrow you."
In the surrounding countryside neirrhbors l)rovided the best wa.,ron available for relatives and neirshbors to sit all a.round the coffin.
h e boys regularly play ed soccer on a larp; e exercise field
close to the cemetary. Hhen a burial party uassed on the ros,c't next to
the exercise field, play was stopped matter of fa.ct1~,r until the last
coach had passed. I do not remember our beinf told to co this, ~lay was
not resumed. until the burial party had passed.
Across the bridge was de "Bui ten Societei t," a clubhouse -c,rl. th
a restaurant, a.n outdoor terrace, a read.int? roon 1-,,-:ith magazines and newspapers in Dutch, French, German, and ~nglish, meetinF" roo!'ls and lare.- e
gardens with a music hall. During the su!ll!l1er, Sund ay evenin'! concerts
were given by the Kam:::,er Band Corps under the direction of Christia.an
Hengeveld. The majority of the me~bers had come from the military band
of the officers I candidate school's regiment whose band had been discon..
tinued. In the su."!lYrler months, this corns also ~ave concerts on the Nieuwe
Markt bandstand at night between 8 and
on Thurs:lay , ~ lar~e public
attended these attentively. Loo~~in,~ back over the d ecades, there was
a.mong the people of Kampen a quiet simplicity and dii:nity which in turn
nutured spiritual and mental development.
io
It was in the rea.dinr- room of the 3uiten Societeit that I read
the fascinating sto~J of the discovery of the tomb of '{' ut_1\nkh.. A.JT1on in
the magazine "De Prins." When one would look up in the rea.dime: room
there was a panorama. of the city a.cross the river and of the water's flow
towards the sea., guided by the basalt jetties in the outer curves to nrotect the a.d joining meadows a.g-a.inst erosion, ~:here the jetties ended
there were lanterns to guide shin:,')in~ at ni~ht.
The river is a.hra,y s a.live, now flowin2: calmly ,,r.i th the sun
irradiating the s::na.llest waves, then wild and roilin::: on dark day s,
threa.tenin€ its borders. The changing of the sea.sons reflected itself in
the river. 1;.Jhen, in the months of July a.nd ,'\ uzust, far a.way in the ~.lps,
snow and ice melted, the speed a.nd the depth of the river increased. In
:November, when the rains came and the vr.ild cloud- shot sk'y spewed north..
western storms against the river and its d elta. the water rose a.2'a.in because
�nature's powers slowed the run-off and every year it overflowed its
natural and artificial bou.ndaries. Could it ever be harnessed_ the
wind, water and clouds?
Just to the south of the Buiten Societeit was the train depot from which the local connection with Zwolle departed. From Zwolle
one could then transfer to the north to Groningen, to the south in the
direction of 1\rnhem and to the west to !\.mersfoort and t\msterdam.
We visited our paternal gra.n:lparents a.nd uncle and aunt twice
a year - once in the surmner and once in the winter. I n the winter it
was a comfortable train ride with transfers in Zwolle and 1\msterdam.
The trainstops we passed were as many confirmations of what we had learned
in our geography lessons. In the summer, we went bJ passenger steamer
which left at midnight and arrived in Amsterdam at 6 a.m. Passing through
the Oranjesluizen (locks) before arriving at quayside in ~msterdam was an
exciting event for us boys. He had our bikes with us and after breakfast
we bicycled for about three hours to Alkmaar at leisure,
That was always a. trip filled with the joy of discovery. The
first leg guided us through the western part of i\.msterdam to the ferry
a.cross the North Sea canal. Amsterdam Harbor, called the IJ, stretches
from the Oranjelocks to the bee;inning of the Forth Sea Canal. The ferry
connnutes to Zaandam and runs parallel to a very his h railroad brid~e.
Its height was calculated so that only the middle part would need to be
opened for the largest ships. It was an extra event when we would see
the mighty middle span slowly turn to let the oceanliners !)ulled by tu.e:boa.ts through. It was explained to us that these giants were not allowed
to proceed under their own power as this could seriously dama~e the high
canal dikes. The water level in the canal is high above the surrounding
countryside and like the canals of i\.msterda.m are a.bout 13' above Schiphol
!\irport.
The first enterprise we saw in Zaandam were the larp-e timber
harbors where forei gn ships unloaded the tree trunks which were then
guided into secure basins to a.wait their turn for the saw mills. We
learned to identify the flags flown on the ships. Come to think of it,
how many of these flags would still be in use today? -S tate boundaries
on earth have never been the most stable commodity. Through the old main
street, through Za.a.ndam, Koog a.an de Zaa.n, Zaandijk and Krom..menie, we saw,
left and right, factory after factory_ ea.ch with its own distinct odor_
vegetable oil, mustard, paint and saw mill. Cf f main street we visited
different points of interest.
In Za.andam there is the Czar Peter house built from wood but
protected by a larger brick buildin£" bui1t around it. It dates back to
a.bout 1700 when the reformist czar lived here to work in and study the
shipbuildin~ trade. :<rom Zaa.ndijk to Krommenie excavations have shown
proof of hu..-rna.n habitation as far back as the berrin.~ing of the Christian
era. The "Zaansche Schans" was f-ra.dua.11,y built into an open air museU.."Tl
�-17-
where old, typical houses, "ma and pa" stores an:i windmills could be
ad.i"'Tlired, all painted in the characteristic Zaan colors of green and
white and with typical wood carvings adorning !Tlany a house. In Zaandijk one can see the garden with the statues.
Only after we passed Wormerveer and Krommenie did we leave the
heavily industrialized Zaan area behind us and then we could see the lush
meadows on the former lake bottoms again. At that time, I seem to remember, in Krommenie, there was still a tollgate where a shingle told how
much one had to pay. Horse and buggies, cattle, pedestrians and cyclists
all paid a different tariff. The countryside remained wide open until we
reached Alkmaarder Meer (lake) and on its northern end the village of
Akersloot where we crossed the i'Joord Hollandsch kanaal by rowboat. Sometimes we would cross over to Heiloo and then follow the old brick road
to 1\1..1<:maar.
The view from Akersloot to the east shows the Schermerpolder
where the Termaats already lived in the 17th centurJ. Looking northward,
one saw the city of J\.lkmaar, its mighty Reformed cathedral and the Waagtoren dominatine; the city. West towarcl.s Heiloo, tall trees_ beech, oak
and linden - stood as a protective shield around the homes and a large
park named Ter Coulster invited one for a quiet walk. Followinp: the road
to Alkmaar we entered the "Hout, 11 a wooded park. Thro~h it we boys
would race ahead towards our grandparents' house on the Lindenlaan.
Grandmother and Aunt Earie (the unmarried only daughter of Hillem A.arts
by his first marriage) took turns in coming over to Kampen for a visit
but Uncle Pieter and Aunt Trien never came due to our Aunt's crippling
disease. Cousin Pieter came often during the summer.
Kampen, surrounded by large prosperous dairy farms, had many
close ties with the farming commu."1ity. For example, Monday was market
day. In the 1920's, farmers and their wives, still in traditional costume, came to town in their tilburies which they parl<ed, thills turned
up, in the middle of the main street - the Oudestraat. The horses were
tethered with stablekeepers. Retail stores were busy. On Mondays, our
grocer O?ened up the room behind the grocery store so that his wife could
serve lunch to the farmer-customers. The farmers' wives brought large
baskets •-'-r:i..th e~gs to the Plantage, a roofed over area next to the main
street, and the housewives would bargain for size and price. By ancient
law, some farms were allowed within the former city walls. Eanure for
fertilizing the meadows was carried off in shallow draft vessels.
Encouraged by our J\.lmere Colle:?,e biology teacher we would re..
connoiter the delta for bird and plant life. It was and still is a major
nesting and resting area. Geese, ducks, storks, herons, swans, gulls, and
terns and many songbirds would pause here on their twice annual trek between Scandinavia a.nd Horth /\ frica. Some nestin~ birds were the lapwing,
coot, god.wit (snipe fa.lllily), reed warblers, swan, .1r nose, P-a"n.ecock, kite,
stork, heron, garden warbler, blackbird and bittern. f or the identifica-
�tion of plants we used the "Heukels," a dictionary-sized p:uide through
several steps to the correct name and description. The ~eneral characteristic of a delta is its many-fold fresh water channels and the fact
that the closer you come to the sea, the wetter the grasslands get until, in many ?laces, they become marshy. On our treks the a.dvanta.qe was
that the average annual rainfall in this area was the lowest for The
Netherlands.
/\.s pronunciation and scanning were being absorbed, the study
of languages introduced us to world literature _ often by recommended
booklists and aided b-'J books with a collection of excerpts. Poet!"IJ was
taught in the same ma..1'1Yler but declamation was only gradually mastered.
In Dutch literature, writers and poets throu~h the early 20th cent1.1r1J
were a..-rialyzed. Classics like Professor Huizene:a. 1 s Waning of the 1-:iddle
i\.ges, ReYf'!ard the ~ ox, Valerius Gedenckklank, works by the poets Joost
van den Vondel and Jacob Ca.ts, ElckerJ.yc (Eve!"l.,nna.n). Jan van Ruusbroeck,
Thomas a Kempis (The Imitation of Christ) were stmied. In r rench literature we read Montesquieu's L'es-orit des Lois, Holiere, Voltaire, and
Rousseau's Emile and his Contrat Social. In German literature there were
Goethe, Schiller, Heine, Grimm, and f ritz Reuter and in English Litera..
ture: Byron, Shakespeare, Chaucer, F.' ieJ.ding, 1,falter Scott and Jerome K.
Jerome.
History, sequentially national, European, and world, was
taught in a thoroughly interrelaterl. way showin1 cause and effect. In
later years we were encouraged to select a period of our choice to study
what the affected countries themselves had recorded a.bout it, Hhat a
revelation and an insight into the mind of rulers and their historians!
Geo~raphy was all encompa.ssin~. I n ~reat school, your o--wn
country was explored and taught not only by map knowledge, but in depth.
AL-mere College took it from there beginnin~ with Europe from its continental divide and origin and flow of its rivers to the sites of its main
cities, its geological structure and its inter:ra.tion as a distinct continent, despite the manifold and often unnatural borders.
In math, algebra., with its positive and ne~a.tive nu..mbers and
systematized symbols, was taught i-rnaginatively. Euclidian ir eometry,
from point to line to plane to solids as conceived and expressed in his
Slements, received like attention. Graphic images and their analyses,
coordinates, logarithm, goniometric and trigonometric function - it was
all there.
In su..mmary, A.lmere College provided able and successful
teachers with inspirational qualities and abilities to maintain discipline
merely through the strength and dignity of their ~ersonalities, Here was
the real foundation of scholarship_ that in the past rests the present,
in what is now_ that which is to come. The support and encouragement of
our parents was invaluable though not fully appreciated at that time.
�-19-
In 1929, Da.d wa.s a.warded the silver medal for exemplary performance and service.
Though we could not foresee it, that fall would brini:,; a. pro_
found shake-up of the entire world. The stockma.rkets crashed. 1930
came. Prognoses failed. Unemployment increased. Businesses failed.
Large corporations shrunk to small ones. Homes built on speculation
dragged contractors down into bankruptcy. Prices shrunk, but not fast
enough to keep pace with the diminished purchasing power. How and if
to spend money became a matter of a carefully weighed choice. The
stock exchange index in ~msterdam fell from 10~ in 1929 to ~6 in 1931
and to 23 in 1933. The wholesale price index stated at 100 in 1929 fell
to 52 in 1932. Textile exports to The l'Ietherlands' East Indies fell
from 58 million guilders in 1929 to 6 million guilders in 1933. In the
Indies, the wholesale price for sugar fell from 30 cents per ldlogram in
1922 to 17½ cents in 1927 and to 6 cents in 1933. Rubber took a dive
from 105 cents per pound in 1929 to 14 cents in 1933. The League of
Nations compiled the depression statistics a.nd Indonesia seemed to be
where it started first, struck hardest and stayed longest.
Dad's rank and position were secure and our family was fortunate. Our parents were hardly affected by the depression. Towards the
end of 1930, Dad, at his request, was transferred to the military cl.istrict in the town of his birth - J\.lkmaar - to be effective in June, 1931.
?or several years already, Dad had been the literary contributor on military affairs for the weekly "Ons Belang" for subaltern
officers and for the daily "De Nederlander," the party paper for the
Christian Historian Union, one of the two mainline Protestant parties.
His writings were contributed over the period 1927-38.
In Ifarch, 1931, I was sent ahead of the fa...'Tlil,y to attend the
Peda<sogic 1\ cade:my- in i\lkmaar and until June, stayed with my- grand!)arents.
This school had a fine staff with the exce!)tion of the Psycholo~y Department where the teacher was unqualified. Within a year, however, this
changed for the better thro~h the appointment of Dr. I Jzer, a. student
of Adler and Jung. Our class numbered about 30 and the academic atmosphere and student life were hig-hly rated. The saJne discipline and lonp:
study hours applied as for i\.lmere Collef!e. The outstanding sports team
for the school wa.s its soccer team in which I played center half. final
examinations ca.me in June, 1933, and I finished in the top seven out of
twenty-eight graduates.
In 1932, a drama.tic improvement in The 1'-!etherland's fi Fht
against the sea. took place. On the 28th da.y of May the 1\fsluitdijk
(closing dam) wa.s completed from Noord Holland to f riesland, closing;
the Zuiderzee.
In 1932, I ha.d joined the "] a.tional Jonp-eren Verbond" (lfa.tion_
al Youth Organization) with membership lir:ri.ts of between the as es of 18
�and 35. :fa.tiona.l historic idea.ls, as embodied over the centuries in
the Royal House of The Netherlands: taking a sta.rr.i a.e;a.inst one sided
disa.rma..."llent a..nd for a. democratic form of government with uni versa.l
suffrage, were its idea.ls. Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Juliana.
consented to become our honorary chairwoman. I was to meet my future
wife there and little could we anticipate that only eight years later
our principles would be sorely tested as would our spiritual a:nd :physical
stamina.
In Germany, in 1928, a novel was published. by a. soldier who
fought for his country in Horld 1/•fa.r I. This soldier was Erich :·1aria.
Remarque. This novel, in its first person description, authenticated
the writer's agony over his destruction a.s a human ·being by the barbarism
that perpetuated a futile struggle for four years and in which the terrL
tory gained by either side was measured in mere yards at a cost in htunan
life which was only surpassed. by the events of 1forld War J_J.. The na..me of
the novel is L"ll Westen Nichts 'f\Teues - All Quiet Cn The Western Front. I
did not read it until 1929 and no matter how immature our minds still
·were it made a lasting scar on the conscience of all who read it. Voices
grew soft, eyes moistened as the terrible truth of the destruction of that
lost 3: eneration continued. to sink deeper into one's conscience. 1\fter
this, it r11ust have been 1930, another book drew -::rry attention. It had been
published before ~emarque wrote his first novel and was written by Oswald
Spene1;ler - Der Unter~ang des 1\.bendlandes with Gestalt und ".'!irklichkeit
a.."1.d Welthistorische Persnektiven (The :!Jecline of the ';·~est, ~ 0!'!11 and "Tetu...
ality, and Persnectives of the vfo rld 1s7Hstory.) Tho~h, at that time, few
scholars ·were capable of foreseeinz the accuracy or inaccuracy of his predictions and conclusions, the work its elf h~.d a tremenc: ous impact on the
mind as co:rnmunism, socialism, fascism, nazis:n, anc. corporatism vied for
the souls and rtlnds of man. Cnly the passa.,rn of time has a;iven us the
benefits of reflection an:i hindsight needed. for pro1Jer evaluation. To this
day the importance of his lifework is still being reco c::nized but on our
youJ1g minds these contemporary works had a :Jrofound influence.
In 1920, there were still Belgian refugees housed in school
buildine;s. During the moneta~J collapse of Germany, German children were
taken in everywhere to be clothed. and ±'ed. and housed while their cou...ntry
tottered. on the abyss of anarchy. One dollar was then the equivalent of
11 bil 7-i on German marks. The large and stable Gem.an niiddle class was
ruined. and the social uoheaval wreaked ha.voe on all the -=3stablished values.
This, in turn, along with the danger of a Com'ln.mist (in C, errr..any called.
Spartacists) takeover on the other side, made la.rfrn seis:n ents of the :nopulation call for and turn to a stronf"., leader. When the lar<:e corporations,
the large lando1,.iners and the mli ta.ry sup'!_'.)orted. the Mazi p.grty their sue_
cess at the ::_;alls in 1932 brou1Zht Hitler to :::,ower and Kru-pp '!_'.)ressured
General Hinclenbdrs:, then President of Germany, to appoint Eitler as 1:/.eichs
Chancellor in March, 1933! Any hope these diverse interests had of being
able to control Hitler soon proved to be false,
�-21After ~raduation, ::: started my study for a master's c euree.
~lso in 1933, under the pressure of depression ~enerated bud s et cuts,
the nU!llber of pu~ils per class in creat and seconda~J schools, which by
law had alway s been fi.,-v;:ed at 25, was in one stroke increased to 45.
The results for our ,c raduating class were disastrous. Not one of our 28
graduates could find a position .and ma..11.y existimr positions were eliminated. One studied without much more incentive than a check on an uz1certain future. Later it became apparent how uncertain. Only after 19Li 6
did the demand for teachers increase.
!\ s I have said before, my Dad's position was safe. ~om a.F;ain
had saved up enough money to take the fami]y on a week's trip to Belgium
in 1933 and again _in 1931.j.. But here I was - a dee:ree financ ro by ,,ry
parents and no earning prospects. \ fter seven :-:1onths, a. tip from 111;17
Uncle Fieter mad e me file an application for a job with the local govern..
ment 1~rith a job description of trcomputing unemployment benefits and paying
t hem. tr This job bro-w.:;ht me the princely su2n of 25 cuilders per ,1onth and
the obligation to work unlimited hours. Forrnal workino; hours were 4 L1 per
week but because the federal government partially reimbursed the cities
for the unemployment compensation paid, we had to work evening s and
Sa.turd.ay afternoons on the required paperwork with all its rar.ri.fications.
In 1934, a 60 hour week represented normal working hours.
1
/\.lso in 193L1, the Royal House of Cranje suffered two deaths that of Queen 2mma (Queen Fi1helmina. 1 s mother) and Prince Hendrik, the
Prince Consort. The latter was buried in a pure white corte~e. That year
also brought the start of regular flights between /1.msterdam and Ba.ta.via,
the capitol of the Indies. The first plane was called the trUiver. 11
On the other hand, 25 quilders still bought a lot. I lived at
home and my gocxi pa.rents never accepted more than two p-uilders per week as
contribution to the household. I a...rn still sure that the advantage was
mine. 1\ good woolen suit cost 20 1:,uilders, a pair of shoes; 1.1 to 6 guilders;
a pack of ci~arettes, 10 to 15 cents; a movie ticket was 25 cents.
I remember heated discussions with my fellow graduates about not
waiting for a teaching position; but, as the months passed by , one after the
other had to follow my example. One took a job as assistant mail.~an,
another as clerk with an agricultural co-op, etc. I received an offer at
the same office to become accounting assistant with the promise of a salary
increase. I switched my studies to accountini:s and economics at the Instituut
voor Handelswetenschatmen
(Institute for /\. ccountine- and 3:conomic Studies) in
Leiden, taught by Univers~ty of Leiden professors. My salary was increased
to 67 guilders per month in 1936 and to 120 guilders in 1938.
~
.
For a moment I must reminisce about our contacts with the unem...
ployed. The overwhel.rning number of them were hard hit financially and eager
to ta.1-(e on any work but there was not any . On rfondays and Tuesday s we com..
puted the payrolls which covered 350 to ~00 persons, all non-union members.
The unions were paymasters for their members. On Wednesday at 12 o'clock
�-22-
we received a check drawn on the Nederland.sche Bank N.V. for the exact
a.mount of the payroll. The two of us took this check to the bank, cashed
it, and received it all in silver: 2t, 1, and½ guilder pieces_ quarters,
dimes, nickles, and pennies. We emptied the bags into two metal chests
and carried each one on the luggage carrier of our bikes, strapped to it
by rubber bands. We bicycled through the city to the outskirts where a.ti
old wooden construction barn stood - a one room affair held together with
hook and eye latches. By the time we gotthere, there were us~ll,y li-0 or
50 men waiting impatiently. We got off our bikes, pushed them to the
door, entered and locked the door. Why, I don I t know; it sure]y did not
increase our safety any. We opened the hatch cover and proceeded with the
payout upon signature for receipt. When I think back to the poverty of
these people and ·the two of us carr'l.,rin~ 4,000 to 5,000 guilders under
these circumstances, I cannot but wonder that we never encountered violence
or attempts of theft. How would that be today?
From my first earned money I bought a plus-four suit, a fervent
desire of mine. :-1y working life in this place gave me a different education from the academic one prior. The reports that had to be made out for
specific supplemental help; i.e., a blanket, children's shoes, underwear,
etc., were experiences that affected me deeply. Many people who still had
their pride often were frustrated and sometimes an~ry - not at us but at the
"system." I remember one incident of violence where an unemployed man
tried to force his way into the director's office. One of my colleagues
grabbed the man by arm and shoulder and pushed him toward the door. !\nother,
older colleague, the on]y one empowered to carry a nightstick, took coura~e
at this sight and delivered a blow on the man's shoulder with the result
that he hit my colleague on his thumb which swelled to unnatural proportions. Our director was somethirus else.
He had been secretary of the neighborin~ villa~e of Ef'Jllond, was
married and had five children. One of his bad habits was to play around ·with
a female clerk in his office in off hours. Two police officers were tipped
off and watched this v-rith great interest through peepholes in the ceilin~
and the man was fired. Throu~h political connections he got the position of
director of Social Services in ~lkmaar. I presu.me that he checked the ceiling carefully before sitting down. He ended his life in a wierd way, 1\fter
the Gerr.ian occupation started in May, 19li0, he cozied up to the Nazis and
the Germans. They used him to provide workmen for the military airfield in
Bergen. The German authorities provided him with a car and gasoline ration
books. One day, in June, 1941, when Hitler ordered his troops into Russia,
there was a Nazi demonstration in front of our townhall. Someone spoke
from the high steps in front of the build.inf! and the Nazis below were wild
with enthusiasm, lifting their right hands continuously (maybe to indicate
how high the snowfall had been the past winter) and sang their bloody songs.
1\t that moment a car approached in the direction of the townhall and drove
right into the Nazi demonstration. They dra~ged the driver out and it
appeared to be the 15 year old son of the Director who was out for a. pleasure
ride with some friends. Now the fat was in the fire. The verdict: stealing
gasoline from the German i\.rmy and obstructing a legal party gatherino-. The
Director was transported to a concentration camp where he died.
The years from 1932 on were good years for the National Youth
Organization. We grew in numbers, had f ood speakers for. our meetin~s,
�-23-
marched with our flags on Queen ·wilhelrrina' s birthday and on the 8th of
October when the whole city co!!h~emorated the day in 1572 when ~lkmaar
became the first city to successfully repel the Spanish I nquisition under
Don F rederik at the F' risian Gate. It was just dand y to be hated by com..
munists, socialists, a.11d Nazis alike. lfany of the men in our orp- a.nization
would fall i n the Resistance from 19LJ0 to 19u5 and, as a matter of fact,
we had the singular honor of becomini:i; the first orvanization to be disbanded after the German Occupation bee-an in ],fay , 19Lt0. The first ~esistance
F i ghters to be executed before a firin ~ squad were our members.
On F ebruary 23, 193 5, I asked 1\driana Barbara Schuurman , my
future wife, out for a first d ate. r,re were enf! aP- ed. to be marrieo in June,
1936 and were married on Aoril 18 , 1939 . We thoul! ht this lonP: interim
necessary for saving enou~h money to install our house a.s we wished,
v-i hen the war started one y ear after we married , we were r- rateful that we
had acted the way we d id,
F rom 1935 on we will tell our story tog ether.
�Thro~~hout my formative years runs a supportive thread which
seems to strengthen as the years pass and which I like to call the goL
den rein. Both the Termaat and Harms families belonged, as far back as
we were able to trace, to the Reformed Church.
Just what the Reformation means is well described in Will anrl
Ariel Durant's book, The Reformation. What it accomplished is that the
distractions of art, music, a..~d le? end were removed from the Church and
the Bible as the ~-.;ord of God was placed. where it belonP-" ed: in the hands
of any person eager to read that book in his or her own language. In
Europe the church situation is simpler than it is in the United States.
Over there, in every country, one sees only a few church or~anizations.
Over here, every group of immigrants bro1.J.2."ht over the basic tenets of
their own church organizations and, especially in their new and difficult
beginning, tended to adhere to that orf. anization as a basis of their small
community. Naturally , just as in Surope, some ossification took place and
often form took precedence over substance. l\ lso over here few mer~ers
into one larger body occurred. I will not argue the merits or d emerits of
the merger. What unites all Christians is the 1\postolic Creed. :-To one
but Christ has impacted deeper and farther into human exists.nee.
The Reformation was not a tranquil movement. It developed under
persecution in character not unlike the extermination camps in ~ustria,
Poland, and Germany during the second world war. But its followers, ra.
gardless of which external form they congregate under, are unspoken, simply
known by the fruit of their labors, to see for everyone who wants to see.
Hen, like Luther, Calvin, Knox, and Zwingli and so many others, were called
·upon in the fullness of time to be the new apostles (witnesses).
The empty dispute between creationists and scientists falls far
short of the prominent fact: that all mankind descends from one set of
parents and so are fully related one to the other. The oldest Gospel is
that of :-1ark and as an introduction it has no peer. l\od to that the Ten
Commandments, the Lord I s Frayer and the thorough tea.chint?: s of the Heidelber.2'
Catechism and in whom awakes a desire to seek, answers will be forthcoming
and the calm of an a,.~azing grace will transfi~ure and illuminate one's life.
This ~olden rein is of the highest moral code and as we cannot
possibly fulfill it to the utmost, we can alway s, in the privacy of one's
ovm a.bode, simply confe ss and surely be for ~iven.
When we leave this natural life, it will for certain be as small
a step as it was when we entered it.
�EFTICGU~ • • •
? ram whence, where to? The period between the two world wars
for Europe where we grew up showed us the old beloved continent as it
lived., laughed, wrestled with its problems. V e have seen it just in time,
From F ebruary, 1935, until our marriav.e in 1\.pril, 1939, we had the cost},y
gift of g rowing to g ether towards unity which is not achieved without its
own cost.
For Su.rope, it ended up as a lost world where poverty and
riches, unbridg eable and inseparable, lived to '2; ether, The world of 3arth
and :-Iann and Kafka, of fa.st changing social consciousness, of Proust and
Galsworthy anc. F reud, of ":tosa Luxember!!, and Colijn, of ~bert, Stresema.nn
and Firandello - names that have faded a.way.
!\. ~urope that talked in coffee houses in Faris and Vienna, in
3e rlin and i\msterda.rn and Buda.pest and Rome.
It would collapse in the abyss of 1939.
2:vening: s on the 1\ tla.ntic coast. Loni? d ay s in 3 elC!iu.,'11 and -:;· ranee
and ~ermany. Sunny afternoons a.lon~ the ~reat rivers. White ni '!hts hi crh
in the Alps. RottinP: slums. I ndescribable social arrears.
There were planners and jokesters, idealists and profiteers,
thinkers and fools, leaders and followers, artisans and statesmen, people
of g oodwill and evildoers, democracy and totalitarianism. It was a Su.rope
where we were you..ng and carefree and which is now dead, I t vas never a
superb place, but it was already dyin~ when we thoU!!,ht it was still youn'!
and alive.
It was for many of us a home where we thaw.ht ourselves safe,
and where we lived a youth, short enour,-h _ but seemin,,.ly lone- a.nd unend incr,
filled with ideas, contrasts _ a laue:h, a tel3.r, I t was very old and ver-J
younR; at the same tirne, It lived with R'Usto and was filled with g reat aicd
g ooc. plans. It was at the same time a lovi:ng mother, our b eloved, and comrade.
·.-Jhat will happen in the future? Cne can only have patience.
Steinbeck wrote in his Grapes of 1.··rath: "You got to have patience, 1:-,i'hy,
Tom, us people will [! O Mlivin', ali-them people is g one
, rich
fellas come up an' they die, an' their kids ain't no good an' they die out.
But we keep a' coTl'.in' • "
�Ter Maat
variants
ter Mate, ter Mathe , Termaat, Termate(n) ,
ter Maath.
Heirs ter Maet , 14o5 near Doetichem.
ter Maeth, 1438 near Steenwijkerwold.
Near Lemselo, 1381/83 ter Maet, 147? ther Maet.
The last one is now called Maatman, which heir we also
find near Noorddeurningen from the estate which was called
Maethues in 1475 and for the estate near Breklenkamp, which
was called Mathus in 1328.
·
The estate Maathuis near Albergen was in 1450 called De Maet,
in 1475 Maed and in 1495 Maethues.
A "maat" is a hayfield ; the word is related to the word
maaien, a verb meaning : to mow.
~ One used the word "dagmaat
for the size of a field
which could be mowed by oneman in one da.y.
A variant is" made" of "mede" for pasture.
( Note : etymology traces these roots to the ancient Anlgosaxon area west and east of The Netherlands-German border,
betwe en the North Sea and the Rhine river)
( These words "made n and "mede" are still in use today . )
Composit family names are Maathuis , Maa~man and an estate
Maetman, also named Mathemanshuijs, is men~ioned in 1385
near Oldenzaal.
Another composite is Mateboer, and also Rouwmaat from the
estate "die Rouwermate" in 1656 in Hengelo and especially
in Groenlo . Rouwermate means a rough "rnaat" , covered with
rough vegetation or thickett.
Compare also "Overmaat".
(note : here is another Anglo-Saxon root in "rough" coming
from "rouw")
11
�
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
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RHC-144
Format
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Text
Image
Type
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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_Memoir-P-Termaat-The-Formative-Years-1914-1935
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Termaat, Pieter
Title
A name given to the resource
Pass In Revue: 1914-1935, The Formative Years
Description
An account of the resource
Memoir by Pieter N. Termaat on his youth and adolescence in the Netherlands.
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dutch
Dutch Americans
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
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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