Five Brothers and a War

D-Day

It is not possible to overstate the importance of D-Day on the outcome of the war, and therefore the lives of those under Nazi occupation. Within a week (“D-Day +6”), the beachheads were so well established with such overwhelming force that it became impossible for the Germans to offer anything approaching equal force in defense. While the Allied sweep across Europe was inevitable, there was still a period of intense fighting that lasted almost exactly 11 months. The suffering during that period was horrific both physically and psychologically. In Holland, some of the worst suffering was yet to come on both fronts as the cold and hungry winter, the Hongerwinter , was yet to come to the major population centers of Western Holland, while the Allies were essentially just across the river. The feelings of euphoria caused by the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, coupled with the freezing cold weather, the lack of fuel, electricity and food, after more than four years of Nazi occupation, created indescribable pain on all levels. However, the fact that the Allies were finally on the Continent created the hope that the end was near, and therefore the physical conditions could be somewhat better tolerated. The ups and downs that each day of news brought helps to explain why liberation day was, and still is, such an event to the Dutch. As the pressures grew, and as the stakes were raised, and as the resources diminished, the sense of relief when it was all over became immeasurable.

the war

Five Brothers and a War

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