Five Brothers and a War

Razzia at Home

Immie Tadema’s view from her house as she watched the razzia on the van Pelt home.

In the meantime, other officers went to the front door in order to search the premises. Piet had left by bicycle as soon as the warning had been given, but Leen and Kees had gone into the crawl-space hideaway. When Marie was asked about each of her sons, she proceeded to tell stories that were both true and untrue. She told them that Jan was already in Germany and that Piet had left a few minutes earlier. Both of those were true. But without breaking stride, she then told them that she had no idea about the other two who were inches below her feet. Piet was quickly captured by the Germans as he rode across Den Haag and was taken to their jail in Vught, near s’ Hertogenbosch. He was released after a few days due to the efforts of Leendert on behalf of his son. As it happened, one of Leendert’s workers at Bruynzeel was an NSBer, and he was told in no uncertain terms that if he ever wanted to get anything in the future, he would work to get Piet released. The ultimate reason for his not being sent to Germany was that he was already working for the German mega company Siemens. As such, there would be no advantage to taking him from one German firm, thereby creating a vacancy for Siemens, and transferring him to fill a vacancy with another German outfit. After the stress of the raid had waned, the brothers began to chide their mother for all of the lies that she told about their whereabouts. Being a very religious person, it was extraordinary that she was such a natural liar, and the boys left no stone unturned in their mock attacks. The matter was settled when Maria agreed that the next time it happened, she would simply give them all up.

van Pelt

Five Brothers and a War

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