Five Brothers and a War

1944 Summary

DATE

EVENT

Jan 01, 1944

The LO-LKP forms a national executive committee.

Jan 03

Report Coevorden-meeting sent to London, warns of possible sudden demise of Hitler. Prime Minister Gerbrandy supports formation of “illegally operated” Nationaal Steunfonds in occupied country to support resistance work. Germans punish group of women in Camp Vught. Known as the “bunker incident,” 10 of 74 female prisoners suffocate, others are mentally scarred for life.

Jan 10

Jan 15

Jan 25

KP raid on Tilburg city hall results in large haul of ration coupons (105,000).

Jan 27

Germans retreat from region of Leningrad.

Jan 28

Germans warn population for flooding as a military defense measure.

Feb 01

Doulein and Ubbink reach England again, jailed as English secret service mistakenly suspected them to have Gestapo links. Dutch-Portuguese Jews (descendants of 16th century refugees) deported to Camp Westerbork.

Feb 02

Feb 14

Himmler visits Holland. Executions of captured resistance workers increase.

Feb 22

Decree announces automatic death penalty for raiders on distribution offices (DKs) and civil registries. Americans mistake Nijmegen for German city, bombing kills 880. Arnhem and Enschede also hit.

history Feb

Infiltrators betray about 100 members of Jean H. Weidner's Swiss escape route.

Mar 06

Dutch Nazis launch party promotion campaign in Amsterdam.

Mar 11

RAF drop founder Albrecht espionage group over Drenthe.

Mar 15

London launches Special Assignment desk.

Mar 21

Landwacht, nicknamed Jan Hagel for their antiquated hunting rifles, begin operating as auxiliary police, act against countrymen as eyes, ears, legs and arms for Germans.

Mar 22

Germans seize power in Hungary.

Mar 25

Allies bomb Germany with 7,000 planes.

Mar 26

Russians push Germans back across Rumanian border.

Mar 30

Resistance group FC (Nijmegen) joins L.O.

Apr 01

Black market price of lard f64.00 per kilogram.

Apr 10

Russians retake Odessa.

Five Brothers and a War

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