Five Brothers and a War

1944 Summary

Jul 20

Von Stauffenberg's attempt on Hitler's life fails. Himmler assumes command German army. First of many round-ups in Amsterdam of men for forced labor in Germany.

Jul 21 Jul 24 Jul 27

L.O. coordinates work from central office.

Wave of arrests in Groningen, all prompted by betrayal courier Bleeker.

Aug 01 Aug 02

Start of uprising Warsaw's Jewish ghetto.

Gerbrandy signs second warrant for Nationaal Steunfonds. Queen orders formation of Raad van Vertrouwensmannen. Queen appoints Prins Bernhard commander of Nederlands Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten, to be formed from ranks of resistance groups.

Aug 03

Aug 04 Aug 07 Aug 08

Americans take Florence, break through lines at the Loire.

Court case against Trouw group starts.

Country-wide wave of arrests triggered by betrayal courier Edith. Prinses Irene Brigade lands in Normandy.

Aug 11 Aug 15

LO-representative Bleijs arrives in London.

Allies land in southern France. Dutch officials in occupied country warned not to assist Germans with construction of defense lines.

Aug 19 Aug 23 Aug 25 Aug 28

Germans arrest L.O. co-founder Tante Riek (Mrs. R. Kuipers-Rietberg).

Romenia surrenders, chooses side of Allies.

Final meeting of LKP. Appoints new commander for sabotage work.

LKP receives first large arms drop. London decree places groups under central command. With the Allies approaching, the resistance movement becomes an underground army. While the Allied troops, the unit of Dutch expatriates Prinses Irene Brigade among them, inched their way toward Dutch soil, the government-in exile in London plans to merge all the resistance groups into an underground army. Ill-equipped and trained, this army matures quickly in its ongoing battle with an enemy that never had observed any international conventions of war. If caught, resistance men face a certain death. In spite of all this, vacancies caused by arrests were filled quickly enough even when the Germans intensified their oppression. In late December 1944, Germany orders to men, ages 16 to 40, to report for labor conscription, and large-scale manhunts terrorized the population even more. Hunger drove many people, including the elderly, women and children on long treks in search of food. The Dutch government-in-exile appoints Prins Bernhard commander-in-chief of its armed forces. The Allied command orders railway sabotage in occupied Holland. Brussels regains freedom. Germans kill sixty prisoners in Vught. Finland signs truce with Allies, declares war on Germany. Antwerp taken by British forces.

history

Sep 03, 1944

Sep 04

Five Brothers and a War

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