Five Brothers and a War

Impact of Southern Liberation

The impact of the liberation of the southern section of Holland in the autumn of 1944 on the rest of Holland was profound. On the one hand, it gave great hope to the rest of the nation, but on the other hand, the logistics involved in reviving a society so oppressed for more than four years was, at best, daunting. At the heart of the discussions revolving around the issue was the Dutch Prime Minister ( President Minister ) Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy (April 13, 1885– September, 1961), a man most known for his moustache, his short stature, and his role as the leader of the Dutch government in exile—under Koningin Wilhelmina, perhaps not constitutionally, but certainly as a reality.

Winston Churchill had no particular regard for any of the Dutch government officials, other than the queen—whom he described as being “the only man in the Dutch government.” Nonetheless, Gerbrandy made it his job to seek relief for the starving Dutch. It was a difficult mission for a number of reasons though. The attempts to restore the liberated sector were not well executed and resulted in significant problems. Gerbrandy had an invitation to visit with General Eisenhower in Versailles, France, which he accepted. However, on the evening before his October 19, 1944 appointment, Eisenhower had been held up in Brussels, and instead asked his Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Bedell Smith to stand in for him. Smith in turn sent an urgent message to his assistant, Canadian Maj. General Arthur E. Grasett, to find out everything he could about the latest situation in Holland to prepare him to meet Gerbrandy. Having been quickly educated, the meeting took place the following morning, and Gerbrandy was impressed with Smith’s level of understanding. He was pleased that he did not have to explain background information as he had to do when meeting with Churchill, but could get right to the heart of the matter dealing with the suffering of the Dutch people. There were several important outcomes of that meeting. Smith bluntly told Gerbrandy that the Dutch would have to endure another winter, and the hope for liberation by Christmas time was impossible. But it also convinced Smith that he would have to deal with the issue of timing of food relief efforts as the rest of the country was eventually liberated. The message of the delay of the liberation of the rest of Holland was received by Gerbrandy, though he was extremely disappointed and dejected by the information. He, above everyone knew that thousands of citizens in a world-class country were about to die of starvation.

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Five Brothers and a War

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