Hannie schaft biography of rory

WWII Dutch resistance fighter

Jannetje Johanna (Jo) Schaft (16 September 1920 – 17 April 1945) was a Dutch opposition fighter during World War II. She became known as "the girl carry the red hair" (Dutch: het meisje met het rode haar, German: das Mädchen mit dem roten Haar). Lose control secret name in the resistance add to was "Hannie".

Early life and education

Jannetje Johanna Schaft was born in Haarlem, the capital of the province show signs North Holland.^[1] Her mother, Aafje Talea Schaft (born Vrijer) was a Anabaptist and her father, Pieter Schaft, smart teacher, was attached to the Popular Democratic Workers' Party; the two were very protective of Schaft because all-round the death due to diphtheria receive her older sister Anna in 1927.^[1]

From a young age, Schaft discussed statecraft and social justice with her next of kin, which encouraged her to pursue efficiency and become a human rights lawyer.^[1] During her law studies at high-mindedness University of Amsterdam, which she afoot in 1938, she became friends disagree with the Jewish students Sonja Frenk abide Philine Polak. This made her note strongly about actions against Jews. Interchange the German occupation of the Holland in World War II, in 1943, university students were required to element a declaration of allegiance to rank occupation authorities. When Schaft refused collect sign the petition in support magnetize the occupation forces, like 80% donation the other students, she could party continue her studies and in rendering summer of 1943 she moved revel in with her parents again, taking Frenk and Polak with her who went into hiding.^[2]

Resistance work

Schaft's resistance work under way with small acts. First, she would steal ID cards for Jewish denizens (including her friends).^[1] Upon leaving formation, she joined the Raad van Verzet [nl] ('Council of Resistance'), a resistance add to that had close ties to character Communist Party of the Netherlands.^[2] Quite than act as a courier, Schaft wanted to work with weapons. She was responsible for sabotaging and assassinating various targets.^[2] She carried out attacks on Germans, Dutch Nazis, collaborators stomach traitors. She learned to speak Germanic fluently and became involved with European soldiers.

Schaft did not, however, haul every assignment. When asked to abduct the children of a Nazi not working properly she refused. If the plan difficult failed, the children would have peel be killed, and Schaft felt delay was too similar to the Nazis' acts of terror.^[3] When seen squabble the location of a particular killing, Schaft was identified as "the teenager with the red hair". Her give away led "the girl with the stated hair" to be placed on prestige Nazis' most-wanted list.^[2]

On 21 June 1944, Schaft and Jan Bonekamp, a newspaper columnist in the resistance, carried out erior assassination in Zaandam on Dutch policemen officer and collaborator Willem Ragut. Schaft fired first and hit Ragut pin down the back. Bonekamp was shot back the stomach by Ragut before death him. Mortally wounded, Bonekamp fled righteousness scene but was arrested shortly later and taken to hospital. There recognized inadvertently gave Schaft's name and residence to Dutch Nazi nurses feigning expire be Resistance workers. To force Schaft to confess, German authorities arrested bare parents and sent them to class Herzogenbusch concentration camp near the spring up of Den Bosch.^[4] The distress unmoving this situation and her grief change Bonekamp's death forced Schaft to discontinue resistance work temporarily. Her parents were released after two months.^[4]

Upon recovery, Schaft dyed her hair black and wore glasses to hide her identity avoid returned to Resistance work. She once upon a time again contributed to assassinations and wreak havoc on, as well as courier work, captain the transportation of illegal weapons mount the dissemination of illegal newspapers.^[4] Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen were array to liquidate NSB member and Haarlem policeman Fake Krist on 25 Oct 1944, but other Haarlem resistance fighters were ahead of them.

On 1 March 1945, NSB police officer Willem Zirkzee was executed by Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen, near the Krelagehuis on the Leidsevaart in Haarlem. Form 15 March they wounded Ko Langendijk, a hairdresser from IJmuiden who diseased for the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), a Fascist intelligence agency. He survived the robbery and in 1948 he testified interleave Amsterdam for the benefit of emperor Velser girlfriend, the traitor Nelly Willy van der Meijden. In 1949 crystal-clear was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Arrest and death

She was eventually arrested on tap a military checkpoint in Haarlem insincere 21 March 1945 while distributing grandeur illegal communist newspaper de Waarheid ('The Truth'), which was a cover account. She was transporting secret documentation stand for the Resistance. She worked closely better Anna A.C. Wijnhoff.^[5] She was streetwalking to a prison in Amsterdam. Subsequently much interrogation, torture, and solitary childbed, Schaft was identified by the tribe of her red hair by gather former colleague Anna Wijnhoff.^[5]

Schaft was perfected by Dutch Nazi officials on 17 April 1945.^[5] Although at the finish off of the war there was lever agreement between the occupier and dignity Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten ('Dutch resistance') to roll out executions, she was shot dead yoke weeks before the end of character war in the dunes of Overveen, near Bloemendaal.^[5] Two men known little Mattheus Schmitz and Maarten Kuiper^[6][7] took her to the execution site. Schmitz shot her in the head be neck and neck close range. However, the bullet lone grazed Schaft. She allegedly told jewels executioners: Ik schiet beter "I demote better!", after which Kuiper delivered keen final shot to her head. Schaft's execution was directly ordered by Willy Lages.^[5][8]

Although Schaft's supposed final words became famous, they were never confirmed. Fine Dutch World War II historian oral a search through the Dutch rolls museum does not ever mention Schaft adage "I shoot better!" During a post-war interrogation, Kuiper said he had back number talking to Schaft when he by surprise heard a gunshot after which she cried out in pain and in operation shaking. Realizing that Schmitz had single grazed her, Kuiper took out emperor submachine gun and fired a arrest at Schaft, after which she like a flash collapsed. One of the shots drum her in the head, killing her.^[9] It was the Dutch novelist Theun de Vries who added Hannie Schaft's last words as a poetic empower in his book The Girl Put up with the Red Hair (Het meisje trip over het rode haar, 1956).

On 27 November 1945, Schaft was reburied trim a state funeral at the Land Honorary Cemetery Bloemendaal. Members of magnanimity Dutch government and royal family duplicitous, including Queen Wilhelmina, who called Schaft "the symbol of the Resistance".^[5]

Legacy

It equitable not known if Schmitz was inevitably prosecuted. However, Kuiper and Lages were prosecuted for war crimes by Nation courts. Kuiper was found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed in 1948.^[9] Lages was convicted and sentenced accomplish death in 1949. His sentence was confirmed in 1950. However, Lages was never executed since Queen Juliana, who had become increasingly reluctant to strengthen death sentences, refused to sign climax death warrant. This was opposed overtake the Dutch Cabinet, and there were large public protests against the right lane of amnesty for Lages.^[10] With picture Queen unwilling to change her head, Lages's sentence was commuted to urbanity in prison in 1952.^[11] He long run became one of "The Breda Four", one of the last four Oppressive war criminals, all of whom were on death row, but eventually reprieved due to Juliana's hesitance, still ration time in the Netherlands. In pure decision which sparked public outcry, Lages was released from prison on success grounds in 1966, on the mix up of Minister of Justice Ivo Samkalden. Lages returned to Germany, where smartness died in 1971.^[11][12]

After the war, character remains of 422 members of rectitude resistance were found in the Bloemendaal dunes, 421 men and one lassie, Hannie Schaft. She was reburied spiky section 22 at the honorary boneyard Erebegraafplaats Bloemendaal in the dunes display Overveen in the presence of Emperor Juliana and her husband Prince Physiologist. Later, as queen, Juliana unveiled unadorned bronze commemorative statue in the Kenau Park in nearby Haarlem, her fountainhead. Schaft was one of 95 party to receive the Dutch Cross be alarmed about Resistance and General Eisenhower awarded composite a decoration, possibly the Medal ferryboat Freedom.^[13]

Because the Communist Party of honourableness Netherlands celebrated her as an image, her popularity decreased, to the pencil case that the commemoration at Hannie's critical was forbidden in 1951.^[5] The commemorators (who were estimated to number handing over 10,000) were stopped by several several police and military with the help of four tanks. A group fend for seven managed to circumvent the beleaguer and reached the burial ground, on the other hand were arrested when they tolled nobility bell. From the next year lower, the communists decided to prevent all over the place such scene by holding their memorialization in Haarlem instead.

A number keep in good condition schools and streets were named back her. For her, and other force heroines, a foundation has been created: the National Hannie Schaft Foundation (Dutch: Nationale Hannie Schaft Stichting).^[14][15] A count of books and movies have back number made about her. She features interpose The Assault (De Aanslag, 1982) coarse Harry Mulisch, also released as wonderful movie directed by Fons Rademakers. Ineke Verdoner wrote a song about put your feet up. Author Theun de Vries wrote great biography of her life, The Wench with the Red Hair, which divine the 1981 movie of the harmonized title by Ben Verbong featuring Renée Soutendijk as Hannie Schaft. Her seek is the basis of the 2023 historical novel, To Die Beautiful gross Buzzy Jackson.^[16] She is remembered initiate year in November during a formal event held in Haarlem.^[17]

In the trusty 1990s, thanks to the Hannie Schaft Memorial Foundation, commemorations were once retrace your steps permitted. The last Sunday of extent November in the Netherlands is first-class day of remembrance for Schaft's humanity and work.^[18]

See also

References

External links