7. The Nazi Noose Tightens on the Dutch Resistance
Life in the armed resistance was tough, rough, full of dangers, and marked by tragedy as often as success. Early on, Truus Oversteegen, who had undertaken numerous missions to help Jews escape the Nazis’ clutches, was present at a failed rescue mission of Jewish children. It ended with the fugitives caught in searchlights in an open field, where most were mown down with machineguns. By the time the war ended, many of her resistance comrades had been arrested and executed.
Among them was Truus’ best friend, Hannie Schaft. When the redheaded resistance heroine was seen at the site of an assassination, the issued an all-points bulletin, alerting their forces and security personnel to be on the lookout for “the girl with the red hair”. She was placed on the Nazis’ most wanted list.
