During World War II, Resistance movements emerged in countries occupied by the Wehrmacht. These groups frequently engaged in acts of defiance against their occupiers. While the majority of Resistance members were men, some women skillfully leveraged their charm and innocent appearances to gain an upper hand over their enemies.
Freddie and Truus Oversteegen
Truus and Freddie Oversteegen grew up in Haarlem, Netherlands, under the care of their single mother. Freddie, who was two years younger than Truus, appeared even more youthful with her braided hair, a feature that would later play a role in her work with the Dutch Resistance.
Their mother, a devoted Communist, instilled a strong sense of justice in the girls from an early age. By 1939, as World War II began, she had already opened their home to individuals from Lithuania and a Jewish couple. This experience had a profound effect on the sisters, teaching them the value of personal sacrifice in aiding others.
Joining the Dutch Resistance
In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, initiating an occupation that continued until the end of the war. Like in other occupied countries, there were extensive efforts to deport Jews, and non-Jewish residents endured many hardships.
This invasion sparked a spirit of resistance in Truus and Freddie. Alongside their mother, they distributed anti-German pamphlets and newspapers for the Resistance. Their efforts caught the attention of Frans van der Wiel, a leader of the Haarlem Resistance Group. He visited the Oversteegen family and sought their mother’s permission for the girls to join Resistance activities, which she granted.
They did different jobs for the Resistance
Freddie and Truus were initially unaware of the full extent of their involvement with the Resistance. In the beginning, their assignments included sabotaging bridges and railways with dynamite, focusing specifically on the line between Ijmuiden and Haarlem. They also set fire to a German warehouse and helped smuggle Jewish children out of the country, even assisting some in escaping from concentration camps.
Their gender played a crucial role in their effectiveness, as most Resistance operations were associated with men. The Germans assumed that women were only involved in distributing newspapers and other materials. Being both female and young allowed them to operate with little suspicion.
Becoming assassins
Before long, the girls were tasked with carrying out assassinations of Germans and Dutch collaborators. Using their youthful appearance, they lured German officers into the woods – either while on patrol or in a local tavern – and shot them. According to Freddie, it was something they had to do. “It was a necessary evil, killing those who betrayed the good people,” she said.
In 1943, the sisters joined up with Hannie Schaft, a former university student who’d dropped out after refusing to sign a loyalty pledge to Germany. She’d started out with small acts, such as stealing identification cards for Jewish people. When she began assassinating Germans, she became known as “the girl with the red hair.”
Working with Hannie Schaft
The trio formed an assassination and sabotage cell. Along with assassinations, they hid firearms in the baskets of their bicycles, and at one point erected a Communist flag at the headquarters of the National Socialist Movement. They were so efficient that, by the end of the war, there was a 50,000 guilders reward for their capture.
On March 21, 1945, Hannie was arrested at a military checkpoint in Haarlem while in possession of the illegal Communist newspaper, de Waarheid. She was subsequently interrogated, and on April 17, 1945, was executed by Dutch officials. Following the conclusion of the war, she was buried with honors in the presence of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Bernhard, and today over 15 cities in the Netherlands have streets named after her.
Post-war struggles
Truus and Freddie never revealed how many people they killed throughout the duration of their Resistance work. When asked, Freddie replied that they were soldiers and soldiers don’t reveal such details.
Following the war, Freddie and Truus struggled with the trauma of their friend’s death and the murders they’d committed. To cope, Truus became an artist and spoke at war memorial services. Freddie coped “by getting married and having babies,” yet nothing could help the insomnia she suffered.
The sisters were awarded the War Mobilization Cross
The pair didn’t immediately receive recognition for their actions, as they were labelled as Communists. In 1967, Truus was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, an honor bestowed by the State of Israel upon non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives during the war.
It wasn’t until April 2014 that the Netherlands recognized their efforts, awarding them the War Mobilization Cross.
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Both Freddie and Truus have since passed away. Truus died in June 18, 2016, while Freddie passed on September 5, 2018.