Innocent Faces, Deadly Hearts: The Dutch Sisters Who Fought Back Against German Occupation

During World War II , numerous resistance groups emerged in nations under Wehrmacht occupation. These organizations were constantly engaged in efforts to undermine their occupiers. While predominantly male, some female fighters cleverly leveraged their charm and seemingly harmless appearance to secure tactical advantages over their foes.

Freddie and Truus Oversteegen

Truus and Freddie Oversteegen were brought up by their single mother in Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands. Freddie, who was two years younger than Truus, seemed even more youthful with her braided hair, a trait that later proved beneficial when she became involved with the Dutch Resistance.

Their mother, a dedicated Communist, impressed upon them from a young age the significance of combating injustice. By 1939, with the onset of war, she had already provided refuge to individuals from Lithuania and a Jewish couple in their home. This experience deeply impacted the girls, demonstrating to them the importance of making personal sacrifices to support others.

Joining the Dutch Resistance

In May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, starting an occupation that persisted until the end of the war. Similar to other occupied countries, there were extensive efforts to deport Jews, and non-Jewish inhabitants faced harsh living conditions.

This invasion sparked the defiance of Truus and Freddie. Working alongside their mother, they distributed anti-German literature and newspapers for the Resistance. Their efforts caught the attention of Frans van der Wiel, a leader in the Haarlem Resistance Group. He visited the Oversteegen home and asked their mother for permission for the girls to join Resistance activities, which she granted.

They did different jobs for the Resistance

Freddie and Truus didn't know what working with the Resistance would entail. To start, they were tasked with disabling bridges and railroads with dynamite, particularly the rail line between Ijmuiden and Haarlem. They also burned down a German warehouse, and aided in the smuggling of Jewish children out of the country - they even helped them escape concentration camps.

The girls' gender aided in their success, as Resistance activities were largely viewed as being conducted by males. The Germans assumed women were only involved in distributing newspapers and other documents. As they were female - and not to mention young - they were able to skirt by 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.