May 14, 1940, marks a significant day in the history of Rotterdam, as it was the day the city was bombed during World War II.
During the early stages of the German invasion of the Netherlands, the Dutch army attempted to defend Rotterdam, but they were ultimately unable to prevent the Germans from advancing. As a result, the city was subjected to a devastating bombing raid by the German Luftwaffe.
The bombing of Rotterdam on May 14, 1940, resulted in widespread destruction, with large parts of the city center being reduced to rubble. The attack caused thousands of casualties and left tens of thousands homeless.
The devastation inflicted upon Rotterdam was a key factor in the Dutch Army’s decision to surrender to the Germans just a day later, on May 15, 1940. This event had profound consequences for the Netherlands and, in the course of World War II, in Europe.
The Dutch military had no effective means of stopping the bombers (the Dutch Air Force had practically ceased to exist, and its anti-aircraft guns had been moved to The Hague), so when a similar ultimatum was given in which the Germans threatened to bomb the city of Utrecht, the Dutch supreme command decided to capitulate in the late afternoon, rather than risk the destruction of another city.
The above photo is of the photographer Franz Stapf (Stapf Bilderdienst). Carrying a Leica camera in front of his stomach, in the Nieuwe Kerkstraat, Amsterdam where disturbances took place between WA people and Jews.
It is clear to see he is wearing a Nazi uniform, so how could he have been mistaken for a Jewish victim?
Franz Anton Stapf was not Jewish. He was German. He did not die in a gas chamber but fought on the Eastern Front from the end of 1941. He was a Nazi who took photos for newspapers and anti-Semitic pamphlets in Amsterdam. Stapf survived the war and died in 1977 in Frankfurt.
The photo above was taken by Franz Stapf of weapons used by a Jewish Fighting Squad. It was printed in the Deutsche Zeitung in den Niederlanden on February 18, 1941, with the following caption: The Jews in Amsterdam had equipped themselves with hatchets, hammers and similar objects. They also had firearms. Our picture shows a small selection of the confiscated murder tools.
The photos were published in the NSB newspaper Het Nationale Dagblad, under the title “Jews unmasked,” to wage a smear campaign against Amsterdam’s Jews.
Historians René Kok and Erik Somers of the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, discovered that Stapf’s name, that of his wife, two children and a sister, were incorrectly listed as Jewish war victims while doing research for the book, Stad in oorlog (City at war), which was published in 2017. The book is about Amsterdam in the period 1940 to 1945.
They believe that the error resulted from an incorrect interpretation of notes on a record card from the Amsterdam Council of Labor dating from 1950. The Council investigated financial matters affecting Jewish people murdered during the war. Stapf’s card reads, “Afgevoerd” in Dutch. According to Somers, that can be interpreted as “transported” to a concentration camp, or that he was discharged from the administration.
Stapf’s fate was long unclear after the war. In late 1941 he responded to a call for volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front. The rest of his life wasn’t tracked, which meant he was never prosecuted. His name fell under the “missing, don’t know where” category, along with the word “afgevoerd,” which could have certainly led to the wrong assumption that Stapf ended up in a concentration camp, according to Somers.
In 1981 NIOD received about five thousand negatives of photos taken by Stapf.
Stapf left for Germany after Mad Tuesday in 1944. In the municipal administration, it was noted, “Left for Germany.”
His name was listed on a memorial with the names of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. The Hollandsche Schouwburg, which houses the memorial, was told in February 20117 and immediately covered the name with a sticker.
“We are extremely shocked that such a bad man is among them. Terrible. That Nazi must be removed immediately,” said curator Annemiek Gringold.
Gringold contacted the company that created the wall of names in 1993. “It is a cumbersome procedure to remove the name. It has happened once before,” she said
The name, Stapf, also appeared in memory books and is on the list of the Holocaust Memorial Center Yad Vashem in Israel.
I know—to err is human—but this error could have easily been avoided if some research had taken place. Then again to finish the quote “To forgive is divine.”
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In the dark of history’s cruel abyss, A child’s innocence—lost in the mist. Amidst the horror, the anguish, the pain, A young soul’s light, forever slain.
In shadowed corners, where terror thrived, A child’s laughter, once so alive. But silenced now, by tyranny’s hand, In a world where humanity couldn’t stand.
No tender embrace, no gentle care, Just the echoes of sorrow, lingering in the air. In the grip of hatred’s ruthless hold, A child’s dreams—forever cold.
Their nameless faces haunt the past, In the chambers of death, their innocence is cast. Yet in our hearts, their memory lives, A testament to the love each child gives.
Though tears may fall for those we’ve lost, Their spirits endure, whatever the cost. In the song of remembrance, their voices soar, A tribute to the children of war.
So let us vow, with every breath, To never forget, to honor their death. For in their innocence, we find our plea, To build a world where all children are free.
Rest in peace Willem Alvares (Wimpie) Vega.
Born in Amsterdam on 5 August 1939 and murdered in Sobibor on 21 May 1943. He reached the age of three.
The book burning in Germany on May 10, 1933, was a significant event orchestrated by the Nazi regime. It took place largely in Berlin, but similar events occurred in other cities across Germany. The Nazis, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, organized the burning of books deemed “un-German,” including those written by Jewish, communist, socialist, and other dissenting authors.
The goal of the book burning was to suppress ideas that contradicted Nazi ideology and to exert control over culture and education. The burning of books symbolized the suppression of intellectual freedom and the persecution of those who opposed the Nazi regime. It was a chilling precursor to the broader censorship and oppression that characterized the Nazi era. This event remains a stark reminder of the dangers of censorship and the importance of safeguarding intellectual freedom.
On 10 May 1933, National Socialist students organised book burnings at universities all over Germany. These actions were symbolic, directed against everything that the Nazis felt did not belong in Germany. Books by Jewish, left-wing, or pacifist writers such as Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Erich Maria Remarque went up in flames. Students in 34 university towns across Germany burned over 25,000 books.
The students sought to purify German literature of “foreign,” especially Jewish, and other immoral influences.
As early as two weeks before, American organizations like the American Jewish Congress knew of the planned book burnings and launched protests. With her books slated for the bonfires, Helen Keller confronted German students in an open letter: “History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them. You can burn my books and the books of the best minds in Europe, but the ideas in them have seeped through a million channels and will continue to quicken other minds.” Similarly, novelist Sherwood Anderson, best-selling author Faith Baldwin, scriptwriter Erwin Cobb, and Nobel laureate Sinclair Lewis declared solidarity with the banned writers and publicly protested the book burnings. The next day, and in the weeks following, there was a massive reaction in the world press, especially since many other German university towns imitated this infamous act. German newspapers reported, in triumph, that Germany was beginning to purge itself of the alien and decadent corrupters of the German spirit, and newspapers and magazines abroad, from as far away as China and Japan, responded in surprise and shock. Even then, some knowledgeable journalists recalled the prediction of the poet Heinrich Heine, who had said a century earlier, “Where one burns books, one will soon burn people.”
In the effort to synchronize the literary community, Goebbels had a strong ally in the National Socialist German Students’ Association (Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund, or NSDStB). German university students were among the vanguard of the early Nazi movement, and in the late 1920s, many filled the ranks of various Nazi formations. The ultra-nationalism and antisemitism of middle-class, secular student organizations had been intense and vocal for decades. After World War I, many students opposed the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and found National Socialism a suitable vehicle for their political discontent and hostility.
Not all book burnings were on May 10, as the German Student Association had planned. Some were postponed a few days because of rain, others, based on local chapter preference, took place on June 21, the summer solstice, a traditional date for bonfire celebrations in Germany.
I am passionate about my site and I know you all like reading my blogs. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. All I ask is for a voluntary donation of $2, however if you are not in a position to do so I can fully understand, maybe next time then. Thank you.
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Last Wednesday I was a guest on the ‘Creativity and Technology Solutions for Business and Life Show,’ presented by Joe Dans on WTBQ Radio. WTBQ is an independent radio station broadcasting from Warwick, New York. The last locally-owned radio station in Orange County, New York, WTBQ broadcasts on 1110 AM and 93.5 FM, throughout Orange County and Northern New Jersey.
We had a talk about my blog and how history repeats itself.
In memories deep, history’s echo rings, A day of triumph, where freedom sings. Amidst the ravages of war’s cruel play, VE Day dawns, a light in the fray.
From London’s streets to fields afar, Courageous souls bore the scars. Their sacrifice, a beacon bright, Guiding nations through the darkest night.
In cities shattered, lives intertwined, Hope persisted, a flame defined. Flags unfurled, hearts intertwined, As tyranny faltered, and liberty shined.
Yet in victory’s embrace, we recall, The toll of conflict, the price paid in full. For every hero, a tale untold, Their valour, in memory, we enfold.
So let us remember, on this hallowed day, The brave souls who paved the way. Their legacy, our timeless creed, In peace and unity, let freedom lead.
I am passionate about my site and I know you all like reading my blogs. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. All I ask is for a voluntary donation of $2, however if you are not in a position to do so I can fully understand, maybe next time then. Thank you.
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I appreciate that the speed of communication in 1945 was not as fast as it is now—but the Wehrmacht soldiers in Amsterdam on May 7, 1945, would definitely have heard that on May 4, 1945, Field Marshal Montgomery accepted the official surrender of the German army in Northwest Europe at his headquarters on Lüneburger Heath in Germany. Then, on May 5, 1945, while Germany had already officially surrendered, General Blaskowitz in Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen signed the capitulation.
However, as thousands of people gathered to celebrate the end of the war and the arrival of Allied forces, German soldiers suddenly began firing into the crowd from nearby buildings. The exact reasons for the shooting remain somewhat unclear—but it’s believed that the German troops, who had not yet formally surrendered, fired in response to the jubilant atmosphere and possibly out of frustration or defiance.
While the local citizens celebrated on Dam Square, German soldiers of the Kriegsmarine were trapped inside the Groote Club (Grand Club) building, a large building at the corner of the Dam and Kalverstraat. In the nearby Paleisstraat, local forces arrested two German soldiers. One of them refused to surrender his weapon and fired a shot. German soldiers then appeared in the windows, on the balcony and on the roof of the Groote Club and started firing into the crowd with machine guns.[4]
Large-scale panic broke out in Dam Square and most of the crowd dispersed via the Nieuwendijk, Rokin and Damrak. Some people sought cover behind street lights and other objects, including a small truck and a barrel organ known as ‘t Snotneusje.[2][3]
After the initial shots, the Germans and resistance forces began to exchange fire. In total, the shooting lasted about two hours, until about 5pm. Members of the Scouts, Red Cross and nurses attempted to aid the victims.
The shooting lasted for two hours and ended around 5pm that day. The shooting resulted in numerous casualties, including deaths and injuries among civilians who had come to Dam Square to rejoice in the liberation of their city. The incident marred what should have been a moment of joy and marked the last violent act of the German occupiers in Amsterdam before their complete surrender.
It still remains unclear exactly how the shooting stopped.
According to some sources, Major Overhoff, commander of the local forces, convinced German Captain Bergmann to accompany him to the Groote Club and order the Germans to cease fire. Other sources say that the incident had ended earlier, once local forces fired bazookas at the building (or at least threatened to fire them).
The shooting was never fully investigated. After the event, local newspapers reported between 19 and 22 fatalities, but no official list of casualties was ever released. Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945, an organisation founded to commemorate the event, has since identified a total of 32 people who died as a result of the event, not including German casualties. Twenty-six died immediately while five more died later of gunshot wounds. The last known victim died on June 22. The actual number of fatalities may be higher; in some cases, it had not yet been determined whether the death was related to the Dam Square shootout. The full number of wounded is also unknown; newspaper reports gave between 100 and 120 wounded.
In the photograph above you see a little girl walking away from some people that were trying to take cover. That little girl is Tiny van der Hoek. This is her recollection of that dreadful day.
‘My name is Tiny van der Hoek. I was 2 and a half years old and I was standing at the ice cream cart on the corner of Nieuwendijk Street and Dam Square, where I had just got an ice cream.
Immediately the ice cream fell on the ground to my great disappointment… People ran or stood behind something. I saw that from the ‘Groote Club’ (Grand Club). At the time this was the place where German flags were hanging and German soldiers were sitting. They were to blame for not having ice cream anymore so I went there. My mother was left with the ice cream cart.
Walking on Dam Square, towards the Groote Club, between running people, but exactly against the direction that they went, I was already on my way when I was suddenly picked up by a gentleman. He took me in his arms, put his jacket around me, and ran towards Nieuwendijk where I lived, at the time.
My mother came back—but nowhere inside was there shelter, everything was full, and we were refused entry. That gentleman saw that there was still room under the billiards in that shop. He kicked in a window, my mother crawled inside and took me in and we had shelter under the billiards. That gentleman disappeared towards Dam Square. Was he going to provide more help or find shelter himself? I do not know.
In my memory, there were always “slashes”. Later, in an amateur video recording made by Bert Haanstra, I understood that those “slash people” behind the lampposts were looking for cover behind each other. During my “mission”—complaining about having no more ice cream—I was focused on the corner window of the “Groote Club.”
It’s the window I still look at when I am in Amsterdam, where in my memory people on the street were resting. I didn’t realize then that I was walking past injured or dead people, so mesmerized I was to tell those evil people how mean I found them. Fortunately, I was picked up and brought to safety. This event on May 7th 1945 is still on my mind and of course, it was only later that I understood what was really going on.”
I am passionate about my site and I know you all like reading my blogs. I have been doing this at no cost and will continue to do so. All I ask is for a voluntary donation of $2, however if you are not in a position to do so I can fully understand, maybe next time then. Thank you.
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In shadows deep, where memory weeps, A solemn vow, our conscience keeps. For in the annals of history’s scroll, A harrowing tale, the heart’s deep toll.
In silence, hear the echoes of despair, As anguish fills the somber air. In chambers choked with darkness dread, Lies the testament of the countless dead.
Whispers linger of horrors untold, Of innocence robbed, of stories cold. Yet amidst the ashes, a flicker of light, Resilience shines, a beacon bright.
From the depths of despair, hope arose, As heroes emerged, defiance chose. Their courage, a testament to human grace, In the darkest hour, they held their place.
Let us remember, with hearts sincere, The lives lost, the ones held dear. May their legacy forever endure, A solemn vow, we shall ensure.
For in the echoes of history’s cry, We pledge to never let them die. Holocaust Remembrance, a sacred vow, Lest we forget, we remember now.
One name to represent the millions.
Curt Simon Wolff was born in Bad Neuenahr, Germany on 18 September 1928. Murdered in Tröbitz on 6 May 1945. He reached the age of 16 years.
For Curt, it was a double tragedy. In early April 1945, prisoners from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp were transferred to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. One of the three trains used for this was liberated by the Russian army near the village of Tröbitz. Many passengers did not survive this train journey. Of those who survived the train journey, a large number died as a result of the outbreak of the typhus epidemic. Curt was one of them, liberation had come too late. His family lived in the Netherlands when the war broke out. His mother was Dutch and died a few days later on May 11, 1945. Curt died one day after the Netherlands was liberated. Both liberations did not save his life.
History of Sorts 
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