March 17, 1945. I suddenly heard the sound of aeroplanes. The German soldiers heard it as well and came outside, armed with their guns. It was a large group of small aeroplanes. Underneath the wings I saw large, coloured rings. "They are English aeroplanes," the Germans screamed. The aeroplanes flew by, but suddenly one of them returned and opened fire on the military truck driving on the road.
The following story is an eyewitness account of the Texel tragedy. It is a relatively unknown uprising of Georgians stationed on the island against the Germans between 6 and 26 April 1945. This letter was written by a relative of my grandfather, and I have not changed anything about the letter except for the modern spelling.
The is the story of Dick van ‘t Land. As a 17-year-old boy, he survived the bombing on Wolfheze, although he lost his father, mother, brother, and sister in one fell swoop. The story of what he went through has been recorded at the request of his daughter Tineke.
During the Second World War Matilda Weyergang volunteered for the local fire defence service, where she worked as a driver on a fire truck. During this period she experienced various harrowing moments.