Hiding out in southern Holland
Of course, during the whole time I stayed with these families, I was not supposed to
show up in the street. Well, what did I do inside all day long? Among other things I
learned how to mend socks, and I’d read a lot. Quite naturally these were Dutch books
and magazines. After I had lived in Holland for more than three years, the language was
no problem any longer; in the meantime my Dutch was perfect, and my German was not
as good as my Dutch.
Besides, I often lingered in our ”war-room” where we observed the war situation. By
the way, in the basement there was a trapdoor to a room under the house. One couldn’t
spot this trapdoor, and you could only get to it through a closet. In the basement the van
Sweeden family kept a radio. Here we always listened to the latest news of a British
radio station that broadcasted in Dutch. Usually radio reception was strictly prohibited.
In this basement room we also had a map of Europe. With rapt attention we followed
the course of the war, and we would mark the frontlines (combat zones). This way we
were able to estimate more or less how long the war would still last. At the end of
1944 it finally happened!
I still remember vividly how the Americans, coming from Belgium, advanced into the
southern part of Holland, and the Germans retreated. In our area we were among the
first people to be liberated. It was about November when one late afternoon at 5:00pm
an American patrol arrived. The soldiers said they’d occupy the place the next day.
And indeed, the next day the Americans would march into Brunssum, just as they had
announced.