WW2's Teenage Nazi Hunters

This video is sponsored by MagellanTV. One night in Haarlem, Netherlands, Truus, a beautiful Dutch

teenage

r, walked into a restaurant full of SS officers while her sister Freddie waited outside. Once inside, the young woman approached the highest-ranking officer and began flirting with him. As they became familiar, she timidly suggested they go into the woods for more privacy. Unbeknownst to the officer, she had just fallen into a trap, as the two girls were not normal; They were the Oversteegen sisters,

teenage

Nazi

hunters

who had been training for missions like this from a young age. When the Nazis began their expansion across the continent, threatening the livelihoods and lives of European people, they sparked the most fatal war in world history.

But they also provoked the noblest, most heroic feelings and actions of the most likely heroes: ordinary people who rose to the occasion. Immerse yourself in the late summer of 1939 by streaming a two-part documentary on MagellanTV, The Invasion: The Outbreak Of WW2, to follow in the footsteps of the man who was directly responsible for the suffering of millions. Follow the chain of events that triggered the world's worst misfortune and how intolerance turned into hate and hate into the effort to oppress entire ethnic groups. Take advantage of the special offer for Dark Docs fans and request your one-month free trial.

Learn about history and the military, but also about science and paranormal phenomena in MagellanTV's more than 3,000 exclusive movies and new content weekly. Tune in from any device or go directly to try.magellantv.com/darkdocs or click the link in the description below. The Oversteegens Truus and Freddie Oversteegen were born in 1923 and 1925, respectively, and grew up in an outspoken political household. His parents, Jacob and Trijntje, considered themselves communists and from the beginning instilled in their two sons a sense of justice. Even after her parents divorced, Trijntje continued to teach her daughters the importance of helping others in times of need, and during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Truus and Freddie sewed dolls for children affected by the conflict.

When Europe was on the brink of an imminent Second World War, the Oversteegens hid Jewish refugees fleeing Germany and Amsterdam in their small house, forcing the girls to share a single mattress. It was no surprise then that when the Germans invaded the Netherlands in the spring of 1940, the girls (ages 14 and 16 at the time) joined their mother in the anti-Nazi resistance in her hometown. Like many sisters close in age, Truus and Freddie didn't always get along. Truus, the older of the two, was described as assertive, efficient and dictatorial, a born leader with a heart of gold. He loved bossing around his younger sister and didn't care about fashion or men his age.

Freddie, on the other hand, was outgoing, independent and very friendly. However, the sisters put aside their differences to work together against the Nazis. As the Germans continued to occupy the Netherlands, the sisters helped distribute the Trouw, an illegal newspaper that reported on brutal Nazi transgressions occurring in Europe. One of the sisters acted as a lookout while the other put the pamphlets into the bags of strangers walking through the city. Sometimes they even dared to paste the documents about the Nazi advertisements in the center. In 1941, when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, Truus and Freddie placed a large banner over a government advertisement as a tribute to the brave Russian people.

This bold poster became famous in Haarlem and the sisters were proud of their clever work together. Their acts of defiance were not only subversive, but they were also very dangerous. If the Nazi or Dutch police had caught them, they would have faced the worst consequences. A Serious Proposal Not long after their effort in Russia, one of the Haarlem Resistance Group's top commanders showed up at Oversteegen's house with a proposal for the sisters. Commander Frans van der Wiel was forming a special resistance group in Haarlem, and he and his teammates had become aware of Truus and Freddie's fearless activism.

Still, this new organization would carry out acts even more subversive, violent, and dangerous than simply distributing illegal literature. If they joined together, they would need to undergo weapons training. As Van der Wiel continued speaking, the girls realized why they were particularly valuable to the Dutch cause: as young women, the Nazi police would underestimate them and the sisters could attack without raising any suspicion. If they joined together, the sisters would not be able to say a word about their actions to anyone, not even their mother. The conversation became more serious when Van der Wiel asked them a single question: "Do you think you could shoot someone?" At only 14 and 16 years old, the sisters were hesitant to respond.

Freddie was the first to respond and she said yes. Meanwhile, Truus was concerned about attacking Germans who were not Nazis. When Van der Wiel assured her that they would ensure that any executions would only be against the Gestapo or blatant traitors, she seemed to oblige. After all, the streets were full of Nazi soldiers racing around on their motorcycles looking for those who broke the rules. They were not normal times. As Truus and Freddie walked the commander to the door, he whispered that he needed an answer in two days. He also added a crucial element of resistance: once they were in, there would be no turning back.

The young women finally accepted. The Haarlem Resistance For a time, Truus and Freddie were the only two women among the seven members of the rebel team known as the Haarlem Resistance Council. Shortly after joining, the sisters underwent a crash course in sabotage and weaponry, learning how to equip railroad tracks and bridges with dynamite to cut off traffic routes, how to properly fire a gun, and how to wander the streets undetected in an area. full of Nazi soldiers. Their appearance would prove an invaluable weapon, as both Truus and Freddie looked younger than them, and Freddie looked as young as 12 when he wore his hair in braids.

The Nazis did not notice the two sisters when they were cycling through Haarlem. Therefore, they were used as secret messengers and transported important documents and weapons. From 1941 to 1943, the duo managed to burn down a Nazi warehouse, volunteer at a hospital, escort children and refugees to safe hiding places, and obtain fake IDs for people who needed them. Still, his biggest challenge was yet to come. Teenage Nazi Hunters During one of her first missions, Truus walked into a restaurant with her hair and makeup done and casually struck up a conversation with a high-ranking Schutzstaffel officer. After flirting with him all night, she suggested they go into the woods for more privacy.

Once the duo was isolated, they encountered a man who then shot him and then placed the body in a previously dug hole. The Oversteegen sisters would eventually graduate to shooting their own targets. Their favorite technique was riding together on a single bike, with Truus pedaling while young Freddie attacked from behind. They also followed SS officers to their homes and ambushed them when they let their guard down once inside their homes. Although they knew that this work was necessary, it was still difficult to carry out. In a later interview, Freddie admitted that she would sometimes shoot a Nazi and then feel a strong impulsive need to help him.

The only mission the sisters refused to carry out was a plot to kidnap the children of high-ranking Nazi officer Arthur Seuss-Inquart. They didn't want to harm real children in any way. The Girl with Red Hair In 1943, another woman joined them in the Haarlem Resistance Council. Her name was Jannetje Johanna "Hannie" Schaft, a 22-year-old law student who dropped out of university when she refused to swear allegiance to Germany. Soon, the three girls became best friends, and for the next two years, the trio undertook daring missions together in the name of freedom, working as a closely coordinated unit for sabotage missions.

Although at first the group went unnoticed by the Nazis, by 1945 Hannie had become a target due to her recognizable long red hair. On April 17, a group of Nazi soldiers stopped her at a checkpoint when a guard noticed the red roots in her hair, which she had dyed dark to avoid detection. According to tradition, when her attacker failed to hit her with her first shot, her last words were: "I'm a better shot." Later life The war ended just three weeks after Hannie lost her life and, although now freed from the Nazis, the sisters were devastated by the loss of her friend.

Despite the heartbreak, Truus and Freddie attempted to rejoin civilian life while they were still around. dealing with trauma and guilt for his actions. In a later interview, Truus admitted that they never enjoyed their operations: (QUOTE) "We didn't feel it was right for us. It never suits anyone, unless they are real criminals." In November 1945, Truus married Pier Menger. The couple had four children, the eldest of whom was named Hannie. She was a regular guest speaker at universities, where she spoke about the war. , antisemitism, tolerance and acceptance. She then published a book about her experiences during the Dutch occupation in 1982.

Freddie also married and had children, but devoted herself to her artwork and sculpted several monuments in the name of her best. Then, in 1996, both sisters opened the National Foundation Hannie Schaft. Despite their extraordinary bravery, they were overlooked for years by the Dutch government, as Freddie once belonged to a communist youth group. However, Prime Minister Mark Rutte finally recognized the duo's merit. brave actions in 2014 and awarded them the Mobilization War Cross. It is unknown exactly how many Nazis the girls may have attacked, as both refused to discuss the matter later in life. Whenever he was asked about it, Freddie simply responded, "You shouldn't ask a soldier anything like that." Thanks for watching our Dark Docs video!

Let us know in the comments below if you'd like to see a specific story in a future video. And don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive notifications about our latest content.