They're Here By Philip Goossens
I dedicate this to my grandma, Tineke Goossens. I would also like to thank Yavuz and Aydin for helping me with this Narrative.
My grandma, Tineke Goossens
Table of Contents Foreword......................................................................p. 4 The Historical Narrative..........................................p. 5 6 Notes.......................................................................p. 7 12 About the Author.........................................................p. 13 Bibliography................................................................p. 14 yone n a l l te Don't
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Foreword During World War II, the Dutch tried to stay neutral. They thought they had accomplished their goal due to Hitler making a promise, saying that he wouldn’t attack Holland. However, on May 10, 1940, the Germans invaded Holland and after only 5 days of battling, the Germans conquered the Dutch after they bombed Rotterdam. Before Holland was captivated by the Germans, 140,000 Jews lived in the Netherlands. During the war, the Nazis transported 107,000 Jews out of Holland. Only 5,000 survived and came back to Holland, and 30,000 also managed to survive but they were hiding in other countries. But 75% of the Jews transported from Holland were crumbled by the Nazis. This is the biggest percentage of Jews to die than any country except for Poland.
The aftermath of the bombings on Rotterdam
German occupation of the Netherlands lasted five years and inflicted misery, humiliation, and degradation on the population. Food shortages, lack of freedom, forced labor, censorship, and curfews were common. The deportation of Dutch Jews to concentration camps deprived the country of a well-integrated and vigorous minority. During the 1944 to 1945 winter the Hongerwinterfamine started. This was due to German rationing of food for Dutch Civilians. This killed many people in the Netherlands. Dutch railway workers staged a strike when allied troops neared. In response, the Germans cut of all food and fuel shipments that came into Holland. These two events led to starvation, disease, and the death of 30,000 civilians.
The soft textured couch was about the only thing keeping me warm in this freezing household. The sound of the swirling wind was just another thing reminding me that the cold winter was still to come. Mr. Pieter, one of my mom and dad’s friends, opened the door of his room and said, “Hey Tinneke, everything okay?” “Yep, just thinking about old memories, that’s all.” I responded. The truth was, I was actually thinking back to the time I first walked into this house. The sudden changes of moving somewhere I’d never been; it wasn’t even to long ago. I still remember hearing my father and mother talk about it. I didn’t fully understand them but I knew that something was wrong. They were talking about something to do with the Germans, and that meant trouble. Later I heard everything. My dad was the boss of a shoe company in the south of Holland. During World War II, when the Germans invaded the Netherlands, the workers held a strike.
The Nazi’s. Straight away my mind Due to them doing so, the started worrying about my brother. Germans soldiers held a gun to The last couple days we had heard my father’s head and had claimed about Nazi’s coming and taking that if these workers didn’t start men capable of working for working within two hours from factories in Germany, and my now, the Germans would shoot brother was more than capable. my father. It was terrifying. Luckily everyone started working, unluckily though, they fired my father the next day. We had to move out of our original house and move to a big house in Heemstede were many other Dutch families had the same problem, one family being friends with my mom and dad. This is where the house was located Now I was here, just waiting for Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one the war to fly by. I just wish I who noticed the bright red square could go to sleep and wake up with the Nazi sign in the middle. when the war is over. Reality Out of the corner of my eye I was the only thing that stood in perceived my brother furiously the way. running out the back door and into Suddenly I heard the sound the forest.Before I could get to my of cars pulling up, I swung my senses, the front doors flew open. head around to see what the situation was. My attention flew to the red square on the side of the car, as if they were staring right into my eyes.
One of the cars the Nazi's used
Berkenrode,the house my grandma and her family stayed in
The voice of about three Nazi soldiers was the only thing I could hear. I didn’t understand what they were saying but most of the people living in this house hold, including my mother, father, and Mr. Pieter were lining up next to the front door. I was shaking everywhere in my body as a slowly made my way to the group of bodies all huddled up, as terrified as I was.
The next couple moments happened both too fast and too slow for me to handle. All I had to do was blink once and the Germans were spread all over the house. Throwing open closest, tossing clothes everywhere. “Stop moving!” screamed the one German soldier who stood in front of us. Making sure we didn’t run away. Every word he said made me shiver even more than I previously was.Hearing the doors smashing closed and the engine of the cars firing up after what seemed like an eternity felt like music to my ears. The relief on my mom face made me feel even better.
All of a sudden, my mind switched back to my brother.Did they find him? Where is he? Following my mom and dad, who by this point also had the switch, we burst out the back door. The sound of mushy wet leaves under my feet made me even colder. “Henk, Henk Henk!” We shouted. We ran through the forest, fog coming out of my mouth, as if I was smoking, due to the cold air. After 15 minutes of endless screaming and running we finally found him crouching down behind a big bush. Happiness fled through my body like water through a hose.
I felt his warm chest pressing against my body as a jumped into his arms. For those couple minutes’ relief flew through me. But I knew that the war wasn’t over and the wind brushing across the tree’s reminded me of the freezing winter still to come.
A group picture of most of the people who also lived in the same house hold as my grandma
All my Notes.....
About the Author Philip Goossens is a 13 year old boy from Holland. His favourite foods are pizza, pasta, sushi, ice cream,..... basically anything with sugar. He likes to play sports, mostly football and basketball. He has one older brother, (Timo) and one younger brother (Quinten). At home, he mostly fight with Timo, but on some occasions he fights with Quinten, or with both at the same time! A hobby that most people don't know about Philip, is that he loves to surf. (He's not very good)
Me interviewing my Grandma
Bibliography Book: Seward, Pat, and Sunandini Arora Lal. Netherlands. New York, Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2006.
Websites: Woolf, Linda. “Survival and Resistance: The Netherlands Under Nazi Assault.” 6 Apr. 1999, faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/netherlands.html. Chen, C. Peter. “Netherlands in World War II.” WW2DB RSS, ww2db.com/country/netherlands. Pictures: Picture of the house my grandma lived in: https://www.google.com.tr/search? q=bombings+of+rotterdam&rlz=1C5CHFA_enTR701TR701&espv=2&biw=1439&bih=708&source=lnms&tb m=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8tOOV1rbQAhVlCcAKHZVPABYQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=berkenrode+hee mstede&imgrc=_iW6khOdSgdwM%3A
Holland House. Photographer. Britannica ImageQuest. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016. http://quest.eb.com/search/115_2744402/1/115_2744402/cite. Accessed 15 Nov 2016.
Group picture of the people in the house https://www.google.com.tr/search? q=bombings+of+rotterdam&rlz=1C5CHFA_enTR701TR701&espv=2&biw=1439&bih=708&source=lnms&tb m=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8tOOV1rbQAhVlCcAKHZVPABYQ_AUIBigB#tbm=isch&q=berkenrode+hee mstede+boomans&imgrc=7qVqmwlzPSOxbM%3A
A car the Nazi’s used https://www.google.com.tr/search? q=nazi+cars&rlz=1C5CHFA_enTR701TR701&espv=2&biw=1439&bih=708&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X &ved=0ahUKEwj134Ky2LbQAhVICcAKHfhNCoQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=E78rNsR6IVDcoM%3A Location of the house: https://www.google.com.tr/search? q=berkenrode+heemstede+map&rlz=1C5CHFA_enTR701TR701&espv=2&biw=1439&bih=708&source=ln ms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj15KrS2LbQAhVDDMAKHaUgDC0Q_AUIBygC&dpr=1#imgrc=HLQgo 6oVUdrG2M%3A