"After the capitulation in May 1940, the major part of the Dutch population made sure the usual way of life took place, which required two things: for the economy to keep running and for the German control to remain limited. This required a good cooperation with the occupier so that they would see no reason to interfere more intensively in the Dutch government and economy. Resistance would only mean throwing away their influence on the course of the occupation. All Dutch authorities, including the fled cabinet, initially asked the population to obey the occupier, avoid resistance and get back to daily life. The major part of the population did. Still, there was resistance, despite the authorities appeal. There were people who turned away from the German occupiers from the start and tried to work against them. The resistance group 'De Geuzen' (The Beggars) was immediately founded on May 14th, 1940 in Vlaardingen. This was the first resistance group of the Netherlands.
One of the people to immediately turn away from the German occupier was Bernardus IJzerdraat. IJzerdraat was a resident of Rotterdam and worked as a teacher in Vlaardingen and Schiedam. The results of the May 14th, 1940 bombing of Rotterdam made such a profound impression on him that he decided to resist. He foresaw "a new Alva soon, with blood council and inquisition". In line with this comparison with the Eighty Years' War, he named his resistance 'Geuzenactie' (Beggars' action).
By spreading his Geuzen message (a chain letter) he hoped to form a Geuzen army. The first message was immediately distributed on May 15th. This message was lost though. In the ‘Bericht no.2' (message number 2) of May 18th, IJzerdraat notified the reader about a foresight of the course of the occupation: "All of our stocks will be taken away, food, clothes, footwear. Soon we will have a coupon system for everything and after that we will not be able to get anything, not even with the coupons. Our young men will be forced to work elsewhere for the conqueror." Probably to impress people, IJzerdraat deliberately exaggerated in writing the message. He wrote, for example, that the action had started in Amsterdam and, as a result of many multiplications, had even reached Nijmegen. This was actually not the case at that time…"
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Amicalement
Armand
is back from Council of Five Nations.
