World War Two’s Master Assassins
The Story of the Oversteegen Sisters’ bloody acts of Heroism
World War 2 forced many young men and women to rise to the occasion, and perform actions they never would’ve thought they could do. Many of these youths became some of the greatest unsung heroes of WW2, and have performed acts many may think of as impossible for even adults. Freddie Oversteegen is one of these individuals, and was just an innocent 14 year old Dutch girl from the city of Haarlem. She grew up with no one but her older sister, Truus Oversteegen, and their single working mother. She appeared to be no threat to the Nazis, so they ignored her, and that would be their biggest and final mistake.
The Oversteegen Family Tradition
Freddie’s mother was the first of the three to show signs of retaliation against the Nazis occupying their home land. She allowed Jewish refugees to stay in their home, and attempted to keep them safe as long as possible. This was the start of what could be viewed as a family tradition of resisting oppression, as both girls followed in their mother’s footsteps. Before they were officially apart of the Dutch Resistance, the sisters went around vandalizing pro-Nazi propaganda, such as posters hung on walls to calling for the support of Germany. Thanks to their young and innocent appearances they were never suspects of the crimes, which in turn only made it easier for them to commit more crime. This, along with their patriotism and anti-German sentiment, is one of the reasons they were recruited to be a part of the local Dutch Resistance forces.
Dirty Deeds
When the girls first joined the Resistance, they didn’t know exactly what they were going to do. However they soon began to learn how to perform tasks like sabotage and use explosives. The sisters also helped smuggle contraband, and escorted Jewish families to safety, far from the reach of the Nazis and their allies. For a little time they sabotaged bridges and railways for the Resistance, but that isn’t what they should be known for. Other skills they learned while training, was the use of firearms, and how to kill Nazis and Dutch collaborators, which they showed impressive efficiency in.
With their training done and their skills proven to be the real deal, the sisters soon began to go on assassination missions on their own, taking out German officers and important Dutch “traitors” with ease. Due to their appearances, the girls were able to get away with things most men of the Resistance wouldn’t have even thought of trying. Sometimes they would follow targets all the way to their homes, and kill them there in cold blood. Other times they would ride on the bikes, with guns hidden in the baskets, and as they passed, they would reveal them. But by then it was too late to react. However, the girls had one more dirty trick up their sleeve. They would seduce their targets, invite them to go on strolls in the woods, and, without the victims ever suspecting a thing, end their lives with the pull of a trigger. The sisters were some of the best assassins of the time, but they refused to reveal the actual amount of people they killed, and one can only wonder just how many lives met their end at their hands.
The Third Wheel
Along their path of terrorization and assassination, Freddie and Truus picked up the a member to add to their little group, Hannie Schaft. Hannie was a student at the star of WW2, but dropped out as she didn’t want to swear loyalty the Nazis, which would’ve been required to continue her studies. She, like the sisters’ mother, started resisting by hiding and helping Jewish families and individuals. However she wanted to do more, and after a test of her resolved, was allowed to begin assassination missions. She and the Oversteegen sisters often worked together, making their own little resistance cell that specialized in killing. They were some of the most effective and efficient assassins during WW2, thanks to their unique methods and unsuspecting looks.
Danger Arises
While the trio was successful in their line of work, the same couldn’t be said about the others in the same field. While on a mission, Hannie Schaft and her partner were supposed to kill a police captain that supported the Nazis. However, her partner was shot in the back and fell off his bike. He was captured and Hannie became a wanted fugitive, known by most Nazis as “the girl with the red hair.” At first her partner refused to say anything, but he was deceived by a Nazi soldier acting as a resistance member, and gave up crucial information that threatened to end Hannie’s life. With this new knowledge, the Nazis were able to arrest Hannie’s parents and send them to a concentration camp, which devastated her, and almost drove her to turn herself in. Along with support from other resistance members, Hannie decided to continue her work. In order to hide her identity, she dyed her hair black and kept assassinating and sabotaging with the Oversteegen sisters.
Tragedy Strikes as the Fight Ends
As the end of the war approached, the Oversteegen girls and Hannie still saw much success with their missions, and everything appeared to be going well. However, in the final months of fighting Hannie was stopped at a Nazi checkpoint, and was discovered with weapons and anti-Nazi newspapers, which lead to her arrest. When she was questioned the interrogator noticed the red roots of her hair, and figured out her true identity. Just a few weeks after the Netherlands were liberated, Hannie was executed and buried with at least 400 other members of the Dutch Resistance. However she did not, as Churchill would put it, “go quietly into the night,” as her last words to her executioner, after he failed to kill her with his first shot, were “I’m a better shot than you.” Hannie was a true hero, and her actions made her one of the most well known members of the Dutch Resistance.
Post War Issues
With the war over, both Freddie and Truus had to now deal with the actions they committed. Both felt the extreme trauma of their actions, as they were merely teenagers during the events of the Second World War, and unable to handle the mental repercussions. The sisters looked for ways to cope with the pain. Truus became a sculptor, and later wrote of her and her sisters’ story, while Freddie tried to move on by getting married and having a family. Along with the mental health issues, the two sisters were never recognized for their actions, due to them being communists like their mother. They were forgotten about, and ostracized by the very people they helped, just because they held views that differed from the majority. These two women deserve more recognition and support for their actions, then was given to them while they were alive, as it takes great courage and determination to go through what they had to.
If you’re interested in knowing the finer details of the trios story I would highly recommend reading “Dutch Resistance Heroines of WWII” by Sophie Poldermans or listening to this podcast “What’s Her Name Podcast.”
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