Facts and Figures

• After the war, some 310,000 Dutch people were eventually prosecuted for suspected collaboration with the Nazis. These included minor cases who had been members of the NSB for a blue Monday or children who had been in the National Youth Storm, but there were also serious cases, such as fanatical NSB members, Jew hunters or Dutchmen who had served in German military service.
• At least 50,000 Dutchmen wore German uniforms during the war and served in the Wehrmacht, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, the NSKK or the OT.
• Also, between 25-30,000 Dutchmen served in the Waffen-SS.
• Immediately after the Dutch capitulation in 1940, tens of thousands of Dutch people joined the NSB, which would eventually number some 100,000 members.
• Lou de Jong estimated after World War II that by 1945 the hard core of the resistance had consisted of some 45,000 resistance fighters.
• The Netherlands produced more SS volunteers than any other European country.
• Many hundreds, thousands got the death penalty demanded, but it was actually carried out 39 times
• Percentage-wise, most Jews were also murdered in the Netherlands, especially when speaking of Western Europe.
• Nearly 1 in 8 Amsterdam residents was Jewish and did not survive the war.

According to Historians, to this day the Netherlands has never begun to process this part of the national past.

SOURCE: Stijn Reurs - journalist, researcher and specialist on World War II and collaboration in particular - for Media Luna - Project Wierdergut.