On September 1, 1939, when World War II began to unleash what would be a six-year devastating rain of bullets and bombs all across the globe, a young girl by the name of Freddie Nanda Dekker-Oversteegen was only 13 years of age.
Together with her older sister Truus Menger-Oversteegen and friend Hannie Schaft, who were 16 and 18 years old, they formed a major formidable force in the Dutch resistance against the German occupation of the Netherlands.
Truus took the leading role; Hannie was the intellectual one, whereas Freddie played the part as the tactician; all three were assassins.
In addition to gathering crucial information about the war effort and providing the Jews with safe houses, the trio was also involved in much more difficult duties like bombing railways and killing Nazi officers.
The Nazis executed Hannie three weeks before the end of the war. Truus and Freddie survived the war and lived through their old days.
Freddie was just a young girl in her early teenage years when she voluntarily became an assassin. She would often lure German soldiers to go for a walk in the woods and killed them there.
Freddie was also credited with the deaths of multiple traitors. Her days during the war would be full of terrors, to say the least, and here are some highlights of her story.
10 /10 Early Life
Born in September 1925, Freddie and her sister spent her early childhood on a barge with family in Schoten, Netherlands. Their parents also took part in the resistance by hiding Lithuanian refugees before World War II.
After their parents divorced, Freddie and Truus were raised primarily by their mother. This was the time they learned about communist principles.
Given the upbringing and communist belief, it was only natural for the sisters to take an active role in the war against Nazi Germany.
9 /10 Dutch Resistance Recruits
At the beginning of the war, Freddie and her sister partook in the resistance by handing out some anti-Nazi pamphlets on the streets.
Such activity might not deliver massive impact, but at least it was an act that earned them the attention of Frans van der Wiel, commander of the Haarlem Council of Resistance.
The commander asked the girls to join, hoping that their innocent looks would be such great assets. At this point, Freddie was 14 years old, but her mother permitted her to take a more active role. The sisters officially became resistance fighters.