This year, we’re celebrating 79 years since the end of World War II. The world we live in today is quite different, making this the perfect day to reflect on the grand historical event that WWII was.
World War II was something unprecedented in the history of humankind, and the marks it left behind are still visible. However, like any major crisis, it brought out both the best and the worst in humanity, be it our ability to demonstrate solidarity or our destructive tendencies.
We’ve compiled a report with photos from World War II in the Netherlands, as a visual reminder of those days not that long ago.
Dutch soldiers on guard shortly after the war started, around 1939
![The Netherlands at war: Dutch soldiers on guard shortly after the war started, around 1939](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Mobilisatie_1939_Dutch_soldiers_on_guard.jpg)
The bombed-out centre of Rotterdam after the Blitz
![The Netherlands at war: The bombed-out centre of Rotterdam after the Blitz](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/800px-Rotterdam_Laurenskerk_na_bombardement_van_mei_1940.jpg)
The German army in Amsterdam, 1940
![The Netherlands at war: The German army in Amsterdam, 1940.](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-L23001_Amsterdam_Durchmarsch_deutscher_Truppen.jpg)
The destruction of Nijmegen, 1944
![The Netherlands at war: The destruction of Nijmegen, 1944](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Market-Garden_-_Nijmegen_and_the_bridge.jpg)
Street scene in Amsterdam, 1944
![The Netherlands at war: Street scene in Amsterdam, 1944](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/800px-Colportage_-_Fotodienst_der_NSB_-_NIOD_-_211853.jpeg)
Soldiers handing out chocolate to Dutch children, 1944
![The Netherlands at war. Chocolate handed out to Dutch children by soldiers, 1944](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/A_carrier_crew_of_8th_Rifle_Brigade_hands_out_chocolate_to_Dutch_civilians_during_the_advance_of_11th_Armoured_Division_in_Holland_22_September_1944._B10245.jpg)
Queen Wilhelmina inspecting troops somewhere near Eindhoven, around 1944-1945
![The Netherlands at war: Queen Wilhelmina inspecting troops somewhere near Eindhoven, around 1944-1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/593px-The_Dutch_Royal_Family_in_Exile_during_the_Second_World_War_BU1927.jpg)
The bombing of the Bezuidenhout area in the Hague, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: The bombing of the Bezuidenhout area in the Hague, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Bombardement_Bezuidenhout_1945-03-03.jpg)
Canadian troops pass by a windmill close to Holten, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: Canadian troops pass by a windmill close to Holten, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Holten-Rijssen_April_1945.jpg)
Sherman tanks advancing through Valkenswaard, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: Sherman tanks advancing through Valkenswaard, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Sherman_tanks_advancing_through_Valkenswaard.jpg)
Public shaming of collaborators with the Nazis, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: Public shaming of collaborators with the Nazis, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/604px-Kaalgeschoren_moffenmeiden.jpg)
Canadian soldiers with Dutch children, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: Canadian soldiers with Dutch children, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/604px-Kinderen_in_klederdracht_op_een_Canadese_pantserwagen_Bestanddeelnr_900-2853.jpg)
The Queen speaking to locals, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: The Queen speaking to locals, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/800px-Koninklijk_huis._Bevrijding._Koningin_Wilhelmina_zet_weer_voor_het_eerst_voet_op_Bestanddeelnr_255-8108-1.jpg)
German prisoners of war in Venlo, 1945
![The Netherlands at war: German prisoners of war in Venlo, 1945](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/738px-111-SC-201720_-_German_prisoners_of_war_are_marched_into_Liberated_Venlo_Holland_by_guards_from_the_task_force_of_the_35th_Infantry_Division.jpg)
Dutch citizens and Canadian soldiers celebrating liberation
![The Netherlands at war: Dutch citizens and Canadian soldiers celebrating liberation](https://dutchreview.com/wp-content/uploads/Celebrating_Liberation_.png)
READ MORE | 7 unmissable movies about the Netherlands in WWII
To learn more about World War II in the Netherlands, you can read about Remembrance Day and Liberation Day, as well as the infamous Rotterdam Blitz.
What photos did you enjoy most? Got any other photographs that you feel need to be shown? Let us know in the comments!
Feature Image: Lt. D. Guravitch/Wikimedia Commons/Public domain
What a great article. Although I was very young during the war it left a lasting expression
I particularly remember the Canadian soldiers who dealt out chocolate.