This year, we’re celebrating 78 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 bombed-out centre of Rotterdam after the Blitz
The German army in Amsterdam, 1940
The destruction of Nijmegen, 1944
Street scene in Amsterdam, 1944
Chocolate handed out to Dutch children, 1944
Queen Wilhelmina inspecting troops somewhere near Eindhoven, around 1944-1945
The bombing of the Bezuidenhout area in the Hague, 1945
Canadian troops pass by a windmill close to Holten, 1945
Sherman tanks advancing through Valkenswaard, 1945
Public shaming of collaborators with the Nazis, 1945
Canadian soldiers with Dutch children, 1945
The Queen speaking to locals, 1945
German prisoners of war in Venlo, 1945
Dutch citizens and Canadian soldiers celebrating liberation
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
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in May 2018, and was fully updated in May 2023 for your reading pleasure.
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.