1943 Onderdrukking en verzet
In 1943, the tables were turned. The German defeats in Russia and North Africa and the gradual pushback against Japan in the Pacific clearly indicated that Nazi Germany would not be winning the war. In January, the Allies demanded the unconditional surrender of Germany, which responded by declaring ‘total war’ and increasing forced labour and the war effort. The Netherlands was affected as a large part of its male population was drafted for forced labour in Germany.
The growing problems that the Nazis had to deal with gave an enormous boost to the resistance movement. Underground organisations became even more engaged in espionage, sabotage, the illegal press, and forging official documents. Although the help given to people in hiding was handled in an increasingly systematic fashion, it came too late for the vast majority of Jews threatened with deportation.
At home, the Dutch tried to adapt their daily lives to the worsening circumstances and the increasing threat as best they could.
