Realisation project:
Demant, F.A. drs. ©, Caleidoscoop Film
Timeframe: 1940-1945
Location: Nederland
Number of interviews: 8
Thematische collectie: Erfgoed van de Oorlog
DANS: https://doi.org/10.17026/dans-2aa-nmu2
A few interviews can be seen at:
During the years of occupation, in many places Dutch citizens were forced to let German soldiers stay in their homes, often for a fee. The Dutch had to allow the German soldiers into their personal lives and were therefore confronted in a very intimate way with the occupier, against whom they had to determine their position.
What influence did the quartering of German soldiers have on the image the Dutch had of the enemy? And how did this quartering influence their ideas about ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ in the war? To get an answer to these questions, people were interviewed who had been quartered by German soldiers during the Second World War.
The interviewees all fall into the category of ‘bystanders’ (in contrast to the categories of victims and perpetrators). There is still relatively little insight into the role bystanders played during the German occupation, which alone makes the interviews valuable. The interviews shed light on the experiences of ‘ordinary’ Dutch citizens with the German occupier and provide insight into their perceptions of ‘the enemy’.