Every day anxiety

Hundreds of testimonials

18,000 dead. That’s how many casualties the thousands of V1s and V2s launched by the Germans on Belgium and England claimed. More than 8,000 died in our country. On top of that came the more than 20,000 prisoners who perished in the underground concentration camp Dora, where the V weapons were manufactured. Elke dag angst, their story and that of the witnesses who did survive.

Several years ago, Pieter Serrien’s search for testimonies about the V terror on Belgium began. He listened to hundreds of haunting stories about a life in constant fear. During the writing process, dozens more witnesses were added: Dora’s camp prisoners who found the courage to write down their experiences after the war, the allied soldiers who remember the difficult time in faraway Belgium and the German perpetrators who broke the taboo and also shared their stories. The latter were especially important to Pieter Serrien: to also give the word to those who launched the V1s and V2s. Only in this way could he paint the fullest possible picture of the V terror.

Antwerp and Liege

In total, an estimated 9,000 Vs fell on Belgium. Most were aimed at Antwerp or Liege, the two cities that were the biggest victims of the terror. Both cities get a prominent place in the book. Other affected municipalities also get their place. For instance, witnesses recount the dozens of accidents involving downed V1s caused by the anti-aircraft belt around Antwerp.