Pizza delivery boy honouring the 2 minute silence during Remembrance day

Most Dutch adults now, know of family members during the War. Grandfather's, grandmothers whom all had stories (the generation is thinning out fast now tho) so most growing up until 90's-00's still had/have live connections to that period of time. Due to the annual remembrance and celebration there is also a lot of general interest/ media / school attention to the subject. This makes it easier to share stories and experiences during that time. In my case: my family comes from Rotterdam, both my grandfathers where called upon and forced to labor in Germany in 44' and returned home in early 46'. My father who was born during the war, didn't even recognize my grandpa when he came home. My still living grandmother lived in the region where "Market garden" took place. As a nurse she helped Germans and English/Polish alike. Her brothers and father ran local resistance and she did some courier assignments for them. ----------- Big events in Dutch WW2 (European theater) Invasion - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Netherlands Bombing of Rotterdam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_bombing_of_Rotterdam Big general strike against Razzia's - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_strike Failed military operation "Market Garden" - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden The "hunger winter" Dutch famine due to resources being transported to Germany - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_famine_of_1944%E2%80%9345 The dairy of Anne Frank and the holocaust - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank Our Queen Wilhelmina who kept spirits high with radio speeches and broadcasts from London - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelmina_of_the_Netherlands The only princess to be born in the America's to date; Princess Margriet, born in Canada (but on international soil) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Margriet_of_the_Netherlands#Birth_and_Canada --------------------------- The Netherlands never fought many land battles with our neighbors in it's history and has been a freehaven for all kinds of free thinkers and religions. Most wars where sea/trade wars with the French and the English and those where fought with ships and left no scars on the civilian population or our infrastructure. The only time we got invaded was back around 1800 in the Napoleonic war, when our countries "golden age" was already far in decline, but that was partly a political coup rather then a war. After 1870 and 1914 European wars in which the Netherlands was neutral we where never really accustomed with war on our soil. Being oppressed in your thoughts was an absurd idea in our country, and we figured that WW2 would pass us by as well. If it would come to an invasion we would just sabotage the dikes and stall the troops in a marsh (a tried and proven strategy). But then on the 10th of May Germany invaded. We didn't account for tanks, massive air-force or parachutists. Our army did held the German troops back for 5 days at our main inland defense lines along bunker complexes and riverbanks, but after the Germans bombed our second-biggest city Rotterdam; and promised the 3 other big cities would follow we capitulated. The Netherlands only got liberated late in the war, while parts in the south where already freed in 44' the big suburban area's in the west where still under German command. Especially in 44' and 45' the oppressors started to take more and more from us. Apart from the Jewish razzia's, all able men where rounded up and sent to Germany as forced labor, supplies and food where rerouted to feed Germans while our population starved, etc etc. The occupation left a tremendous national shock/trauma to our country and especially the City of Rotterdam. it has dominated 50-80's Dutch literature and film. Anne Frank wrote her famous diary in Dutch. This is still visible in today's society with many monuments all over the country and the understanding that "freedom" isn't a given. For example; American and Canadian military cemeteries in our country (we have many as the fallen in Germany would rather be burried on friendly soil , always have fresh flowers on their graves, there are even "adopt a grave" initiatives that have long waiting lists.