Freddie Nanda Dekker-Oversteegen (6 September 1925 – 5 September 2018) was a member of the

Dutch resistance The Dutch resistance () to the History of the Netherlands (1939–1945), German occupation of the Netherlands during World War II can be mainly characterized as non-violent. The primary organizers were the Communist Party of the Netherlands, C ...

amid the

German occupation German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

of the Netherlands in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

Freddie Oversteegen was born on 6 September 1925 in the village of

Schoten, Netherlands Schoten () is a former village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of North Holland. It was located between Haarlem and Santpoort. Schoten was a separate municipality between 1817 and 1927, when it was merged with Haarlem. The municipality consiste ...

. She had an older sister, Truus Menger-Oversteegen. She and her family lived on a

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

. Before the war started in the Netherlands, the Oversteegen family hid people from Lithuania in the hold of their ship. After the divorce of her parents, Oversteegen was raised by her mother. She moved from the barge to a small apartment. Her mother later remarried and gave birth to her half-brother. The family lived in poverty.

World War II

During

, the Oversteegen family hid a Jewish couple in their home. Freddie Oversteegen and her older sister Truus began handing out anti-Nazi pamphlets, which attracted the notice of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English language, English) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the Provinces of the Nether ...

Council of Resistance commander Frans van der Wiel. With their mother's permission, the girls joined the Council of Resistance, which brought them into a coordinated effort. Freddie was fourteen years old at the time. Oversteegen, her sister, and friend

Hannie Schaft Jannetje Johanna (Jo) Schaft (16 September 1920 – 17 April 1945) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II. She became known as "the girl with the red hair" (, ). Her secret name in the resistance movement was "Hannie". Early ...

worked to sabotage the Nazi military presence in the Netherlands. They used

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

to disable bridges and

railroad tracks Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers (railroad ties in American E ...

. They also smuggled Jewish children out of the country or helped them escape

concentration camps A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploit ...

. The Oversteegens and Schaft also killed German soldiers, with Freddie being the first of the girls to kill a soldier by shooting him while riding her bicycle. They also lured soldiers to the woods under the pretense of a romantic overture and then killed them. Oversteegen would approach the soldiers in taverns and bars and ask them to "go for a stroll" in the forest.

Post-war life

Oversteegen served as a board member on the National

Foundation, which was established by her sister, Truus. In 2014, Freddie and Truus were awarded the

Mobilisation War Cross The Mobilisation War Cross (Dutch: ''Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis'') is a Orders, decorations, and medals of the Netherlands, Dutch medal awarded for service during World War II. Establishment and criteria The Mobilisation War Cross was established o ...

(''Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis'') by Dutch Prime Minister

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...

for their acts of resistance during the war. There is also a street named after her in Haarlem. Oversteegen experienced a series of

heart attacks A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is retr ...

towards the end of her life. She died on 5 September 2018 in a nursing home in

Driehuis Driehuis is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland; part of the municipality of Velsen, it lies about 8 km north of Haarlem and 15 km west-northwest of Amsterdam. History It was first mentioned in 1680 as Drie Huysen, and m ...

, one day before her 93rd birthday.

Personal life

Freddie Oversteegen married Jan Dekker. They had three children.

References

External Links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oversteegen, Freddie 1925 births 2018 deaths People from Haarlem Dutch communists Dutch resistance members Female resistance members of World War II