Pieter Johannes Hoets (April 24, 1921 – August 28, 2014) was a Dutch

Engelandvaarder An ''Engelandvaarder'' (; ) was a Dutch person who escaped from the German occupation of the Netherlands, German-occupied Netherlands to the United Kingdom during World War II with the intention of joining the Free Dutch forces. The name deri ...

, an active

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 ...

fighter against the

Nazi occupation of the Netherlands Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of '' Fall Gelb'' (Case Yellow). On 15 May 1940, one day after the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces surrendered. The Dutch government and the royal f ...

in WW-II.

World War II

After a failed attempt to sail to England on June 19, 1940, he eventually left the country from

Delfzijl Delfzijl (; ) is a city and former municipality (which now belongs to the municipality of Eemsdelta) with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf and the Em ...

on October 13, 1944. In

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

he signed up as a volunteer and was assigned to the Dutch Intelligence in Stockholm to interrogate new arrivals. After he arrived in England, he served in the

Royal Netherlands East Indies Army The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (; KNIL, ; ) was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherl ...

Post-war

After the war he immigrated to the US, where he studied US law at Yale University, joined

The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892. It manufactures, sells and markets soft drinks including Coca-Cola, other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Its stock is lis ...

where he became Chief Counsel for Coca Cola Europe, and later joined New York-based Reid & Priest, a law firm with 160 attorneys founded in 1935 with an office in Washington, D.C.. Hoets authored five historic books, including ''De Yale Connection. De jacht op de Marcos-miljarden en het Zwitsers bankgeheim'' ("The Yale Connection. Hunting the Marcos billions and Swiss banking secrecy.")

Death

Hoets died on August 28, 2014, in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

, the United States.

Military and Knight's Orders

Cross of Merit (Netherlands) On 20 February 1941, the Dutch government in exile in London instituted several new awards for bravery. The new way that wars were fought, with civilian resistance and the merchant navy in great peril, made this necessary. Amongst the new decoratio ...

* Oorlogsherinneringskruis with four stars (

War Memorial Cross The War Commemorative Cross () is a military award of the Netherlands. The medal was established to commemorate service to the Kingdom of the Netherlands during World War II. The medal was established on 16 March 1944 by royal decree of Queen Wilh ...

) * Verzetsherdenkingskruis (

Resistance Memorial Cross The Resistance Memorial Cross or Resistance Commemorative Cross () is a medal awarded in the Netherlands to members of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War. The medal was instituted by Royal Decree (No. 104) on 29 December 1980, after ...

) * Officer in the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

Bibliography

* ''Vrijgevaren!'' Met voorwoord van

Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Siebren Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema (3 April 1917 – 26 September 2007) was a Dutch writer who became a resistance fighter and RAF pilot during the Second World War. Near the end of the war he was adjudant (assistant) to Wilhelmina of the Netherl ...

(1976), * ''Englandspiel ontmaskerd. Schijnstoot op Nederland en België 1942–1944'' (1990), * ''Spookspoor naar Moskou'' (1996), * ''De Yale Connection. De jacht op de Marcos-miljarden en het Zwitsers bankgeheim''. Met medewerking van

Alexander Münninghoff Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are A ...

(2000), * ''Buitengaats! Met een Engelandvaarder de wereld in'' (2006),

References