Louis "Loe" de Jong (24 April 1914 in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

– 15 March 2005 in Amsterdam) was a Dutch

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

who specialised in the

Netherlands in World War II Despite Dutch neutrality, Nazi Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940 as part of ''Fall Gelb'' (Case Yellow). On 15 May 1940, one day after the Rotterdam Blitz, bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch forces ...

and 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 ...

. De Jong studied history and social geography at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

. He worked as a foreign newspaper correspondent from 1938 until 1940. He wrote on 31 August 1939 that an

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

would not escalate into war: "The Second World War has been averted for a long time or the immediate future probably for years", was printed on 2 September. He wrote on 6 April 1940 that there was no indication whatsoever that " Berlin thought of expanding the war nto other countries. After the German invasion of the Netherlands, De Jong managed to escape to London with his wife Liesbeth Cost Budde on 15 May 1940 on board of the ''Friso''. He would work for Radio Oranje, broadcasting to the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.. The

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

of Loe de Jong, '' The Kingdom of the Netherlands During World War II'' (Dutch: ''Het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in de Tweede Wereldoorlog''), in fourteen volumes and 18,000 pages, is the standard reference on the history of the Netherlands during

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 ...

. The

Dutch Institute for War Documentation Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

(NIOD) made an electronic edition of the entire work available for downloading from 11 December 2011, licensed under creative commons CC BY 3.0. De Jong contributed to many other historical works on the Netherlands and lectured at symposia on the European resistance. In 1988, he was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer for his contributions to Dutch written and printed culture. In 1963 he became a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

. Loe de Jong was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

by birth. He lost the greater part of his family including his parents and his twin brother during the Second World War.

References

External links

Errol Morris writes on Loue de Jong in the New York Times, June 3, 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jong, Loe De 1914 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Dutch historians Dutch people of World War II Dutch Jews Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Writers from Amsterdam Dutch media executives Historians of the Holocaust Historians of World War II 20th-century Dutch journalists Burials at Zorgvlied Cemetery

See also

References

Further reading

External links