Truus Oversteegen

Truus Menger-Oversteegen between Freddie Dekker-Oversteegen and Mark Rutte, 2014

Truus Menger-Oversteegen (born August 29, 1923 in Schoten as Truus Oversteegen; died June 18, 2016 in Grootebroek ) was a Dutch painter, sculptor and resistance fighter . During the Second World War , she worked with her younger sister Freddie and Hannie Schaft in the resistance organization Raad van Verzet (RVV).

Life

Truus Oversteegen was the daughter of the businessman Jacob Wilhelm Oversteegen and his wife Trijntje van der Molen. The family was shaped by communists, so Truus and her sister were accordingly active in the communist youth organization Nederlandse Jeugd Federatie . Shortly after the beginning of the German occupation of the Netherlands, both joined the emerging resistance . At first they mainly participated in the distribution of illegal underground magazines, but with the beginning of the persecution of Jews in the Netherlands they increasingly turned to armed resistance. In 1941 they were recruited for the Raad van Verzet in Haarlem. In addition to courier services and help for compatriots in hiding, Oversteegen also carried out arson attacks, acts of sabotage and liquidations of representatives of the occupying power and Dutch traitors. On March 1, 1945, the police officer and NSB man Willem Zirkzee was executed by Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen; the act took place roughly at the Krelagehuis on the Leidsevaart in Haarlem . On March 15, Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen carried out an attack on Ko Langendijk from IJmuiden , who worked for the security service (SD). An earlier attack on him by Jan Bonekamp had failed. Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen tried in vain to free Jan Bonekamp after he was seriously wounded by the Germans and taken to the Wilhelmina Gasthuis in Amsterdam.

On October 25, 1944, Hannie Schaft and Truus Oversteegen wanted to kill the police officer and NSBler Fake Krist, who was very successful in tracking down Jews, people in hiding and resistance fighters, but other resistance fighters from Haarlem got ahead of them. After Hannie Schaft was arrested on March 21, 1945, the resistance thought that she was being held in the Huis van Bewaring in the Weteringschans. Oversteegen, disguised as a German nurse, tried to free Hannie Schaft. She made up a story that she would have to take with her for an investigation, but Hannie Schaft was actually held in Huis van Bewaring II on Amstelveenseweg and had since been murdered.

After the war, Truus Menger-Oversteegen was a regular speaker at universities and schools, where she reported on the war, anti-Semitism, tolerance and indifference. In 1982 she wrote a book about her war experiences: Toen niet, nu niet, nooit (German for example: “Not then, not today, never”). The book was published in a German translation in 2000 under the title In the Last Moment . In 1997, a play based on the lives of Hannie, Freddie and Truus premiered in Vienna . A play was also made of it in the Netherlands.

Menger began a career as a visual artist after the war and became known by the name of her husband Piet Menger, whom she had met in the resistance. She named her eldest daughter after Hannie Schaft, Hannie Menger was chairwoman of the Stichting Nationale Hannie Schaft-Herdenking.

On her 75th birthday in 1998, Menger was appointed Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau because of her services . On April 15, 2014, Truus Menger-Oversteegen and her sister received the Mobilisatie-Oorlogskruis from Prime Minister Mark Rutte ; an extraordinary honor as this ceremony is usually carried out by mayors.

Truus Menger-Oversteegen died on June 18, 2016 in Haarlem.

Works

Sculptures by Truus Menger can be found in various locations in the Netherlands and abroad, for example a memorial in memory of Hannie Schaft in Kenaupark in Haarlem. Other works are:

• Leidse vrouwen in het verzet ("Leiden women in resistance") (1985) in the resistance museum in Leiden
• Banner of Hope ("Banner of Hope") in Johannesburg- Soweto , South Africa
• Hun offers voor onze toekomst ("Your offers for our future") monument in Grootebroek
• Jodenmarkt ("Judenmarkt") in Amsterdam
• Memorial to deaf Jewish victims in Amsterdam,
• Staakt Staakt Staakt ("Strike, strike, strike") monument in Zaandam
• Wanhoop ("Despair") in Hoorn
• Bevroren Tranen (“Frozen Tears”) in the Kamp Westerbork Memorial Center

• 

  Replica of Leidse vrouwen in het verzet (1985), Gouda Resistance Museum

• 

  Wanhoop (1990), Hoorn

• 

  Steen van de miljoenen tranen (Stone of the Million Tears) (1990), Rotterdam

• 

  Hannie Schaft (1992), Haarlem

In addition, she had many exhibitions at home and abroad.

Truus Oversteegenstraat

On June 12, 2014 Truus opened the Truus Oversteegenstraat in the slaughterhouse district of Haarlem together with her sister Freddie and the mayor of Haarlem Bernt Schneiders . The Freddie Oversteegenstraat forms the extension , both of which are parallel to the Hannie Schaftstraat.

There is also a Truus Oversteegenstraat in Montfoort .

See also

Commons : Truus Menger-Oversteegen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• De Wandeling met Truus Menger, part 1 , broadcast by the KRO
• De Wandeling met Truus Menger, part 2 , broadcast by the KRO
• Truus Overstegen on the resistance in World War II on arte

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Norbert-Jan Nuij: Oversteegen, Hilda (1923-2016). In: Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland. July 1, 2017, accessed February 11, 2020 (Dutch). 
2. ^ Truus Menger (75) heeft vrede met onderscheiding. In: Trouw . August 31, 1998, accessed February 9, 2020 (Dutch). 
3. ↑ Verzetszusjes onderscheiden door premier Rutte. Rijksoverheid, April 15, 2014, archived from the original on August 4, 2016 ; accessed on February 9, 2020 (Dutch). 
4. ↑ Verzetsvrouw Truus Menger overleden. In: Trouw . June 19, 2016, accessed February 9, 2020 (Dutch). 
5. ^ Decision of the municipality of Haarlem from March 5, 2013
6. ↑ Richard Stekelenburg: Verzetshelden Oversteegen 'voor eeuwig verbonden met Haarlem'. In: Haarlem's Dagblad . June 12, 2014, archived from the original on June 30, 2016 ; accessed on February 9, 2020 (Dutch).