Three Ordinary Girls
The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes
by Tim Brady
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
An astonishing World War II story of a trio of fearless female resisters whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It also made them the underground's most invaluable commodity.
May 10, 1940. The Netherlands was swarming with Third Reich troops. In seven days it's entirely occupied by Nazi Germany. Joining a small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem were three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen who would soon band together to form a singular female underground squad.
Smart, fiercely political, devoted solely to the cause, and "with nothing to lose but their own lives," Hannie, Truus, and Freddie took terrifying direct action against Nazi targets. That included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. They sabotaged bridges and railways, and donned disguises to lead children from probable internment in concentration camps to safehouses. They covertly transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors–on public streets and in private traps–with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies.
In telling this true story through the lens of a fearlessly unique trio of freedom fighters, Tim Brady offers a fascinating perspective of the Dutch resistance during the war. Of lives under threat; of how these courageous young women became involved in the underground; and of how their dedication evolved into dangerous, life-threatening missions on behalf of Dutch patriots–regardless of the consequences.
Harrowing, emotional, and unforgettable, Three Ordinary Girls finally moves these three icons of resistance into the deserved forefront of world history.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 23, 2021 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780806540405
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780806540405
- File size: 1083 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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January 8, 2021
Brady has explored little-known aspects of World War II, from the life of Ted Roosevelt Jr. (His Father's Son, 2017) to the story of a civilian freighter that aided in a critical Moroccan invasion (Twelve Desperate Miles, 2012). Now he turns his attention to the Netherlands, highlighting three young women who worked for the Dutch resistance. While Anne Frank hid nearby, teenage sisters Truus and Freddie Overgesteen joined the fight after being raised in a leftist home. Johanna Schaft, known as Hannie, came to the group after being forced out of college by Nazi regulations. The women trained as fighters, learning hand-to-hand combat and practicing their shooting. Their missions were often based on their ability to infiltrate male spaces by taking advantage of soldiers' assumptions about femininity: that the girls were naive, stupid, and innocent when they were anything but. Relying heavily on Truus' own observations, as well as previous works about Hannie's life, this book will please Brady's fans as well as those who are interested in new and different stories of WWII.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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