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

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Freddie Oversteegen was born 6 September 1925 in the village of

Schoten, Netherlands Schoten () is a former village in the 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 Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem ...

. She had an older sister,

Truus Menger-Oversteegen Truus Menger-Oversteegen (Schoten, Netherlands, Schoten, 29 August 1923 – Grootebroek, 18 June 2016) was a Netherlands, Dutch sculptor and painter. During the Second World War she was a member of the anti-Nazi Germany, Nazi Dutch armed resista ...

. She and her family lived on a

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

. 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 An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...

. 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) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

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" ( nl, text=het meisje met het rode haar, german: text=das Mädchen mit d ...

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 Germa ...

to disable bridges and

railroad tracks A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as permanent way or simply track, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, ...

. Additionally, they smuggled Jewish children out of the country or helped them escape

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

. 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

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 Dutch medal awarded for service during World War II. Establishment and criteria The Mobilisation War Cross was established on 11 August 1948 by royal decree of Queen Wilhelmin ...

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

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unilever ...

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 to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

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. It is a part of the municipality of Velsen, and lies about 8 km north of Haarlem. History It was first mentioned in 1680 as Drie Huysen, and means "three houses". Driehuizen dev ...

, one day before her 93rd birthday.

Personal life

Freddie Oversteegen married Jan Dekker. They had three children.

References

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