Really special watching your reaction to this. I honestly felt chills at the end seeing your face during that scene and hearing you describe what you were feeling. I'm glad the video did the holiday and what it stands for justice. Let's never forget!

@OP-1000

Жыл бұрын

Hi Sam 👋

@HighlyCombustibleReacts

Жыл бұрын

I loved the way you covered this! Super respectful! I could tell that it touched you as well. Definitely one of those topics that hits me in the heart, but it is soooo important to never forget... The second we become unaware, the round-a-bout that is history will allow it to happen again. Thanks for this one Samuel! You have a kind heart, it's no wonder you have won the Dutch people over! We love you over here too! So glad we were introduced to your channel. Top quality content 100% tv worthy! Nothing but love brother!

@katlijnroovers7357

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Samuel for your reaction and woords about Dutch history

@exploringtheforeign

Жыл бұрын

@@HighlyCombustibleReacts Wow, much love!

@exploringtheforeign

Жыл бұрын

@@katlijnroovers7357 Thank you!

I'm originally British, but now also Dutch. Very impressed with how the Dutch remember the war and liberation. The Dutch are peaceful people who don't live in the past (like some British people do), but there are important things that they never forget. Within a short distance from where I live there are several memorials to the liberators and resistance fighters. I was at a musical rehearsal on Thursday evening (4th May) but we stopped at eight o'clock for the two minutes silence.

@robertoneven2803

Жыл бұрын

the Dutch thit a fuck in the second W War Holland liberadet by the US the Britich army the Polich the Canadian army Island offf Walcheren liberadet by the Novegain s and the Belgain commando s in the second W War a lot of Dutch city s liberadet by the brave Belgain brigade Piron

Like you said its not that long ago. My grandfather was the sole survivor of his entire lineage. 400+ direct family members were murdered between ‘40-‘45. No movie or book will ever ever come close to the horrors that went on in the camps. He survived 4 and a half years and 7 different camps before escaping during a death march in ‘45. He passed 2 years ago. He is sorely missed, his positivity, knowledge, humbleness, decency and kindness.

@wimhovius6901

Жыл бұрын

I will never forget ...children nou ask who write Anne Frank, ask where lay the holocaust, thinking its a town.dutch schools dont learn the children annymore. But i will remember you father and all ficktems ..

@femkevanwageningen6068

11 ай бұрын

​@@wimhovius6901I was tough about ww2 sinds about 8/9 years old, and a little bit more and more in debt every year. Same for everyone I ever spoke to about it.

The beauty is that this is not only on 'de Dam' (where this video was shot, and where all kind of speeches are) It actually is the complete country that gets to a standstill. Television, Radio, if possible public transport will stand still, if possible cars will stop and stand still, almost every village, town, community has a place where people can come together to literally stand still for those two minutes. It is a remembrance of WW2, but it is way more than that. It has grown to something where people for 2 minutes, each year, stand still physically and in sound, by the fact that 'we' can live in freedom. A lot of Dutchies will even take this two minutes, may fourth at 20.00, when they are abroad. I for myself was not in the Netherlands this year on May 4th. But I actually stood still and was silent for those two minutes. And a little further a saw two other people doing the same thing (and I noticed Dutch license plates on their vehicle a few moments later) I think it is a good thing.

@sannevandenheuvel5635

3 ай бұрын

I was once working while this happened (delivery of groceries). Parked the car and two people (I think 40-55 years old?) were just talking outside. I was so angry, it felt do wrong. How hard is it to be quiet for two damn minutes in a year?! I tried to think about those who died etc and they were just loudly talking

My grandfather was part of the Dutch resistance, living in a little town close to the German border. He was captured over time and in that prison the Nazi’s randomly picked a few people out of cells and shot them on a daily basis. He survived and died in peace at age 92. An amazing man! His brother lived 20 miles to the East in Germany. His son was in the Wehrmacht and was send to the Eastern front, Stalingrad. He never returned, his family never heard a word rom him again. His mother kept setting a plate for him for dinner to the day she died. War is started by a few, but suffered by a lot. I am proud our country keeps the memory of occupation alive over many generations. Freedom should never betaken for granted and therefore we will always show our deepest respect to the people who fought, suffered and died so we can live in freedom again. ❤

I have met many Dutch people and visited the Netherlands many times. I found them to be the politest people I ever met. They even apologised to my friends in a bar for speaking Dutch when they heard them speaking English - in THEIR country!

@BettyMulder50

Жыл бұрын

thank you

@canecorsomolosser3294

Жыл бұрын

I dont want to be arrogant, but as a Dutch person, many countries could also learn from us, how we use to go forward, with freedom. Its not that where perfect, but people underestimate the Dutch culture in how to progress in democracy. Yes, we have our problems, things can always be better. For all i know is that we are a proud little country with a big heart. Dutch people truelly wants that every other country go forward and don't sit still. Learn from the past and act like that. When people have experienced to live in the Netherlands, then they will understand it, but most of all feel it. 😉🇳🇱 Don't be perfect, just follow you're dreams, acknowledge that you don't know anything, but rather absorb all the good things. Try also to be independent, take nothing for granted, but have peace what's on you're path, because that's you're destiny ✌️👊 To all foreign fighters who have fought for democracy in the past and now, you will never be forgotten. 🇳🇱✌️🙏 Non Deficere 😁💯

@canecorsomolosser3294

Жыл бұрын

Nice compliment for us 'stubborn' Dutch 😁✌️🇳🇱

@BettyMulder50

Жыл бұрын

@@canecorsomolosser3294 .even verbeteren: (sorry) .it's not that WE ARE (not where = waar) follow YOUR dreams (not you're = samenvoeging van you + are) ...peace what's on YOUR (not you're = samenvoeging van you + are) ..YOUR destiny (not you're) .

@canecorsomolosser3294

Жыл бұрын

@@BettyMulder50 dank je

The song the trumpet played is called the "Taptoe", which dates back to the 16th century. The famous "Last Post" is based on the "Taptoe", that's why they sound similar to a lot of people and are used in similar situations.

@Wolfe1966

Жыл бұрын

Dates back to the 17th century, Taptoe means "Doe den Tap toe" close the Beertap. All soldiers had to return to the barraks. English soldiers fighting in the Netherlands in the 17th century did indeed adopt it and have their own version.

@kasper2970

Жыл бұрын

The last post is the English version of this signal. It’s almost the same melody.

@jimreilly917

2 ай бұрын

It’s where the American English term TAPS comes from, the bugle call that ends the duty day on US military installations throughout the world. And the call that renders final honors to members of our armed forces killed in combat, and veterans. The Taps call Americans know originated during the American Civil War, 1860-65. Used by both sides.

The 2 minutes of silence always give me goosebumps. The whole country united in silence. My daughter is 3,5 years old and around eight o'clock I was upstairs in her room reading bedtime stories. But I set my alarm at 7.57 so I could be silent at 8. My boyfriend had the tv app on his phone on and came upstairs. We told my daughter that it was remembrance day and that when the trumpet would stop and the clock starts ringing we wouldn't talk anymore for 2 minutes. My daughter was climbing over her dad, but didn't speak either ❤ Like she felt this was important to us. What I also think is special that people who are on the road around 8, try to find a parking spot, and stand still next to their car and after the 2 minutes get back on the road again. My grandparents fortunately were okay during the war 🙏🏻 My grandfather born out of a Dutch father and Polish mother was a communist and had to run several times from the Germans when they came to pick him up. He ran over the rooftops and hid at a police station in a village next to the town he lived in. Friends kept him save, but other families weren't so lucky, so its important to keep remembering. It's like you say also paying respect to the foreign men who sacrificed their lives so we could be free. That's why I also go to the WW2 cemetery here in Nijmegen on Christmas Eve, then there are candles lit on their graves. Thank you HXC for giving us back the respect, for doing this.

Our ancestors made it really clear they never want us to forget. And I'm glad about it. Canada played a huge role for us in my hometown, and for years we've invited them over to celebrate the liberation on the 5th. I was there every time until I moved. Sadly year after year you saw less Canadians join. They were old. But for them to come as long as they could, I'll never forget that. And I'm forever grateful.

Our major news channel announced the following day that there are still 1.1 million Dutch citizens that survived the war. That's quite a lot considering we have a total of 17 point something million people in our tiny country

@Hamata68

Жыл бұрын

And don't forget there are 17 and bit million living today, back in the day there were around 9 million people living in The Netherlands. Also my mom and my uncles and aunts lived in the war.

@jimreilly917

2 ай бұрын

It’s also amazing considering the number of Dutch citizens killed during WWII, by the Nazis, in bombings, or by starvation.🇺🇸🇱🇺

It is not just the people who are silent for those 2 minutes, also the public transportation stops: trains, trams, busses, they stop where ever they are at 8 pm, and start up at 8.02 pm. Me myself, I had a very nice day with the choir that I am a part of. We sang a lot, ate lunch together, had a lot of fun and in the evening we did a cooking workshop, making fresh pasta and a lot of noise. But we paused at 7.50 pm, listened on the radio to the speeches, and remained silent for the 2 minutes. Than we sang the national anthem, followed by "alles wat ademt" from Rob de Nijs, a Dutch singer, the song is from 1985, but still very current today... we wept, it was very emotional... after that we went on with the workhop... at first a bit silent, but later on... well... 25 women... it did not stay like that for long 🙂 The lyrics of the song translated: Peace is far, farther than ever, the guns never rest so close to home. What has fear done to us? Let everything that breathes exist in peace. Power plays a deadly game with power, afraid of each other they threaten with hell. Now or never learn to go together, Let everything that breathes exist in peace, Let everything that breathes exist in peace. No matter how strange the language, you can understand it, Let everything that breathes exist in peace, Let everything that breathes exist in peace. Learn to go together now or never We can exist close to each other No matter how strange the language, you can understand it, Let everything that breathes exist in peace, Let everything that breathes exist in peace. Let everything that breathes exist in peace

@NoblesseObligeify

Жыл бұрын

I was at the cinema that afternoon. At the counter was a display saying "at 8pm we pause all movies to honor the remembrance for 2 minutes"

@nancydelouw5246

8 ай бұрын

Everybody stays still my son is a gamer, and when he is live, they will stand still in the game salute en resume after the 2 minutes. I love that even the younger generation respects the people who fought for us.

@Sjaan_Banaan

2 ай бұрын

​@@nancydelouw5246mooi

I played the "signaal taptoe" in my village this year. I was nervous but it went well. I'm very proud that i got to give back and remember.

The best thing and gives you shivers is seeing everyone on the highway stopping safely on the side of the road for 2 minutes❤

I always watch the remembrance at The Waalsdorpervlakte Den Haag. So much more intense to me, the ringing of the big bell by hand , It does not matter who you are, you just get in line to pay respect. Only veterans and fam . of people being executed there get to be first, the rest just lines up. When the bell is getting stopped and the last call( Taptoe) has sounded at 20.00, you only hear birds singing there. A real moment of peace and reflection time.Then the bell starts again and they keep ringing it till the last visitor has passed by to pay their respects. 🙏🏻I forgot, the remembrance of may 4th started here, because over 200 people got executed at De Waalsdorpervlakte.

Your videos about Margraten Cemetary are a year old now. I was quite moved then when seeing the profound emotions they brought out in you. Your experiences as a veteran definitely have given you a unique perspective on life, freedom, and respect. Thank you for sharing this with us: know that it is appreciated.

i was mostly raised by my grandparents, my granddad had fought against the japanese in indonesia, so i got to hear the first hand stories of getting wounded, being a POW under the japanese. yes it is still very current. also the ones that had that experience of war, unwanted took that luggage upon their kids, and those to their kids. the ptss of the parents is the main theme that surrounded the upbringing of those second generation kids. especially those from indonesia, as most europeans ended up in japanese concentration camps.....which was branded by violence, starving, rape, murder and other inhuman actions during japanese rule. which is also a reason why it still is current, many of us come from broken people and still carry that weight with us, through our upbringing.

@anniemoemski4057

Жыл бұрын

I recognize myself in your story. my mother survived the Japanese camp with her mother, sisters and brother. She also remained a soft and sweet person. My father and his mother and sisters had to go to the cold Netherlands after the war, where they had never been because they were of mixed blood and you don't hear much about that in history. largely because they were silent about what happened in and just after the war. You didn't talk about it because the Netherlands also had to rebuild everything again. We often heard the words peanut or poepchinese and then my parents always said forgive them they don't know our culture so my family cooked and shared the food and made a lot of music.. that's how they get to know us and you adapt to the Dutch. my parents were homesick and had ptsd and that affected the children so yes I recognize myself in your story

@SuperPassionflower

Жыл бұрын

@@anniemoemski4057 can fully empathise, this is also the story of my mother, father, grandmothers and therefore also my story. I not only commemorate 4th May but also 15th August has a deep meaning to me.

Thanks for your reaction. For me and a lot of people, it is something we are used too. Seeing it whit your reaction, make me realise it is a special moment.

this 4th of may, I was for the first time not with my Parents. though with some friends and classmates drinking after work. we were loud though we stopped giving a squeek 2 minutes before and resumed 2 minutes after 8 pm. made my mind apreciate the people i know a lot more, knowing they also have the respect for the generations allmost passed.

Every year when the last post is played and bells ring my heart breaks again. I remember the testimonies, the story that every family has and the survivors held in to protect their children from the horrid through or in order to rebuild our country. I have insane respect for that generation and I’ve talked to so many elderly people and saw the sadness in their eyes. They tend to not cry, to tell it calm and collected with a sense of ‘it’s just how it was’ but you can always see the sorrow and pain in their eyes. They (re)built and shaped this country for us, and the least we can do is honor and respect it.

To add the missing translation on that final speech: "In a few moments at 8PM t will be quiet everywhere in the Netherlands. Two minutes in which we realize that we can and may be quiet for two minutes.

Thank you for sharing this video! As a grandchild of liberated Dutch from Rotterdam, I can tell you, we are still gratefull that the young soldiers from the UK, USA and Canada came over here to make that happen. These two minutes of silence are also for their sacrifice. Thank you...

Thank you for this vid. Opdat wij nooit vergeten❤️

We always watch the maasdorpervlakte. I'ts in de dunes on the west coast of the country. During the 2 minutes silence you can only hear nature...🙏

@markgroothuis8569

Жыл бұрын

So do we. Though the remembrance in Amsterdam is the official ceremony, the sober and 'simple' one at the Maasdorpervlakte is more like remembrance in it's pure form. Even my kids prefer this one. No big words, just silence. Sometimes a single word is already too much,

@gerrit9519

Жыл бұрын

Same. The tolling of the Bell there is so impressive. And to imagine it keeps on tolling until the last person has passed the monument....

@reneolthof6811

Жыл бұрын

Waalsdorpervlakte...

@rmyikzelf5604

Жыл бұрын

The ceremony at the Waalsdorpervlakte used to be the national rememberance broadcast in my youth until they changed it to the one in Amsterdam. I still feel that the solemnity and emptiness of the Waalsdorpervlakte is a more fitting setting. Especially because in those dunes, hundreds, if not thousands of people were executed by the Germans during the war. And that single bell tolling.

@skippynoah

Жыл бұрын

Yes, to me there is also only 1 real remembrance, de Waalsdorpervlakte near Wassenaar and The Hague with the impressive sound of the Bourdon bell. As a child I used to watch from our window to check if all the cars would stop and stand still for 2 minutes.

I' m a durch Girl living in another country,but those 2 minutes of silence are there each year! It is Respekt for the people who lost there live. Also for Them who fought for our freedom.

@mariannewesten3638

Жыл бұрын

Dutch girl

@femkevanwageningen6068

11 ай бұрын

I hear a lot of this. So many dutch people who live in other countries all over the world still observe the 2 minutes of silence. Some haven't lives in the Netherlands for decades and don't consider themselves Dutch anymore, but the 2 minutes stand. It moves me so much!❤

@jimreilly917

2 ай бұрын

They didn’t loose their lives…they were killed. Whether Dutch civilians shot, gassed or starved…or Allied soldiers killed to liberate Netherlands.🇺🇸🦅🇱🇺🇬🇧🇫🇷🇵🇱🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

It’s always beautiful to see people try remember things like this. Children are still learning about the war at school. It’s extremely heartbreaking to notice that we have to learn about war because people like to make war. You also can hear the two minutes of silence on every Dutch radiostation because they do stop the music.

Thank you for your respectful covering of this item. My mother was almost ten when the war started and still tells many stories about that difficult time. I was born fifteen years after WW2 and grew up in a total different world. Respect and gratefulness for those who gave us our freedom back.

My mother told me many stories of the war, she lived in Den Haag, During that terrible winter in '45 het father, and many people went to farmers all over the Netherlands, by foot or bike (with wooden weels!) and try to get some food for giving some precious things. And by coming back to the city the German soldiers stole most of the food from them. I tell all those story's to my grandchildren, so we never forget.

I will never forget the story,s from my grandfather 😢. Thank you for your interest in our small nation

That two minutes of silence for me personally isn't only for the dutch people who died during the second Ww, it's for all who gave their lives for freedom. So now it is also for all those people in the Ukraine😢

@JohnT-ii5od

Жыл бұрын

Only the biggest issue... Those who died from WO II till now. THose who died before that don't count, which is idiotic . People who were killed in the 80 year war should be honored too

@dutchman7623

Жыл бұрын

@@JohnT-ii5od The 80-Years War was a very complex war, a war between religions, between classes, between north and south, between east and west, with atrocities committed from all sides. It would be extreme controversial to include those, especially with someone from the family of Orange present, who do not have clean hands...

@s1351-null

Жыл бұрын

"During the National Remembrance on May 4th we remember all, civilians and soldiers, who in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere in this world have perished or have been murdered since the outbreak of the Second World War and during war operations and peace operations since."

@dutchman7623

Жыл бұрын

@@s1351-null Correct! A very clear and clean definition, not more, no less.

@cindyblokker8805

Жыл бұрын

Precies dat

WW2 stuff always gets me choked up. I'm Dutch and my grandparents have been through hell as little kids those years.

My grandparents were teenagers living in Rotterdam when our country was liberated. We will never forget. 💜

sSumbled on this 2 month later, but man this gave me some chills. Every year I remember the 4th of May 2016, 6 months before that I had lost my great grandmother, who worked as a nurse during the war. That year I was traveling with some friends to see a band we all loved in Germany. We held those 2 minutes of silence in Germany, and all I could think about was how cool it could have been to tell my great grandmother that I did that with friends. To remember those who died in the country that once occupied us

I think a,lot of people can tell you terrible stories about WWII in The Netherlands. I have them too. I will as tell you as short a I can. My granddad of my mothers mother's side lived in Groningen so my grandmother did'nt face the Hungerwinter. He was forced to work on the U-boats made in Kiel during WW2 (Arbeitseinzats). He did'nt want to so he hid himself. But sadly he was betrayed. For this reason he was treated bad by the Germans. He was lucky to stay alive during the war but he saw terrible things. He did'nt spoke much about his suffering. But after his death I found out he was send to Neuegamme, a concentratiecamp where many people died of excaustion or just murder (hanging, kicked to death etc.). He only survived because he was considered 'Arian'. He was blond haired with blue eyes. My grandparents on my father's side lived in Utrecht. They suffered a lot during the Hungerwinter. She was so desperate for food that the drove on a bike to Zwolle (over 100 km!) for a bag of potatoes. When she returned she drove into a German checkpoint. They stole the potatoes and also her bike. After all this effort the ended up with nothing to feed her family. 😢 That's why we never, ever forget the sacrifices made by Canadian, Brittish, American a Polish soldiers. (The Polish soldiers liberated the east of our country, the Americans the south part of Limburg and the Canadians the rest. But the Brittish, Americans and Poles took part in Market Garden. Thank you all for this. We are forever grateful! ❤

For 2 minutes a year, all the ones that ever made the highest sacrifice for freedom, are heard, seen, and remembered. To be present in a large crowd that is silent, in this case an entire country, is... something you can only feel when youre here. I would like to describe that feeling, but I cant, being Dutch. I can describe war freedom liberation gratitude life and death, but I cannot describe that feeling. I think maybe its when this entire country stops and listens to its soul...

Yeah very true. My dad's parents were childrin during WW II and my grandma lost her dad to the war. He didn't die in battle, he came back from the war, but he passed away due to his psychological and physical injuries he sustained during the war. My mom's parents almost lived through two wars, WW I and II. They were born right after WW I in the 1920's. It's sad too see that soon there will be non left of that generation too teach the younger generation about what is was really like. That's why, imo, we need too keep on remembering and celebrating, honoring, our freedom our elders fought for. And like you said, we need to record their stories, so we can re-tell them.

On 4 may(may 4th) it's always special to remember those who died for our freedom. When going online and see may the force be with you, always gives a weird touch to it.

I still remember when i was young and my parents watched "bevrijdingsdag" on the television, and i tried to recreate it with playmobile on the floor while they watched it.

A superb reaction!! Thank you.

I don't know if you can see the stories that's been told after the 2 minutes silent,these people tel hart breaking stories!

I am dutch. Last year i went to a concert of andrea bocelli. At 8 everyone stood up and kept quit for 2 minutes. About 25000 people. Very moving moment😥

Living in the Arnhem region this is very touching. Glad to see so much effort is invested in remembering what oppression looks like and (even better) to enjoy the freedoms that we have only regained after the war ended. May 4th is reserved to honor and remember those who've fallen and May 5th is reserved for celebrating our freedom. It was great meeting al the veterans who fought for our freedom when they came around for the Freedom festivals in Wageningen, sadly theyre too old to travel all the way here now. Besides that we also have a period in early september (in this region) where we remember Operation Market Garden, including some marches past the dropzones of the paratroopers. The motto is also pretty apt: Lest we forget

It was my 2nd time last Thursday that I attended the Remembrace service. Just like in 2019 the 2 minutes silence were deafening. Thinkiny about my parents and their family who had experienced the Japanese occupation of Indonesia. There 525,600 minutes in a year. Two minutes of those feel longer.

Yhe 2 minute of silence is very special. Trains stop, theaters show no films. The netherlands is silent for just 2 minutes

My grandparents survived WW2, Rotterdam, severely bombed. We will never forget occupation and liberation. God bless all those men and women who helped liberate us. 💜🌷

So we never forget!!!!!!!😢🙏🏼🧡

my grandma was a kid when the liberation happened and the only thing that she remembered was that she was playing outside and then she came inside to tell her mother to look outside because there were "umbrellas" falling out of the sky... and then she needed to go in to de basement... she only realize what happend a few years later

I don't think there is a Dutch family alive that wasn't effected by the war. That's probably why we keep on remebering...keep on celebrating our freedom. For me, it was my great-grandfather. As kids we were told what happened to him and it made a everlasting impression. My kids were also raised never to take freedom for granted. 2 minutes of silence...not because we have to but because we can!!!! A very strong message❤❤

I was born in 1971 and when you think about it, the war wasnt so long ago, for me that is only 25 years( born on Jan 3 1971). That is not a lot, then you really realize how lucky you are to be born in a free country. My hometown Maasricht was liberated in september 1944. You just said every family has stories from the war and its true eventhough my family didnt really have to fear the Germans but they experienced terrifying things. My grandparents, especially my grandmother, would tell me about her experiences, she and my grandfather were 19 when the war started. I had to ask about it, she didnt talk about it if I didnt ask, very understandable. She died in 2005 and I still want to learn so much more but now I cant ask her anymore. I once asked her if she knew of Jewish ppl who actually survived the war, living in hiding and she did know about one family that actually did survive.

My mother was born in this war in the Netherlands . My father was taken to a camp as a child

9:38 There is a street in The Hague where one of these bombs landed, and you can still see the damage on google street view today. The house that now is where it landed is way newer.

i work at a mcdonalds in the netherlands and this year was the firsth time i had to work during the moment of silence and it was super powerfull for the whole restaurant to be silent no beeps nothing

My grandpa was just a little kid when the war ended, but he remembers. We don't talk about it alot after a scare. He came to my sisters school to talk about it and he completely blacked out. Think of a dementia patiënt having a bad episode. But he didn't have dementia. It never happend before, and more than 10 years later it still has not happend again. He was so confused and scared, when he got back to us he didn't remember the day, the day before or even being asked to talk at the school.

You're right Highly, history is closer by than many think. About the WW2 my mother can and still tells stories. She was born in 1925, so no child anymore during that time. She is still alive and still sharp She has stories about the evacuation and the atrocities she's seen, she hated the Germans She was liberated by Polish soldiers and evacuated by Canadians, in amphibious vehicles, because they found themselves in the middle of the battle of the Scheldt. But she also speaks with compassion of some Germans. F.i. the soldier who saved my grandpa's life by stopping the machine hé was caught in with his arm while making, how dutch, wooden shoes. That soldier was the only one who heard him scream and came to help. There are also stories of very young German soldiers (15 or 16 years) who were very afraid and tried to run away, And the story of a dead German at the side of the road with a picture of his familie still in his hands. War is never only black and white and you need the witnesses to tell the whole story. This comment is, belatedly, under de WW2 remembrance video. But regarding history, my grandmother was born in 1896 and lived to be 97. She had stories about WW1. We were neutral, but living near the border she heard the canons and saw the refugees. She also lost good friends at the electric death wire along the border. Where now white flowers grow. But I, who live now, heard these stories of >100 years ago from someone who lived then. History is alive. Sorry for the long story, but I deemed this important.

I was at the ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the battle of Arnhem a few years ago. This was a setback for the allied forces but a disaster for all of the Dutch people living north of the great rivers. But they don't blame the allies for the hardships they suffered during the following winter. In stead they are full of admiration and gratitude for them, and this persists to this day.

My father is born in 1941 my mom late in 1944 and late in the war as just a smal child my father helped the resistans with little bits of food cause he was a small kid and one of the little who can,he died a view years ago but i now his stories as a little kid so i remember every year who has died in whatever war!!

My mum and dad both were kids in the war, al the story;s were told (lots of scary ones) and we there kids telling them to our kids and keep the momentum going, to show respect to those who made sure you can live free and happy in our country. They are going to tell the storys to their kids and that is how it should be. Never ever needs to be forgotten the sacrefice many of those made to give us freedom.

my gran died last december, 96, from the hague too, never had a conversation about the war with her.

Leading up to May 4th, schools and media will make sure we're all aware it's coming. So this year, when I realised I would be driving my kids somewhere at 20:00, I set an alarm on my phone, and as soon as it went off, everyone in the car was silent, thinking about all the innocent people who died in wars, and all those who died fighting for freedom. This isn't just something we think of only on May 4th. We start hearing and talking about it weeks before. It's an important part of history classes in the Netherlands, usually starting in April or even March, every year. We first learn about this in primary school, and it doesn't stop once you get into secondary school. It does take a while before most kids learn that it wasn't just Jews that were being targeted by the Nazis, and I think even many adults still don't realise that POC, Roma, and disabled people were also among the many people put into concentration camps. A lot of people don't even realise that anti-trans rhetoric was one of the first ways the Nazis were able to take away people's rights, with any research on gender, sex, and sexuality being destroyed. No wonder current Nazis love TERFs so much, and why so many TERFs are becoming more and more extreme in their views, often using antisemetic, racist, and sexist phrasing, slurs, or dogwhistles. We need to keep remembering what happened in the past, and realise that it's starting to repeat itself.

My father eas born before the war, and told me what happened and my grandfather had people underground with my grandmother and my mother new that she can't tell wel those people , sp thanks higly for your reaction and woords ❣️

Remembers day is not only for the fallen in ww2 but for every fallen tru out history. And not just the dutch are remembered. On thev4th of May, I personally feel so much conflicted emotions of joy sadness and humbleness at the same time. The 5th of May is easyer to celebrate, for a day you not only celebrate the freedom of today but you learn a little to maintain freedom because freedom doesn't Com free.

My great-grandfather made and hid radios(parts) in and around his house in hidden compartments en buried in the yard. He would listen to Radio Oranje and would write down the news. He would then use my grandmother and her other siblings to spread the news around in the village. The small children weren't that heavily controlled so they could smuggle pieces of paper around in their clothes. My great-grandmother also had a (secret) smaller soup kitchen with a lot of cheese and other stuff she made and shared. People came all the way from Amsterdam to get it.

Wij Nederlanders respecteren onze vrijheid.wij herdenken de gesneuvelde soldaten.nederlanders,Polen,Amerikanen,Canadezen enzo.respect

This is very important to us, I am 60 years old, so I cannot remember WWII, but my parents and grandparents did and I heard lots of their stories. The 2 minutes silence all over the country means a lot. Thanks a lot to all the people who helped to liberate us, deep respect.

It's wonderful to read so many stories about the war, memories of familymembers. This is what keeps the memories alive and makes us never forget! My grandpa never talked much about the war, he was a farmer and also a member of the resistance. But because he lived close (150mtr) to a railroad, his farm was bombed twice during the war and a in this video is said, the soundnof the V1's and later V2's was always a terrifying thing to listen to. So many launches failed.. I live within a few 100mtr of an old v1 installation (aimed at Antwerpen, Belgium), so i take my kids to it and tell them my grandpa's stories. But 2 mins after we always play hide and seek in the forrest and life in freedom goes on!

i'm always surprised to hear how stuff like this isn't treated 'bigger' in other countries. ever since i could talk and comprehend what my parents told me they've told me that i need to keep quiet for 2 minutes that day, and when i was like 12 or 13 i went to camp westerbork with my school just to see how it was there. reading and hearing about stuff what happened there is one thing, but being there, knowing what happened in the exact place you're standing is horrifying. proud to be free

We live in the north east where it's less city and more farmland, my grandmother tells tales how people from Amsterdam fled here to find food.

I love how respectfull you are! Iam dutch, 59..and was very happy that I could thank the American, Canadian, Polisch man and women who gave us the freedom. That was on rememberday in Arnhem, 3 years ago.

My moms side of the family had war stories. * my grandpa hide in the country side for a while cause the germans made the young men work in Germany. Grandpa didn't want to help the en*my. Eventually grandpa had to work in a cookie factory. His way of saying FU was stealing cookies from work.😂 My granddads mother however was a tough woman. She lost her husband young to the Spanish flu and was left behind raising a lot of kids alone. But she managed. During the war there was a siren going off that planes were ahead. She draged all her kids underneath the staircase. It was a hit...only the staircase was still standing, great grandma's quick thinking saved them all. Good for her. 💪👏😃 In the village I live in, a Canadian plane was shot down (we have a memorial for them). And the underground movement was caught and they were all sh*t in the middle of the street. The place they died is also a memorial for these heroes now. They gave their lives for our freedom. So many local stories. The war is still alive in even the smallest of villages. From the horrors and deaths and what it meant to live in an occupied country. To cool stories of resistance, hiding allied soldiers etc. There are so many dutch movies/books about the war as well. They are really trying to make the world FEEL how fragile and precious freedom truly is.

my mother was randomly arrested on the street of Utrecht and brought to a industrial washing service, she had to wash stuff for German soldiers and was returned in the evening. In the (hunger) winter of 1945, she and her sister (both around 18 years old), traveled 200 kilometers by old bycicles in the snow, without food and clothing, to the North of The Netherlands where hopefully family would take to them in. On their journey they were shot by 2 German air fighters, by jumping in a ditch, they managed to stay unharmed. My father ran a small workshop in Utrecht. A German army car had broke down and commanded assistance. Father fixed the car but swapped the almost new battery with a shabby one that would start the car few times. Dangerous action, you could be shot for that. But the Germans were retreating at the time..

For me it is long ago, because I was born in the week, WW2 in Europe stopped and I'm old; soon 79 :) Still my life has been saved by the Canadian army, because I got a strong bronchitis and the Canadians helped my doctor with his first penicillin.

My grandma was a teen in the war. She never spoke about it, so we don't really know that much about her experiences from back then, but we do know there were Jewish people hiding in their house. She also had a pair of German officers stationed in her house. My mum is thinking about asking my uncles, mum's brothers, if they know anything about grandma's time in the war, but we don't think they do. She used to talk a lot, but never about the war.

I remember the stories my parents told me. They were 8 and 10 respectively when the war began. My dad ate tulip bulbs, but he and his brothers also stole small wooden blocks that were used to keep tramrails in place, just so they had something to burn and keep warm. My mom told the story about coming home after an airraid and finding the facade of the house she lived in was gone. Hearing those stories really brought home to me what they'd gone through.

love exploring the foreigns content, very high production values

@exploringtheforeign

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

i am from utrecht,netherlands. and i have much respect for you, to show the world on youtube how we celebrate our freedom and grief for the fallen. thank you for that ❤ its not only ww2 we remember, but all wars, and all the fallen. amsterdam is not the only war monument we have. but its the one where our king will lay a floral wreath and remember the ones that arrent with us anymore. this will be seen on tv. nearby my home there is a war monument and my son is a scout and also did a silence walk with his scouting group and a honorary guard, before they put down a floral wreath. this event will take arround an hour. but in the whole country it will be silence for two minutes as the clock hits 20.00 hours. even ubers, taxi's, public transport and delivery services will stop driving if they can.

My grandma was bombed during World War II. Whenever I am in Rotterdam I try to visit Stad zonder hart. It always makes me tear up

The tolling of the bell happens across our entire nation on may fourth at 8 PM; that is the dutch memorial bell for all fallen soldiers and the bell has a story all by itself on each cemetary; much like the us fourth of july bell. For me that bell represents my murderd uncles in the japanese burma railway camp; wich is a video reaction all by itself as they gave their life for freedom, due to decolonialisation of dutch indonesia it costed them their home and country as well. That is my extra layer on the ww2 memorial as dutch indonesian; we have our own memorial august 15th; these days with nato excercises and extremism on the rise evrywhere it should serve as a reminder; no freedom is ever guaranteed. No opression should remain unanswered when human rights and lives are at risk. Thank you for your kind reaction without judgement; warms my heart as dutch native who still pays tribute to that allaiance.

@joyfulldj

3 ай бұрын

This is why it is so important you learn about EU's values; our entire shared history goes back that long; its not about left right or whatever phrase you put on politics; but about right or wrong and free or oporessed. No man woman or child should feel that fear. And yet 80 years later, here we are; entering nato's biggest excersize; yes nato atribution cost a lot of money; but your freedom is not for free; count your blessings in the usa that the worst was not in your country; I would not wish that fear on anyone; not even on my worst enemy. This is why voting matters; people payed for that right; with their blood; still do in Ukraine. Don't ever take that freedom for granted. Bc if it is taken away once you will know how precious it was.

I actually won a prize at school interviewing my grandmother when I was 12 years old, and writing her story down. Her family was brave and hid two Jewish siblings in the attic. She was traumatized by the sound of the boots of German soldiers in the streets, terrified of what they would do. People were starving. And those were some of the first years of her life. When you hear something like that as a 12 year old girl it teaches you to respect your elders for life.

Never underestimate how much a dutch person loves red cabbage

You should see the Nationale herdenking on the Waalsdorpervlakte , it is very impressive !

My father was almost killed WWII. By bomm explosie hé was seven years old. I RESPECT this Day very much.

Thank you fore showing the Dutch 4th of may ❤🙏 on your channel (3 tour veteran )

Hello from the Netherlands. thanks for the video Highly . Sincerely Hollandduck

nice, tnx for the recommendation comment to watch this. i live here but hold my 2 min to also thank my nan and grandad for there part in helping and what it means to have this freedom. and as to what you said never had your freedoms stripped away, well think of it this way your grandparents at the time or those before in the civil war i think it was the north vs the south? im sure people fought in that war for what they wanted. but either way loads for thanks for watching this.

The fighters and resistance heroes from that time (the second world war) are fewer and fewer. People grow old and die. That's why I think its increasingly important that these two days (04 & 05 May) are honored. Freedom is (unfortunately) not self-evident, we all have to contribute to this. I am very grateful to our grandparents for not giving up and fighting for us. If the Nazis had won, I wouldn't have lived. Not only because I might not have been born, but also because of my handicap. In a modern and free country like the Netherlands, I can live my life the way I want. Freedom is to be who you want to be. Freedom is also to respect each other, give each other space. Freedom is saying what you think, but with respect for each other and the rules that apply. Freedom is the most precious thing there is!

My grandfather was 97 when he past away, he was born in 1909 he remembered the WWI, when the country was full with Belgium refugees, and he fought in WWII as a conscript soldier near de Grebbeberg.

Thank you so much for this video. I was watching you on the Andre van Duin and Wendy van Dijk podcasts. To me this video came as a shock. My parents left The Netherlands with 4 children after the war. They went to Australia were they had 5 more children...I am nr. 8. My father died when I was 7 years old and my mum went back to the Netherlands with the children. My Mum Never spoke about the war with us...Ever...I studied history on the war and it was very common in lots of families to not talk about it. I am 65 years old now and I am still wondering why. Thanks for bringing this to my attention again. I am going to try to get some awnsers. I asked you before... what is your connection with the Netherlands? Greetings from Lizzy from Australia 🦘.

@HighlyCombustibleReacts

2 ай бұрын

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for your comment and story. Appreciate it. My connections with the Netherlands is, is my following. I have a huge fanbase/subscribers who are from the Netherlands and of course they request a lot of dutch things 😂

We sat at the dinner table during christmas with whole family including grandma. We, the kids, where having fun and made some dark jokes about the war. (Its how we Dutch sometimes cope with horrible subjects.) Grandma heard the jokes and as she started telling her story, the table went silent. She was about 10 at the time and lived in Amsterdam. She told us how she woke up in the middle of the night to the screams of the families that were been removed from there homes to be deported. The next day she went to school to find her best friend missing. She never saw her again. I still think about that little girl. Grandma wasnt angry or offended by the jokes. She just wanted to remind us what it had cost to give us this freedom. To be able speak your mind, make jokes, to be yourself, without fear of being hurt or much worse. I will tell my children this story one day and make sure they to rember the victims and the soldiers. We still stand on there shoulders till this very day. And we will remember that, and we will honor them!

I always had to go with my grandma (Oma) to Kamp Vught for Remembrance Day, and every time at the 5th of May I’m quite for 2 minutes. Too understand what freedom is because a lot of people still don’t live that way and I think people miss that nowadays. The day I’ve kids I willl also go to those place, so I can also tell the story of my Grandma en Grandpa they had to suffer so it’s important to tell te story further

Thats why i stay silent 2 minutes!! my generation, where my grandpa was in the war,we didnt live it and we can never know how it was! So pay your respect! I ask my father many questions about my grandpa in the war, my father is still alive to ask! I think its very important too ask! I know learned he escaped from a plain factory in Germany and hide in a field behind my great grandmothers house! The house is still there, at my birthplace! So glad i know these stories now!

@jelniemeijer4921

2 ай бұрын

Sorry for the mistakes in the text, autocorrection is on Dutch. I meant plane factory.

Bedankt

I'll tell you a story of my family. A german walked in to inspect our house. And he said I really don't wanna do this. He offered his sandwich to my uncles and aunts. They were little kids and hungry. And they said. I don't want your stinkin' sandwich. My Grandma was terrified. But the german soldier said. I understand.

@brozius

Жыл бұрын

There were a lot of German soldiers that defected, especially Germans that lived near the Dutch border, they didn't want anything to do with the nazi's.

Former Chief of Staff of the Dutch army, general Peter van Uhm, held a very beautiful and powerful five minute speech during the memorial service on May 4th 2013. You should really watch that speech!

during the hunger winter people even ate cats. they euphemistically called them 'roof hares'

One of my hrandfathers was part of the rexistence,he’s My Hero,& Not only for al his Hard work DURING the war,but also for many tgings he’s done After the war,in his life!

Via our local Marketplace Marktplaats i met some people back in march '22. They were asking for help for a family member who has fled Kharkiv. I gave away some of my tube radio's and parts because the man had this as hobby too. I wanted to build a friendship because of our common hobby. The people told me the man fled with his granddoughters and drove 16 hours to the Netherlands. He only brought a small set of screwdrivers with him out of his hobby/working space. He was in total panic. I misjudged it by thinking you are safe here now. But now, because of that misjudgement, i did some small but good things to make the world a better place. If you are reading this and agree with me, like this video and spread the word that we as normal humans are against everything wrong happening to people in the world at this very moment.

My mother, now 96, lived through the war, barely escaped death at one time where she almost got shot of her bike. My father lost his only two brothers in the war. My grandparents hid a lot of Jews on their farms, including Ed van Thijn, who later became a mayor of Amsterdam, I kid you not. I was born much later in 1964. But everytime when "the war" comes up like these days in May, it gets to me. Maybe I carry part of it in my genes, the horrific experiences of my parents.

we as Dutchies feel the utmost respect for the ones that gave their ultimate sacrifice: they died so we can live in freedom today. Often young men and women, shipped to another part in the world, and fighting to bring liberation for people you do not know. As I grew older I realized more and more, that the victims of these wars, allover the world, are true HEROS.

Hey Paul... ...i will send you the freedom pin visible in the video. Keep an eye on your mailbox.

@HighlyCombustibleReacts

3 ай бұрын

That is awesome! Thanks so much in advance. I'll keep an eye on the mailbox 100%. Truly appreciate it!

I am Dutch and my grandma once told me that when her city got liberated, her dad carried her to the place where they celebrated the incoming British soldiers on tanks. He carried her through bombed streets. Told her to close her eyes so she wouldn't see the bodies on the streets, there had been much fighting going on. She got a piece of chocolate from a soldier in a tank and remembered it until she passed away a couple of years ago. ❤ The stories she told me were so heartbreaking. Grandma told me about the sound of bombs being dropped made her scared so much. They would run to the basement when they heard the sounds. Those stories are so terrible. But need to be remembered. My neighbour (88 years old) still needs sleeping medication due to WWII to be able to sleep properly. 😥

My mother was born in 1939, but she still remembers a lot from the years 1940-44 (liberated in October 1944). The aircraft dogfighting in the air, school occupied by Germans (she went to school at age 3), train station being bombed, the dark helmets of the soldiers and Germans looking for radio's. That typical sound of the V-1, like 'a T-Ford climbing on a mountain'. Lest never forget.