World War II and Death
After the Dutch defeat in the Battle of the Netherlands in 1940, he published an essay entitled “On the Border of Two Worlds” (Op de grens van twee werelden), in which he called for accepting German leadership in Europe. his was immediately after the Royal House had fled to England, leaving him behind. His view was influenced by the tremendous show of force the German blitzkrieg had shown and the relative weakness of the Allied forces. Soon thereafter, he tried to organize political resistance but was arrested in June 1941 and taken to Berlin for interrogation. The Germans tried to have him confess that he had conspired with the British to invade the Netherlands to serve as an excuse for the German invasion . Late in the war after the tide had turned against the Germans, According to Colijn (grandson of Hendrikus), during a visit by Hendrik in June 1943, reported that Himmler wanted to keep Colijn available as a possible intermediary with the British as he had done earlier for Wilhelm II The very fact that the Gestapo allowed the visit in Ilmenau suggests that Himmler was already making contingency plans in case of a German loss.
In March 1943, Colijn was put under house arrest in a remote mountain hotel in Ilmenau (Thuringen), Germany, where he died on 18 September 1944.
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Colijn, Hendrikus |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Dutch politician |
| Date of birth | 22 June 1869 |
| Place of birth | Burgerveen, Netherlands |
| Date of death | 18 September 1944 |
| Place of death | Ilmenau, Germany |
Read more about this topic: Hendrikus Colijn
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