Heroism and Tragedy in the Dutch Resistance

This is a personal memoir of the life and work of the Dutch journalist and Resistance hero Henry Scharrer (1900-1944), who was betrayed to the Germans in 1944 and executed. As she covers Scharrer’s life, the author, his daughter-in-law, also offers the reader an informal look at the work of the Dutch Resistance, a movement compromised by double agents.

Working with other resistance fighters, Scharrer, helped more than two-dozen downed Allied airmen to escape capture by the Germans, and engaged in other activities in collaboration with Britain’s SOE (Special Operations Executive). As Scharrer’s story unfolds, we get a lot of family lore, insights about life and love in the Resistance, and some impressive tales of daring, notably in Sharrer’s effort to smuggle the downed American airman Frank Hart out of the Netherlands. It is also, of course, a story of betrayal, torture, and death.

Those looking for a definitive history of the Dutch Resistance will not find it here, as that tale has yet to be told. What the reader will find in The Dutch Resistance Revealed is the story of brave men an women doing their bit to overthrow a monstrous tyranny.