Hannie Schaft: The Red-Haired Dutch Resistance Hero Who Hunted Nazis

Hannie Schaft, remembered as "the girl with the red hair," was one of the most courageous and feared fighters of the Dutch resistance during the Second World War, carrying out sabotage missions and assassinations against Nazi officers and collaborators.Born in Haarlem in 1920, she grew up in a politically engaged family that instilled in her a deep sense of justice and a fierce opposition to fascism. When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, Hannie watched her Jewish classmates lose their rights, their freedom, and eventually their lives. This injustice pushed her from student activism into the heart of the underground movement.Hannie joined the Council of Resistance and soon met Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, forming one of the most iconic female resistance units of the Second World War. Together, they carried out sabotage missions, rescued Jewish children, stole identification papers, and assassinated Nazi officers and Dutch collaborators. Hannie, fluent in German, used her intelligence and composure to get close to her targets. She once told her comrades, “I’ll die clean and beautiful,” before heading out on missions. Her actions infuriated the German occupation authorities, and Adolf Hitler personally ordered her capture.After years of eluding the Gestapo, Hannie was arrested in March 1945 with a pistol and resistance newspapers in her possession. When guards forced her to wash her dyed hair, they realized they had finally caught the woman they had hunted for more than two years. Despite an agreement to halt executions near the end of the war, Nazis murdered Hannie Schaft on 17 April 1945—just three weeks before the liberation of the Netherlands.Today, Hannie Schaft remains a national symbol of courage, defiance, and sacrifice. Her story stands as a reminder that resistance to tyranny often begins with a single individual who refuses to look away.This episode is part of the series The Anti-Fascist Heroes.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv