Truus and Freddie Oversteegen: Teenage Dutch Girls Who Killed Nazis in WW2

Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, teenage Dutch resistance fighters, became some of the most remarkable anti-Nazi operatives in the Netherlands during World War II. In May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands, bringing occupation, repression, and the systematic persecution of Jews. As deportations to camps like Auschwitz, Sobibor, and Mauthausen began, a resistance movement slowly emerged. Among its most remarkable members were two teenage sisters from Haarlem: Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. Raised in a politically conscious household that sheltered Jewish refugees, Truus and Freddie joined the Dutch resistance at an astonishingly young age. Truus was just 16, and Freddie only 14, when they began distributing illegal newspapers, transporting weapons, sabotaging German infrastructure, and helping Jews, children, and other targeted groups go into hiding. Their youth and appearance allowed them to move through occupied territory with less suspicion, making them invaluable to the underground. As Nazi terror intensified, the sisters were drawn into direct action. Alongside fellow resistance fighter Hannie Schaft, they took part in targeted assassinations of German officers and collaborators responsible for arrests and deportations. Using deception and courage, they lured perpetrators into isolated areas where resistance members carried out executions. Despite their actions, the sisters refused to harm children, even when ordered to do so, drawing a clear moral line in their fight against fascism. The occupation of the Netherlands claimed over 100,000 Jewish lives. Resistance came at a brutal cost: Hannie Schaft was captured, tortured, and executed in April 1945, just weeks before liberation. Truus and Freddie survived the war and later dedicated their lives to education, remembrance, and warning future generations about antisemitism, extremism, and indifference. Today, the story of Truus and Freddie Oversteegen stands as one of the most powerful examples of female resistance in World War II — a reminder that even in the darkest times, courage, conscience, and humanity can endure.This episode is part of the series The Anti-Fascist Heroes.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv