Bidspirit auction | Six important publications issued in

Six important publications issued in the Netherlands shortly before the end of World War II - Six rare publications issued in the Netherlands shortly before the Nazi defeat and the end of World War II. Rare news report in Dutch, describing the unification of American and Soviet forces at Torgau, Germany, near the end of World War II (April 1945). Includes live reports from the European fronts, information on Göring’s capture, Mussolini’s arrest, and the advancing liberation of the Netherlands. An authentic document from the final days of the Third Reich. Typewritten report, printed on both sides of a single leaf, detailing key events that occurred as the battles in Europe came to a close—just days before Hitler’s suicide (April 30) and Germany’s surrender (May 8). Reports on the joining of Allied forces: Stalin, Churchill, and Truman officially announced that Soviet (eastern) and American (western) troops had met in the town of Torgau in Germany. Stalin declared: “Our forces now stand shoulder to shoulder with Allied troops in our joint struggle until the mission is complete.” Truman added that the peoples of the world, despite language and distance, can cooperate in building global peace. Additional details include: Russian capture of cities and military installations near Berlin: Potsdam, Neukölln, Tempelhof, Wittenberg. The Netherlands: report on Allied progress near Delfzijl in the northeast. Final German resistance by SS and Wehrmacht divisions in Holland still ongoing. Hermann Göring surrendered aboard a plane to the Allies. Mussolini and Graziani captured by Italian partisans. Philippe Pétain, head of the Vichy regime, was sent to the France–Switzerland border. General Dittmar, Germany’s military spokesman, captured by American forces.  Official Dutch news update from April 1945, reporting on Heinrich Himmler’s attempt to offer an unconditional surrender to Britain and the United States alone, an offer that was firmly rejected by the Allied powers. This is an authentic typewritten eyewitness report from the final hours of the Third Reich, as broadcast by Radio Herrijzend Nederland (”Rising Netherlands Radio”). The report states: “According to a special broadcast by Radio Herrijzend Nederland at 2:15 AM: Official sources in San Francisco have confirmed that Himmler transmitted a message to Britain and the United States stating that Germany was ready for unconditional surrender. According to Reuters, the message was passed on to the governments of the three powers (Stettinius – USA, Eden – UK, Molotov – USSR). The British and American response was unequivocal: the Allied leaders view this as an attempt by the Nazi Reich to split the unity of the 'Big Three.' ‘We accept only unconditional surrender to all Allied nations.’” This report describes an event taking place in the final days of April 1945, just days before Hitler’s suicide (April 30) and Germany’s official surrender (May 8). Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, attempted to negotiate a separate peace with the Western Allies, excluding Stalin—in a last-ditch effort to save himself and what remained of Nazi Germany. The move was categorically rejected, and the Dutch public was informed of it in real time through national radio broadcasts.  De Schatjes van den Duitschen Soldaat – “The Sweetheart of the German Soldier” – an anti-German satirical song written in Flemish (Belgian Dutch) during or shortly after the German occupation of Belgium in World War II, criticizing Belgian women who collaborated with the German enemy. ”Verboden nadruk – Kuypers-Loos” – underground printing. ”Hitler met zijn bende” – “Hitler with His Gang” – an anti-Nazi song expressing bitter delight over Hitler’s and his army’s defeat: “The Allies are attacking the Führer’s land... and we find it amusing. They fire at him and destroy the Siegfried Line, crushing it to the bone... The Führer ruled over Europe for four years, but then the English came and joined the Americans. Now it’s about to end, they fired at him with cannons and machine guns, and have almost driven him out. The Nazis looted and burned homes, and destroyed human lives…”. The song was written toward the end of World War II (1944–1945), when the Allies, Britain, the U.S., France, the Soviet Union, and others, were advancing deep into Europe and beginning to liberate occupied countries, including the Netherlands. Nederland's Volksherstel (Reconstruction of the Dutch People), a publication issued at the end of the war with the primary goal of aiding the reconstruction of the Netherlands after World War II and supporting the civilian population affected by the Nazi occupation. Voorwoord – Foreword by Government Commissioner E. E. Menten, describing the devastation that struck the Netherlands after five years of war: cities destroyed, homes looted, loved ones murdered or deported. He calls on the nation to begin rebuilding from the ruins, stating that many have lost their strength, but not their courage.