# 1944 in the Netherlands

Events in the year 1944 in the Netherlands.

## Incumbents

* Monarch: Wilhelmina
* Prime Minister: Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy

## Events

The Dutch famine of 1944–45 began late in the year.

### June

* 10 June: Anton Mussert reveals that he has become a volunteer for the Wehrmacht.

### July

* 30 July: Start of the Deppner executions [nl].

### August

* 2 Aug: Gerbrandy and Van Heuven Goedhart sign the documents for the establishment of the College of Trusted Men [nl] (Dutch: College van Vertrouwensmannen)
** 24 Aug: First meeting of the College of Trusted Men
* 25 Aug: J.A. van Bijnen becomes the National Sabotage Commander of the Knokploegen [nl] (Knokploegen were Dutch resistance fighting squads)
* 28 Aug: First new airdrop of weapons and sabotage materials for Dutch underground groups
* 30 Aug: Hitler orders the improvement and extension of the Siegfried Line

### September

* 2 Sep: The mass exodus of NSB members from South Limburg begins
* 3 Sep:
** Brussels liberated
** Prince Bernhard appointed Commander of the Dutch Armed Forces.
** Queen Wilhelmina, via Radio Oranje, informs the population in occupied territory that 'liberation is imminent'
** Commencement of the organized departure of German citizens from the Netherlands
* 3 to 4 Sep: Start of systematic railway sabotage by the Landelijke Knokploegen [nl]
* 4 Sep:
** Antwerp liberated
** Hitler orders the stubborn defense of West Zealand-Flanders and Walcheren
** Seyss-Inquart declares the state of exception, Rauter orders everyone to be indoors by 8 pm
** The queen agrees to Colonel Kruis being appointed Chief of Staff of Military Authority
** Mussert decides to evacuate NSB members from the western and central regions to the east
** The Government Information Service disseminates the incorrect information that Breda has been liberated
* 5 Sep:
** The mass exodus of NSB members begins
** The Dutch Labor Service [nl] empties
** Dolle Dinsdag; the population behaves as if the occupier has already been expelled
** First major transport of prisoners from the concentration camp Vught to Germany
* 6 Sep:
** Prince Bernhard establishes himself on the continent
** Second major transport of prisoners from Vught
* 7 Sep: Formation of an illegal Top Triangle in Amsterdam
* 8 Sep:
** First two V-2 rockets launched at London
** Commencement of the evacuation of the German Fifteenth Army across the Western Scheldt
* 10 Sep: The British Second Army crosses the Bocholt–Herentals Canal at Beeringen
* 11 Sep: Schöngarth, Commander of the Security Police and SD, issues the so-called Niedermachungsbefehl (orders to shoot resistance members on sight )
* 12 Sep: Major General Kruis issues a First General Directive with guidelines for the arrest of 'wrongful' elements
* 14 Sep:
** Montgomery issues his directive for Operation Market Garden
** Liberation of Maastricht
** The first attempt by the Canadians to enter West Zeelandic Flanders is repelled
** Establishment of the Militair Gezag (Military authority)
* 15 or 16 Sep: Hitler orders the utmost fanaticism in the defense of German territory
* 16 Sep: The illegal 'Delta Center' begins operating in Amsterdam
* 17 to 20 September – Battle of Nijmegen
* 17 to 26 September – Battle of Arnhem
* 17 Sep:
** The British Second Army launches the offensive from Beeringen
** Large Allied airborne landings in North Brabant, in the Reich of Nijmegen, and near Arnhem
** The Dutch government orders a general railway strike
** The Reichskommissariat is relocated to Delden
* 18 Sep: Liberation of Eindhoven
* 20 Sep:
** Entire East Zeelandic Flanders liberated
** Conquest of the Waal bridges near Nijmegen
** The British Airborne forces have to abandon the Rhine bridge at Arnhem
* 21 Sep: Beginning of the German destruction of the port facilities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam
* 22 Sep: Major van Houten grants arrest authority to the Interior Armed Forces Shock Troops
* 24 Sep: The queen, bypassing the ministers, sends a telegram requesting the Great Advisory Commission of Illegality to be prepared to send a delegation to her
* 25 Sep:
** The Airborne forces leave the 'perimeter' at Oosterbeek in the night to the 26th
** Commencement of the evacuation of Arnhem

### October

* 3 Oct: The RAF breaches the Westkappelse Zeedijk [nl]. In Eindhoven, the radio station 'Herrijzend Nederland' begins its broadcasts.
* 3 October to 8 November – Battle of the Scheldt
* 4 Oct: Important note from the queen: the second Gerbrandy cabinet must disappear.
* 6 Oct: The Canadian First Army launches a major offensive against the Germans in West Zeelandic Flanders.
* 10 Oct: The first company of the Shock Troops departs for the front.
* 16 Oct: Montgomery grants absolute priority to operations for clearing the Wester-Schelde. In Eindhoven, the 'Bond Nederland' is founded (soon renamed 'Gemeenschap Oud-Illegale Werkers Nederland').
* 18 Oct: Second General Directive from General Kruis.
* 24 Oct: Start of the Canadian attack on the Kreekrak Dam.
* 25 Oct: Commencement of the liberation of Den Bosch.
* 27 Oct: Liberation of Tilburg.
* 29 Oct: Liberation of Breda.

### November

* 1 Nov: Allied landings at Vlissingen and at Westkapelle.
* 2 Nov: German resistance in and around West Zeeland-Flanders is broken.
* 6 Nov: Liberation of Middelburg.
* 8 Nov: An American division, part of the Canadian First Army, reaches Moerdijk.
* 12 Nov: Assertive letter from General Kruis to prevent the arrival of ministerial 'quartermasters.'
* 15 Nov: Kruis officially establishes a Temporary Committee of General Commissioners for agriculture, trade, and industry.
* 21 Nov: 'Hunger demonstration' in Eindhoven.
* 25 Nov: The ministerial 'quartermasters' establish themselves in Oisterwijk. Disturbances in the center of Brussels.
* 27 to 30 November – Battle of Broekhuizen
* 28 Nov: The first Allied convoy reaches the port of Antwerp.

### December

* 2 Dec: The Wehrmacht floods a large part of the Betuwe.
* 3 Dec: In Middle Limburg, the Wehrmacht is pushed east of the Meuse.
* 6 Dec: Meeting of Kruis in Eindhoven with top figures of the resistance in the liberated South to establish guidelines for the arrest of 'wrongful' elements.
* 14 Dec: Kruis issues new arrest guidelines.
* 21 Dec: The bishops of Den Bosch and Breda call on Catholics to remain loyal to their own organizations.
* c. 31 Dec: Incorrectly believing itself to have great influence in the liberated southern Netherlands, the Communist Party of the Netherlands rebrands as the "Communistische Partij Bevrijd Gebied" (Communist Party Liberated Area).

## Births

* 2 January – Willy Dobbe, television presenter and announcer
* 23 January – Rutger Hauer, actor, writer and environmentalist (d. 2019)
* 20 February – Willem van Hanegem, football player and coach
* 16 March – Pieter de Zwart, sailor.
* 1 April – Theo Hiddema, lawyer, media personality and politician
* 5 April – Willeke van Ammelrooy, actress and director
* 26 April – Huib Ruijgrok, footballer
* 20 May – Boudewijn de Groot, singer-songwriter
* 24 May – Heleen Sancisi-Weerdenburg, ancient historian (d. 2000)
* 10 June – Eegje Schoo, politician and diplomat
* 15 July – Klaas de Vries, composer
* 27 July – Philip Freriks, journalist, columnist and television presenter
* 3 August – Willem H. Vanderburg, engineer
* 11 August – Bean van Limbeek, sport shooter (d. 2014).
* 30 August – Freek de Jonge, cabaret performer and writer
* 13 September – Gerrit Jan van Ingen Schenau, biomechanist (d. 1998)
* 23 September – Jan Dijkema, politician, sociologist and sports director
* 15 October – Vilma Henkelman, sculptor, ceramist, and photographer
* 29 October – Robbie van Leeuwen, musician
* 5 December – Jeroen Krabbé, actor and film director
* 16 December – Roeland Nolte, chemist (d. 2024)

### Full date missing

* Max Bolleman, jazz drummer, audio engineer and record producer
* Kommer Damen, businessman
* Tim Griek, musician and producer (d. 1988)
* Sytse Strijbos, academic
* Tjebbe van Tijen, sculptor, performance artist, curator, net artist, archivist, and media theorist

## Deaths

* 1 February – Piet Mondrian, painter and theoretician (b. 1872)
* 2 February – Tjapko van Bergen, rower and SS Rottenführer (b. 1903).
* 8 February – Joop Kolkman, journalist and diplomat (b. 1896)
* 20 February – Albert Heijnneman, sprinter (b. 1896).
* 29 February – Abraham Mok, gymnast (b. 1888).
* 6 March – Eva and Abraham Beem, Jewish siblings and victims of the Holocaust (b. 1932 and 1934)
* 6 March – Simon Okker, fencer (b. 1881).
* 9 March – Casper ten Boom, helped many Jews and resisters escape the Nazis during the Holocaust of World War II (b. 1859)
* 6 April – W. F. Gisolf, geologist (b. 1884)
* 13 April – Friedrich Gutmann, banker and art collector (b. 1886)
* 30 May – Marinus Adrianus Koekkoek the Younger, painter (b. 1873)
* 10 June – Willem Jacob van Stockum, mathematician (b. 1910)
* 10 June – Gerrit van der Veen, sculptor (b. 1902)
* 18 July – Wim Anderiesen, footballer (b. 1903)
* 31 July – Settela Steinbach, holocaust victim (b. 1934)
* 4 August – Hans Mossel, clarinetist and saxophonist (b. 1905)
* 7 August – Johannes Scheuter, sport shooter (b. 1880).
* 11 August – Joop Westerweel, schoolteacher and World War II resistance leader (b. 1899)
* 18 August – Dirk Boonstra, resistance membe (b. 1920)
* 2 September – Hendrikus Albertus Lorentz, explorer and diplomat (b. 1871)
* 3 September – Ernst de Jonge, lawyer, Olympic rower and member of the Dutch resistance (b. 1914).
* 6 September – Lion van Minden, fencer (b. 1880).
* 8 September – Jan van Gilse, composer and conductor (b. 1881)
* 9 September – Dirk Boonstra, police commander (b. 1893)
* 15 September – Walter Middelberg, rower (b. 1875).
* 19 September – Jan van Hoof, resistance member (b. 1922)
* 4 October – Maurits van Löben Sels, fencer (b. 1876).
* 7 October – Jacobus Kann, banker (b. 1872)
* 18 October – Juda Lion Palache, linguist (b. 1886)
* 21 October – Adri Bleuland van Oordt, artist and draftswoman (b. 1862)
* 5 November – Willy Dols, linguist (b. 1911)
* 6 December – Boy Ecury, resistance member (b. 1922)
* 16 December – Betsie ten Boom, resistance member (b. 1885)
* 18 December – M. H. J. Schoenmaekers, mathematician (b. 1875)
* 28 December – Tjeerd Pasma, modern pentathlete (b. 1904).