April-May strikes

On 29 April 1943, the employees of the Stork machine factory in Hengelo went on strike. The strike quickly spread to other parts of the Twente region and one day later to other parts of the Netherlands.

The wave of strikes was a reaction to the Nazis’ decision to take the Dutch soldiers prisoner again. One month after the German invasion in May 1940, the captured Dutch soldiers had been released, on the condition that they would not resist the occupying forces. However, the Nazis discovered that many soldiers had become members of the Ordedienst, a resistance group, and decided to summon the soldiers for forced labour (Arbeitseinsatz).

The strike surprised the Nazis, who hit back with a vengeance. Summary jurisdiction was introduced: a three-person SS court that could immediately sentence suspects, often to death. Using more violence and threats, the Germans managed to put a swift end to the strikes. Eighty people were executed summarily. When the Nazis starting firing at the strikers, 95 people were killed and 400 were injured.

The strike marked a turning point in the attitude of the Dutch population. From then on, the organised resistance increased sharply.