On 10 May 1943, three years after the German invasion of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina spoke on Radio Oranje. She reflected on 'the treacherous attack, committed by the krauts against our fatherland’ and on the people who had died in the war against Germany. She then passed the microphone to her son-in-law, Prince Bernhard. He spoke of his 'belief in the coming victory of freedom and justice over barbarism and slavery'.
Radio Oranje: ‘The voice of the Netherlands at war’
May 10, 1943 London
Radio Oranje was a programme broadcast by the BBC. Every broadcast opened with the words ‘This is Radio Oranje, the voice of the Netherlands at war.’ The broadcasts reported on the war developments and called on the Dutch population not to cooperate with the occupying forces. Sometimes, the broadcasts included encrypted messages meant for the Resistance in the Netherlands.
The German authorities wanted to prevent the programme from affecting the Dutch population. And so, on 13 May 1943, the Dutch were ordered to hand in their radios. There were many who did not obey. With the curtains drawn and the radio low, they still listened to those messages from abroad.