Engelandvaarder

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An Engelandvaarder (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛŋəlɑntˌfaːrdər] ; lit. 'Sailor to England') was a Dutch person who escaped from the German-occupied Netherlands to the United Kingdom during World War II with the intention of joining the Free Dutch forces. The name derives from the earliest such attempts involving people who paddled 100 miles across the North Sea. Only about one in ten were successful in the crossing, with most just disappearing in the sea. Once they reached England many joined the Allied forces to help free their country from Nazi Germany. In July 1940 three Dutchmen escaped from the occupied Netherlands and crossed the North Sea to England in a twelve-foot boat. They were called "Engelandvaarders". This first success encouraged many others to try the crossing. Most of these disappeared and were never heard from again. With time, land routes out of the Netherlands developed, and a number of the Dutch reached England by traveling overland from safe house to safe house to reach southern France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland or Sweden and from the neutral country transited to England. A large number of men and women, however, were killed or arrested on their way to England. Many died at sea. Some were captured by the Germans. Of these, some were shot, but most were deported to concentration camps. Some escaped from detention, such as Bram van der Stok, the most successful Dutch fighter pilot in World War II, who escaped with Bodo Sandberg and four other Engelandvaarders from the prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III, in a car stolen from the camp commander. Many others were taken to death camps, of whom only a few returned to the Netherlands after the liberation. Upon arriving in England these Engelandvaarders were interrogated by British secret service to be sure Nazi Germany had not...