Hunger Winter

by Rob Currie

“So that we get it done! Ingelse is a snake who slithers out of every trap. But not this one.”

  He was quiet for a few moments.

  “No! You listen to me! We dress in black. We drive to where Ingelse is staying. He doesn’t know I have eyes everywhere. Ten minutes to get there. We watch the house for fifteen minutes.”

  He drummed his fingers on the phone table.

  “At 2:45 we walk up to the house. I stand on the porch, and you crouch in the bushes, with your gun.” With the phone in one hand, he shaped his other hand like a pistol.

  “I knock on the door and say, ‘It’s Windmill. I have something for you.’” He smiled. “Stupid Dutchman doesn’t know I have all the code names. He sees a short man in a heavy black winter coat with hands in his coat pockets. I tell him I have an important delivery. I shake his right hand and give him an envelope with my left hand. When he looks at it, you jump on the porch. You shoot. We leave.”

  He was silent for thirty seconds. “Yes, I’m sure. That Jew-loving Ingelse will be dead in an hour.” He hung up the phone, grabbed his notes, and fed them to the flames in the potbellied stove.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  OMA AND OPA’S HOUSE

  NIJMEGEN

  DECEMBER 3

  HANS TOSSED AND TURNED on the living room floor. He glanced at his wristwatch: 2:45.

  What was that? Footsteps on the porch? He sat up suddenly and turned toward the door. Knock, knock. He stood up. Two knocks, but not a third. His forehead furrowed. He approached the door and looked out the window. On the porch, a short man in a heavy black winter coat stood with his hands in his pockets.

  “Who is it?” Hans called out through the door.

  “It’s Windmill,” the man replied. “I have something for you.”

  Hans smiled and donned his coat.

  When he opened the door, his breath fogged in the cold night air.

  “I have an important delivery for you,” the man said. He extended his right hand for a handshake and held out an envelope with his left.

  As Hans stared at the envelope, a figure clad in black rose from the bushes. The figure jumped on the porch and grabbed Hans. “Keep your hopes up and your prayers strong!”

  Huh? He squinted at a few shoulder-length blonde hairs sticking out of a green wool hat.

  “Papa! It’s me. Els!” she exclaimed.

  “Oh! Els! Oh! Oh!” Hans nearly shouted, forgetting for a moment he was outside in the middle of the night. He hugged his daughter tightly.

  Recovering his wits, he said, “Quick, step into the house. We have a lot to talk about.”

  The man with the envelope pushed it into Hans’s hand. “We scraped together a little money for your trip.”

  “Thank you. And thank you for bringing my daughter!” He shook the man’s hand heartily. The man in the black coat melted into the darkness.

  Hans and Els sat in the living room.

  “Are you all right?” Hans looked at Els intently.

  “I’m fine. My arms are still sore, and the bike ride was cold.” She shivered.

  He wrinkled his nose. “You rode a bike here? From where?”

  “I started riding my bike from Rotterdam yesterday afternoon—”

  “You rode all the way from Rotterdam?”

  “Part of the way. I got a few rides.”

  “How?”

  “Well, I am your daughter. Don’t you think I’ve inherited some of your persuasive abilities?” she asked with a big grin. Then her smile faded. “I have to ask you, do you know if Dirk and Anna made it to Tante Cora’s? I’ve been so worried about them.” She bit her lower lip.

  “Yes,” he said with a smile. “But—”

  The phone rang.

  “Who would call in the middle of the night?” Hans said. He answered the phone, and a male voice said, “This is Wooden Shoe. After you called me, I told the police to increase their patrols near your house.” He paused. “They just called.”

  Hans held his breath.

  “They just arrested Otto Adler and an accomplice for being out after curfew.”

  Hans got a lump in his throat. “How close were they?”

  “Two blocks from you.”

  Hans let out a long, slow breath. “Thank you for everything.” He said goodbye and hung up.

  “What was that about?” Els asked.

  “Just confirmation that I’m doing the right thing by leaving,” Hans said.

  “Leaving? What do you mean?”

  “It isn’t safe for us to stay here. We’re leaving in a few minutes to go to Belgium. Now you can come with us!”

  “Us?” Her eyebrows shot up.

  “Yes,” he said. “I was starting to tell you before the phone rang that Dirk and Anna are here. Now the four of us will go to Belgium.”

  “They’re here? I can’t believe it!” She burst into a smile. “They were supposed to be at Tante Cora’s. How did they get here?”

  “I’ll let them tell you. You’ll be as proud of them as I am,” he said.

  A few minutes later, the conversation was still going full speed when they heard two knocks on the front door, a pause, and then a third. Hans looked out the window in the front door and saw the familiar face of a member of the Resistance. Hans invited the man in. Four soldiers came in with him to provide protection for Oma and Opa.

  “It’s time to go, Els,” Hans said. “Go upstairs and wake your brother and sister. Dirk knows I’m here, but Anna doesn’t.”

  Hans walked toward Oma and Opa’s bedroom, but they met him in the hallway. He pointed up the stairs and said, “Listen.” The three adults heard Dirk’s shout of joy, followed a few moments later by Anna’s squeal of delight as Els greeted them.

  When they heard Els’s voice upstairs, Oma and Opa shot quizzical looks at their son. He grinned from ear to ear and nodded.

  “Els,” Opa called. “Is that really you?”

  Els dashed down the stairs and fell into her grandparents’ arms. Moments later, from the top of the stairs, Anna’s voice pierced through the happy reunion.

  “Papa!” Anna cried. She nearly knocked Dirk over as she dashed down the stairs. She flew to her papa, and he scooped her up.

  “Oh, Papa!” she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

  “Anna, Anna, Anna,” he said. Tears slid down his cheeks. The six family members moved into a circle of hugging.

  Finally the driver cleared his throat and said, “It’s time to leave.”

  Hans, Dirk, Anna, and Els gave Oma and Opa goodbye hugs. Hans carried Anna, who refused to let go of him, to the car. They joined Dirk in the back seat, and Els sat in front with the driver, who started the car and pulled into the dark, quiet street.

  “Papa, oh, Papa,” Anna sighed. “Last night I told Jesus I wanted to see you.” Suddenly she drew back from him and scrunched up her nose. “But why is your hair gray?”

  “It’s a long story, Anna,” he replied. He clutched her and stroked her hair. “I missed you so much, Anna. I missed all of you.” He blew his nose.

  “I missed you too, Papa,” she whispered and squeezed him more tightly.

  “And now I can stay with you. I’m taking you, Dirk, and Els to Belgium.”

  “Why?” Anna asked.

  “So we can be safe.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “And we’ll stay together, right?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  She burst into a big smile and hugged him hard again.

  She leaned back and looked up at him. “I’m wearing the orange ribbon you sent me,” she announced. She pointed to it in her hair. “I tied it on all by myself.”

  Hans looked at a clump of hair, tied with the orange ribbon, sticking out at an odd angle from the side of her head. It looked like a badly rumpled sheaf of wheat in a field after a storm.

  He fought back a grin. “All by yourself? It looks beautiful.” He hugged her again.

  For the next twenty minutes or so, Els told her family about her adventures, and
Dirk and Anna related theirs to her. During a brief lull in the give-and-take, Anna spoke.

  “Papa, how come your clothes are like the pastor’s? Is he your friend?”

  Hans and Dirk exchanged smiles, and Hans’s eyes twinkled.

  “I guess you could say I’ve known him for a long time,” he replied.

  She snuggled into his arms and sighed. As her eyelids slowly closed, she said, “Yeah. That’s what I figured.”

  POSTSCRIPT

  THE DAY THEY LEFT Oma and Opa’s house, the Ingelse family arrived safely in Belgium. The very next day, Papa bought Anna some famous Belgian chocolate.

  Opa won election to the local municipal council, which oversaw the rebuilding of Nijmegen.

  American officers interviewed Fleischer after he surrendered. When asked how he made it to the Allied lines to surrender, he said it was his idea to drive there. He never admitted that the suggestion came from a thirteen-year-old boy.

  Els gave Dirk her heart-of-stone pebble. She described what it meant to her and added, “I want you to have it because you showed you are a lot stronger than I ever knew.”

  Dirk’s right hand never twitched again.

  ONE MAN’S PRAYER

  By Hans Ingelse

  I don’t ask for an easy life.

  An easy life for me

  Means that others

  Face their difficulties alone.

  I do not seek praise

  Because stronger people than I

  Have lost their way

  In the glare of acclaim.

  I do not crave a soft life

  Because a soft life creates a soft man

  In a world that cries out for strong men.

  I ask to do hard things,

  For there are many hard things

  To be done.

  I ask you to tell me the truth,

  Knowing it’s better

  To hear it now from a friend

  Than later from an enemy.

  I ask you to come with me,

  Knowing that success comes

  When challenges are shared,

  Confidences are kept,

  And friendships are honored.

  I ask God

  To show me how he sees me,

  To give me work

  That fits my talents,

  And to teach me contentment

  With what he provides.

  If I ask

  For one thing in return

  It is that

  When I am gone

  Those who knew me best

  Would say,

  “He was a man

  Who worked joyfully,

  Gave freely,

  And loved fiercely.”

  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

  THE CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK are fictional, but real historical events are woven into their story. Other events in the book are based on things that really happened, but they may not have happened exactly when or how they are described in the story. You can read about the real historical events below.

  Operation Market Garden

  In September of 1944, two months before this story begins, the Allies parachuted troops near the city of Arnhem, the town next to Oosterbeek (where the Ingelse family lived). The attack was a bold attempt to hasten the end of the war by dropping paratroopers behind enemy lines to gain control of key bridges over the Rhine River, or Nederrijn. The mission failed. As a result, much of the Netherlands remained under German control until May 1945.

  Hunger Winter

  The winter of 1944–45 became known to the Dutch as the Hongerwinter because of the scarcity of food. When the Dutch railroad workers went on strike in order to hamper German troop movements, the enemy retaliated by cutting off supplies of food and fuel to the western Netherlands, including Rotterdam. By the end of the war, the daily ration of food got down to 320 calories. That is about an eighth of the daily needs of an average adult. Things were so desperate that parents dug up tulip bulbs and cooked them. Thousands of people starved to death.

  Luftwaffe Interrogations

  The Gestapo used brutality to make people reveal secrets, but the Luftwaffe used kindness to get prisoners to talk. Their methods were so effective that after the war, the United States adopted these methods for their interrogations.

  Razzias

  Late in the war, the occupying Germans swept through towns in the Netherlands, kidnapping adults and teenagers and forcing them to work in German factories.

  Anna’s Orange Ribbon

  Orange has patriotic significance for the Netherlands because the Dutch royal family is known as the House of Orange. Dutch patriotic radio broadcasts from England back to the Netherlands were known as Radio Oranje. Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema, the Netherlands’ most heroic Resistance fighter, was known as the Soldier of Orange.

  Dutch Bicycles

  The story makes mention of the Dutch riding and loving their bicycles. The Germans confiscated many bicycles during the occupation but didn’t get them all. When the Germans increased their bicycle thefts, the Dutch hid their bikes. I interviewed one family who buried their bike to keep the Nazis from getting it.

  St. Stephen’s Church

  There really is a St. Stephen’s Church in Nijmegen. It was badly damaged during an Allied bombing attack in February of 1944.

  AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. CURRIE

  How long did it take you to write Hunger Winter?

  It took seven years.

  Where did you get the idea for the book?

  Three things influenced me. First, I have had a lifelong interest in World War II and the Holocaust because my father was a World War II veteran. Second, my wife is of Dutch heritage. The third influence came when my son Steven, who was a seventh grader at the time, wrote a short story set in the Netherlands during the war. I thought it would be fun to develop that story into a book.

  How much of what’s in Hunger Winter is historically accurate?

  The characters are fictional, but the vast majority of what they do is based on actual events.

  What kids’ books do you like?

  My favorites include A Day No Pigs Would Die, Gregor the Overlander, and Snow Treasure.

  What are your favorite World War II movies?

  I like The Hiding Place and Return to the Hiding Place, which are both about World War II in the Netherlands.

  Where did you get ideas for your characters?

  Dirk is a combination of the many boys I have known and worked with in a variety of contexts. Colonel Fleischer was loosely modeled after Long John Silver in Treasure Island because I found him to be an interesting character.

  As you did research for your book, what surprised you the most?

  I was stunned at the Luftwaffe’s method of interrogation, which was just as portrayed in this story. They used kindness as a key element of getting secrets from prisoners of war. Several captured Allied pilots remained friends with their Luftwaffe interrogators after World War II, and the US military was so impressed, it adopted many of the Luftwaffe’s methods after the war.

  How does the timeline of Anne Frank’s story compare with the events of this book?

  Anne was captured on August 4, 1944. This story begins in November of 1944.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  A Note to Teachers: Please visit www.robcurrieauthor.com for many additional teaching resources, which include links to YouTube videos and much more.

  Which character in the story showed the most bravery? Explain your choice.

  As you read this book, what surprised you the most about the Dutch experience during World War II?

  What was the most important thing Dirk learned from Papa?

  If you could ask one character in the book a question, who would it be and what would you ask him or her?

  Who changed more, Dirk or Els? Explain your choice.

  How would the story have been different if Mama hadn’t died?

  Dirk and Els both cherished a stone. Were their reasons similar or different? />
  What was Anna’s best personality trait?

  Pick a character from the book, and choose three words to describe his or her personality.

  Did Dirk’s responsibility to take care of Anna change him? If so, how did he change?

  Would you advise Hans Ingelse to stay safely in Belgium or to return to the Netherlands to help the Resistance? Why?

  Imagine that you and your family are helping the Resistance and your best friend’s parents are collaborators. Could you still be good friends with that person? Why or why not?

  If you had lived during the war, how willing would you be to risk your safety to protect people you don’t know?

  If you suddenly had to flee your home to be safe from the Nazis and you could pack only one bag, what would you put in it and why?

  Dirk talked about taking a chance when it’s the only chance you’ve got. How do you know whether it’s a good idea to take a chance?

  What kind of further adventures do you think Dirk might have in his future?

  The characters reminded each other to keep their hopes up and their prayers strong. How did a positive attitude help them? How does a positive attitude help you?

  Pick a favorite character from the book. If this book were made into a movie, which actor or actress would you like to see portray that character? Explain your choice.

  Dirk was inspired by his papa’s advice and encouragement. Who has inspired you, and how did that person do it?

  Pick a character in the book, and explain how that person is similar to you and in what ways he or she differs from you.

  KEY WORLD WAR II DATES

  FOR THE NETHERLANDS

  September 1939