Jan Bonekamp was a Dutch communist resistance fighter who took increasingly dangerous action against the German occupation, eventually participating in armed attacks against Dutch collaborators working with the Nazi regime.
Born in Amsterdam in 1914, Bonekamp was a metalworker who became involved in the resistance soon after Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. The occupation authorities established a civil administration under Reich Commissioner Arthur Seyss-Inquart and gradually introduced measures that stripped Dutch Jews of their rights, property, and freedom.
Bonekamp began his resistance activities by putting up posters, distributing illegal newspapers and leaflets, and raising money for people forced into hiding. As German repression intensified and the deportation of Dutch Jews began in 1942, his activities became increasingly militant.
Between 1942 and 1944, approximately 107,000 Jews were deported from the Netherlands, primarily to Auschwitz and Sobibor. Only a small fraction survived. Thousands of others attempted to escape deportation by going into hiding, often relying on resistance networks and ordinary Dutch citizens willing to risk their lives to help them.
Bonekamp eventually joined armed resistance and participated in attacks against Dutch collaborators whose activities supported the German occupation. His actions placed him among the resistance fighters who moved beyond underground publications and assistance to those in hiding and began directly targeting individuals connected to Nazi repression.
This documentary explores Jan Bonekamp’s transformation from an Amsterdam metalworker into an armed resistance fighter, his struggle against the German occupation, and the dangerous campaign against Dutch collaborators that ultimately placed his own life at risk.
This episode is part of the series The Anti-Fascist Heroes.
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