Deception - WWII Resistance / Holocaust Novel

chapter 56: the post-war years

Mieke de Jong

Mieke stayed with the Canadian army for several months as the Allies liberated the Netherlands. She developed a strong friendship with Captain James Scott and Private Robert Baer, whom she assisted on their journey through the Netherlands. She searched for any remaining family members from the list of survivors but found none.

Luuk De Vries [+ Elek Liebgott]

It was during one of her searches when she ran into Luuk. He had been in hiding in the last months of the war and recovered from his injuries. It was confirmed from various witnesses that both Elek's parents and Luuk's father had perished in Auschwitz. Luuk's mother had survived the war, but he could not bring himself to forgive her.

Luuk had promised Ellis that should anything happen to her, he would take of Mieke. And so he did, he took care of Mieke and her baby all through the tiresome immigration process. They decided to go to America for a new start. Luuk's great uncle lived with his family in New York and supported them in the initial months of the move. It was in New York, where Luuk shortly, met his wife, Magda, a Hungarian Jew who survived Auschwitz. Mieke, her baby, Luuk, Magda shared a tiny apartment with another two immigrant families in the first two years of their move. Eventually, Luuk and Magda were able to afford their own apartment. Not wanting to be a burden on the new couple, Mieke was able to find an apartment to rent with a co-worker she had befriended at the factory where she worked.

Frederick Zoller & Lenka Lehmann

Frederick and Lenka reunited with their baby girl Chaya and made the decision to start their lives together in America. Lenka had lost not only her parents in Sobibor, but almost her entire extended family in the death camps. She however discovered some cousins had escaped and made it to America. After she had contacted them, they were able to assist in supporting her immigration application.

Jacobus Van der Berg

Jacobus remained in the Netherlands and went back to university to complete his studies in law. He later married the woman who had nursed him to good health at the safe house and went on to have a successful career as a lawyer.

Jorgen Dekker

Dekker's wife never married again. She was questioned and tortured but eventually released when they realized she knew nothing of his activities. His daughter was nine years old when her father was murdered. She later followed in his footsteps and became a professor of science.

Lotte Vos

Lotte's parents and younger brother survived the war. Her brother kept the memory of his sister alive through talks at schools throughout his life and named his first daughter after her.

Vera Smit & Eva Bakker

Vera and Eva were credited with saving twenty-five Jewish children through their work with the Church. In the end, the surviving children were united with their remaining family members who had managed to survive but most were left orphans as their parents had perished in the death camps.

Sven Meyer

Sven Meyer became another forgotten name among many, only fondly remembered by his family.

Wilhelm Winter

Wilhelm Winter's written testimony helped validate the events of the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands and the Holocaust. In his written report, Winter recounted all that he had seen during his service. It was here that he described his experience and his conversations with various high-ranking officials and plans regarding the Final Solution. Essentially, he had given himself up so that the Allies might use his knowledge to punish those responsible. After several months of imprisonment, he was later hired by the CIA to spy in Europe after the Second World War – his talent in languages had made him desirable. Protected by the Americans, he was allowed to live in South America where he married a woman of German descent, with whom he had three sons.

Anneke

Anneke was deemed a collaborator. She was beaten and had her hair cut off in the streets shortly after liberation. Shunned by her community and with no connection to her biological family, she fled to Australia and married a local man, from whom she hid her past.

Rachel Stein

Rachel was shipped off to a concentration camp shortly after her imprisonment and was shot dead on a death march.

Hermann Fehmer

Hermann Fehmer, stuck between the crossfire in Warsaw, took his own life with a pistol in his mouth, refusing to surrender to the Russians.

Karl von Eberstein

After a brief trial, Von Eberstein was convicted and hanged 7 days later for his crimes.