WWII resistance hero Rudi Hemmes dies at age 99

Rudi Hemmes, a Dutch Resistance fighter in World War II, has died at the age of 99. His death was announced by football club HBS, where he was the honorary chairman, according to Omroep West.

Even before he was formally in the Dutch Air Force, Hemmes took on the resistance role. He was 16 when the Germans invaded the Netherlands and immediately started finding ways to sabotage the occupiers by pouring sugar into the gas tanks of enemy vehicles.

Hemmes was one of the young men who then made a risky attempt to sail to England during the War to then link up with the Allied forces. He began his trip across the sea in May 1943, and did not arrive until February 1944.

Once there, he joined the Princess Irene Brigade, and departed as reinforcements to Normandy. He arrived as part of a brigade of 1,100 people at Arromanches, which was code named Gold Beach during the final month of the Battle of Normandy.

From there, they moved further north, eventually into the southern Netherlands. Hemmes helped liberate Tilburg during Operation Pheasant, a two-week offensive which was instrumental in pushing the Germans out of Noord-Brabant.

Hemmes received various awards for his merits, including becoming an honorary citizen of The Hague in June 2013. King Willem-Alexander even referenced the war hero during his speech from the throne for Prinsjesdag in 2019.

“‘I feel a responsibility to pass the message to younger generations that you must engage in resistance if necessary,’” the king said, quoting Hemmes. “As a young man this hero put his life on the line for the future of our nation. And now, 75 years later, the future is still what drives him. That is not only inspiring – it is a task we all share,” Willem-Alexander stated.

The king asked that the country’s political leaders take Hemmes as an example on how to conduct themselves, because they share a similar responsibility.