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1945 shooting on Dam square, Amsterdam
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[[File:Amsterdam shooting, May 7 1945.jpg|thumb|Panic on Dam square, 7 May 1945]]
[[File:SchietpartijDam1945.jpg|thumb|People seek cover behind street lights on Dam square. A small girl, Tiny van der Hoek, walks away, apparently angry that her ice-cream has fallen on the ground.]]
[[File:Slachtoffer van Duits mitrailleurvuur vanuit de Groote Club op de Dam wordt door, Bestanddeelnr 900-2947.jpg|thumb|A shooting victim is taken away]]
The '''1945 shooting on Dam square''' took place during the liberation of [[Amsterdam]] on 7 May 1945, in the last days of [[World War II]]. [[Nazi Germany|German]] soldiers fired machine guns into a large crowd gathered on [[Dam Square|Dam square]] to celebrate the end of the war, killing over 30 people.
== Background ==
The German forces in the [[Netherlands]] capitulated to the Allies on 5 May 1945. However, the western part of the country remained occupied by the Germans until Allied troops could arrive to disarm them.<ref name=stichting>[http://bit.ly/2DQUnxV Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945]</ref> Local newspapers reported on 6 May that Canadian forces would reach Amsterdam the next day.<ref name=stichting3>[http://bit.ly/2TUHKci "The events of May 1945 in chronological order"], Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945</ref>
On 7 May, thousands of people gathered on the Dam, the central square of the city, to celebrate the end of the war and welcome the Allied soldiers. Shortly after noon, a handful of [[Humber Armoured Car]]s of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[49th (West Riding) Infantry Division]] began to approach the Dam by way of the [[Rokin]] to carry out [[reconnaissance]]. A convoy of German vehicles, also carrying out reconnaissance, narrowly passed the British vehicles near the Dam, but quickly disappeared again. The British, observing that the situation was potentially explosive, decided to withdraw from the city until forces of the [[Dutch resistance]] (''Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten'') had successfully disarmed the Germans and taken possession of three key locations: the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam|Royal Palace]], the main money office and the main post office (Operation Three Castles).<ref name=stichting3 /><ref name=stichting />
== Shooting ==
While the local citizens celebrated on Dam square, German soldiers of the [[Kriegsmarine]] were trapped inside the ''Groote Club'' (Grand Club) building, a large building at the corner of the Dam and [[Kalverstraat]]. In the nearby Paleisstraat, local forces had arrested two German soldiers. One of them refused to surrender his weapon and fired a shot. German soldiers then appeared in the windows, on the balcony and on the roof of the ''Groote Club'' and started firing into the crowd with machine guns.<ref name=4en5mei>[http://bit.ly/2BDuAJo "Amsterdam, '7 mei 1945'"], National Comité 4 en 5 mei (Dutch)</ref>
Large-scale panic broke out on Dam square and most of the crowd dispersed via the [[Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam|Nieuwendijk]], Rokin and [[Damrak]]. Some people sought cover behind street lights and other objects, including a [[barrel organ]] known as '''t Snotneusje'' and a small truck.<ref name=stichting /><ref name=stichting3 />
After the initial shots, a second round was fired. The Germans and resistance forces then started to exchange fire. In total, the shooting lasted about two hours, until about 5pm. Members of the [[Scouting|Scouts]], [[Red Cross]] and nurses attempted to aid the victims. According to some sources, Major [[Carel Frederik Overhoff|Overhoff]], who commanded the local forces, persuaded a German officer, ''[[Hauptmann]]'' Bergmann, to join him in entering the ''Groote Club'' and ordering the German soldiers to cease fire.<ref name=4en5mei /> In another version of events, the shooting had already ended by the time they reached the ''Groote Club'', after local forces had fired [[bazooka]] grenades at the building, or threatened to do so.<ref name=nuis>J.Nuis, [http://bit.ly/2TPgkVa "Centraal Station Amsterdam, 7 mei 1945"], Vereniging Dragers Bronzen Leeuw en Bronzen Kruis / Veteranen-online (Dutch)</ref> The German soldiers at the ''Groote Club'' remained there until they were taken into custody by [[Canada|Canadian]] forces on 9 May and taken back to Germany.<ref name=stichting />
German and local forces also exchanged fire at [[Amsterdam Central Station|Central Station]] that day, causing the death of two Dutch soldiers and a number of German soldiers.<ref name=stichting3 /><ref name=nuis />
== Aftermath ==
The day after the shooting, on 8 May, Canadian forces entered the city.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2BIKt1f "Amsterdam, bezet en bevrijd"], Verzetsmuseum (Dutch)</ref> Tens of thousands gathered on Dam square on 9 May to celebrate the liberation and listen to speeches by Prime Minister [[Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy|Gerbrandy]] and others.
The shooting was never fully investigated. After the event, local newspapers reported between 19 and 22 fatalities, but no official list of casualties was ever released. Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945, an organisation founded to commemorate the event, has since identified a total of 32 people who died as a result of the event, not including German casualties. 26 died immediately while five more died later of gunshot wounds. The last known victim died on 22 June. The actual number of fatalities may be higher; in some cases, it had not yet been determined whether the death was related to the Dam square. The full number of wounded is also unknown; newspaper reports gave between 100 and 120 wounded.<ref name=stichting /><ref name=stichting3 />
== Remembrance ==
[[File:Herdenkingsplaat Dam.png|thumb|Commemorative plaque at the ''Groote Club'', corner of Dam and Kalverstraat]]
[[File:Naamsteen Mies Jager.jpg|thumb|One of the 32 name stones on Dam square in remembrance of the victims of the shooting]]
Two years after the shooting, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the facade of the ''Groote Club'' at the corner of the Dam and [[Kalverstraat]].<ref name=stichting3 />
Between June 2015 and March 2016, 15,509 virtual stones were placed on the website plaatsensteen.nl / placeastone.nl, shaping the letters of the victims' names. On 1 March 2016, the end result was transferred to stone reliefs and embedded in the pavement of Dam square. The memorial was unveiled by Mayor [[Eberhard van der Laan]] on 7 May 2016 following a ceremony in the [[Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam|Nieuwe Kerk]] church.<ref name=stichting2>[http://bit.ly/2TZmjXD "Unveil Memorial May 7 2016"], Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945</ref><ref>[https://placeastone.nl/ "Place A Stone - 32 dead, 32 stones"]</ref>
A national [[Remembrance of the Dead]] ceremony is held every year on 4 May on Dam square.
== References ==
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SDRg0dhH-Y Video footage of the events]
* Gaia Rietveld, [http://bit.ly/2BDSt3M "Remembering Disaster. On the shooting on Dam Square May 7th 1945"], Rampsporen
[[Category:1940s in Amsterdam]]
[[Category:Netherlands in World War II]]
[[File:SchietpartijDam1945.jpg|thumb|People seek cover behind street lights on Dam square. A small girl, Tiny van der Hoek, walks away, apparently angry that her ice-cream has fallen on the ground.]]
[[File:Slachtoffer van Duits mitrailleurvuur vanuit de Groote Club op de Dam wordt door, Bestanddeelnr 900-2947.jpg|thumb|A shooting victim is taken away]]
The '''1945 shooting on Dam square''' took place during the liberation of [[Amsterdam]] on 7 May 1945, in the last days of [[World War II]]. [[Nazi Germany|German]] soldiers fired machine guns into a large crowd gathered on [[Dam Square|Dam square]] to celebrate the end of the war, killing over 30 people.
== Background ==
The German forces in the [[Netherlands]] capitulated to the Allies on 5 May 1945. However, the western part of the country remained occupied by the Germans until Allied troops could arrive to disarm them.<ref name=stichting>[http://bit.ly/2DQUnxV Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945]</ref> Local newspapers reported on 6 May that Canadian forces would reach Amsterdam the next day.<ref name=stichting3>[http://bit.ly/2TUHKci "The events of May 1945 in chronological order"], Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945</ref>
On 7 May, thousands of people gathered on the Dam, the central square of the city, to celebrate the end of the war and welcome the Allied soldiers. Shortly after noon, a handful of [[Humber Armoured Car]]s of the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[49th (West Riding) Infantry Division]] began to approach the Dam by way of the [[Rokin]] to carry out [[reconnaissance]]. A convoy of German vehicles, also carrying out reconnaissance, narrowly passed the British vehicles near the Dam, but quickly disappeared again. The British, observing that the situation was potentially explosive, decided to withdraw from the city until forces of the [[Dutch resistance]] (''Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten'') had successfully disarmed the Germans and taken possession of three key locations: the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam|Royal Palace]], the main money office and the main post office (Operation Three Castles).<ref name=stichting3 /><ref name=stichting />
== Shooting ==
While the local citizens celebrated on Dam square, German soldiers of the [[Kriegsmarine]] were trapped inside the ''Groote Club'' (Grand Club) building, a large building at the corner of the Dam and [[Kalverstraat]]. In the nearby Paleisstraat, local forces had arrested two German soldiers. One of them refused to surrender his weapon and fired a shot. German soldiers then appeared in the windows, on the balcony and on the roof of the ''Groote Club'' and started firing into the crowd with machine guns.<ref name=4en5mei>[http://bit.ly/2BDuAJo "Amsterdam, '7 mei 1945'"], National Comité 4 en 5 mei (Dutch)</ref>
Large-scale panic broke out on Dam square and most of the crowd dispersed via the [[Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam|Nieuwendijk]], Rokin and [[Damrak]]. Some people sought cover behind street lights and other objects, including a [[barrel organ]] known as '''t Snotneusje'' and a small truck.<ref name=stichting /><ref name=stichting3 />
After the initial shots, a second round was fired. The Germans and resistance forces then started to exchange fire. In total, the shooting lasted about two hours, until about 5pm. Members of the [[Scouting|Scouts]], [[Red Cross]] and nurses attempted to aid the victims. According to some sources, Major [[Carel Frederik Overhoff|Overhoff]], who commanded the local forces, persuaded a German officer, ''[[Hauptmann]]'' Bergmann, to join him in entering the ''Groote Club'' and ordering the German soldiers to cease fire.<ref name=4en5mei /> In another version of events, the shooting had already ended by the time they reached the ''Groote Club'', after local forces had fired [[bazooka]] grenades at the building, or threatened to do so.<ref name=nuis>J.Nuis, [http://bit.ly/2TPgkVa "Centraal Station Amsterdam, 7 mei 1945"], Vereniging Dragers Bronzen Leeuw en Bronzen Kruis / Veteranen-online (Dutch)</ref> The German soldiers at the ''Groote Club'' remained there until they were taken into custody by [[Canada|Canadian]] forces on 9 May and taken back to Germany.<ref name=stichting />
German and local forces also exchanged fire at [[Amsterdam Central Station|Central Station]] that day, causing the death of two Dutch soldiers and a number of German soldiers.<ref name=stichting3 /><ref name=nuis />
== Aftermath ==
The day after the shooting, on 8 May, Canadian forces entered the city.<ref>[http://bit.ly/2BIKt1f "Amsterdam, bezet en bevrijd"], Verzetsmuseum (Dutch)</ref> Tens of thousands gathered on Dam square on 9 May to celebrate the liberation and listen to speeches by Prime Minister [[Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy|Gerbrandy]] and others.
The shooting was never fully investigated. After the event, local newspapers reported between 19 and 22 fatalities, but no official list of casualties was ever released. Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945, an organisation founded to commemorate the event, has since identified a total of 32 people who died as a result of the event, not including German casualties. 26 died immediately while five more died later of gunshot wounds. The last known victim died on 22 June. The actual number of fatalities may be higher; in some cases, it had not yet been determined whether the death was related to the Dam square. The full number of wounded is also unknown; newspaper reports gave between 100 and 120 wounded.<ref name=stichting /><ref name=stichting3 />
== Remembrance ==
[[File:Herdenkingsplaat Dam.png|thumb|Commemorative plaque at the ''Groote Club'', corner of Dam and Kalverstraat]]
[[File:Naamsteen Mies Jager.jpg|thumb|One of the 32 name stones on Dam square in remembrance of the victims of the shooting]]
Two years after the shooting, a commemorative plaque was unveiled on the facade of the ''Groote Club'' at the corner of the Dam and [[Kalverstraat]].<ref name=stichting3 />
Between June 2015 and March 2016, 15,509 virtual stones were placed on the website plaatsensteen.nl / placeastone.nl, shaping the letters of the victims' names. On 1 March 2016, the end result was transferred to stone reliefs and embedded in the pavement of Dam square. The memorial was unveiled by Mayor [[Eberhard van der Laan]] on 7 May 2016 following a ceremony in the [[Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam|Nieuwe Kerk]] church.<ref name=stichting2>[http://bit.ly/2TZmjXD "Unveil Memorial May 7 2016"], Stichting Memorial voor Damslachtoffers 7 mei 1945</ref><ref>[https://placeastone.nl/ "Place A Stone - 32 dead, 32 stones"]</ref>
A national [[Remembrance of the Dead]] ceremony is held every year on 4 May on Dam square.
== References ==
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SDRg0dhH-Y Video footage of the events]
* Gaia Rietveld, [http://bit.ly/2BDSt3M "Remembering Disaster. On the shooting on Dam Square May 7th 1945"], Rampsporen
[[Category:1940s in Amsterdam]]
[[Category:Netherlands in World War II]]
February 17, 2019 at 06:59PM
