Woven in Courage | Episode 8: Stillness and Sabotage

In the bitter cold of February and March 1945, the Netherlands was starving, hunted, and on edge. This episode takes you deep into the final months of Nazi occupation through the eyes and hidden journal of a young Dutch resistor in Groningen. As Allied bombs thunder overhead and Nazi collaborators lurk around every corner, he spins wool in silence—masking resistance work behind the hum of a spinning wheel.

From coded Bible verses to rabbit deliveries for those in hiding, Stillness and Sabotage unravels the quiet defiance that helped feed and shelter the Dutch resistance. You'll hear of daring ambushes near Dokkum, the tragic death of Jan Koene, and the secret messages woven into children’s books and devotional stories. Each journal entry is a breath held, each visitor a potential threat—or an ally.

✨ What you'll hear:

• The brutal reality of the Dutch Hunger Winter

• How Group 2000 may have used coded literature to coordinate sabotage

• The emotional toll of living with collaborators and informants nearby

• Air-raid alarms, resistance drop zones, and the ever-present need to “sit still”

• Historical insights from WWII experts and Dutch resistance records

This isn't just history. It's survival. It's courage. It's the story of one family, one journal, and a fight for freedom stitched between lines of stillness.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

🔗 Subscribe and follow for new episodes as we decode the hidden war behind closed doors.

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In the brutal heart of the Dutch Hunger Winter, survival wasn’t just about food—it was about courage, resistance, and choosing to risk everything for others.

Welcome to Episode 8 of Woven in Courage—a gripping journey into January 1945, one of the coldest and deadliest months of World War II in the Netherlands. As the Nazi occupation tightened its grip and famine swept across the nation, young resistance couriers like Freddie Visser—a 22-year-old Dutchman and grandfather of host David Visser—faced an impossible choice: hide and survive… or fight and risk everything.

Through the chilling pages of Freddie’s wartime journal, this episode reveals the hidden operations of Group 2000and the Landelijke Organisatie voor Hulp aan Onderduikers (LO)—the national resistance network dedicated to saving lives and sabotaging Nazi control. With coded Bible verses, secret messages, and close calls with betrayal and death, this was war in the shadows.

You’ll hear:

• Harrowing details of the Hongerwinter (Hunger Winter), where families ate tulip bulbs and froze in silence.

• The execution of known collaborators, including Berbus Oosterhof, and the chilling consequences that followed.

• The role of ministers turned resistance fighters, like Ds. Lammers and Minister Hoekstra, who delivered salvation with scripture and, when necessary, a bullet.

• A growing web of underground operations in Groningen, as Nazi forces closed in—and the Dutch spirit refused to break.

• Emotional journal entries that blend fear, faith, and fierce defiance—showing a young man transforming into a freedom fighter.

As Freddie hides in a boat, spins wool to survive, and runs through snow-stained streets under fire, this episode lays bare the life-or-death stakes of Dutch resistance in WWII. It’s a deeply personal and historically rich narrative that reminds us: freedom was never free.

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👉 Follow the Woven in Courage series for more true stories of bravery, sacrifice, and the untold heroes of World War II.

Title: Freddie Visser: Grandfather, Resistance Fighter, and the Lessons of His Time

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In this powerful and intimate conversation, brothers David and Danny Visser reflect on the remarkable life of their grandfather, Freddie Visser—a man they knew as a loving father and grandfather, but who was also a courageous member of the Dutch resistance during World War II.

Episode 6 of Woven in Courage steps away from the typical narrative to deliver a personal and behind-the-scenes exploration of Freddie’s life in Groningen, Netherlands, during the Nazi occupation. David and Danny share their journey of discovery: how they uncovered evidence of their grandfather’s covert resistance activities through his wartime journal and historical research. They offer an honest look at how the quiet man they knew became a freedom fighter risking his life to resist oppression.

The brothers also draw powerful parallels between the political climate of 1940s Europe and today's world, exploring themes of courage, resistance, and the moral choices that define us. This reflective conversation examines how understanding the past—through personal family stories and broader historical events—can offer valuable lessons for today's society.

Whether you’re passionate about WWII history, family legacies, or the moral lessons of resistance movements, this episode delivers a deeply human perspective on an extraordinary life.

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.

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