Dutch Resistance Fighter Betrayed by a Nazi Double Agent: Gerrit Kastein #ww2 #history #documentary

Gerrit Kastein’s story is one of extraordinary courage, intellect, and sacrifice inside Nazi-occupied Europe. When German forces invaded the Netherlands on 10 May 1940, the country collapsed within days. Rotterdam was devastated by bombing, the government fled into exile, and a brutal occupation began. For most Dutch citizens, the sudden takeover brought fear, confusion, and a desperate attempt to adjust. For Kastein, a brilliant neurologist and committed anti-fascist, it marked the moment when resistance became a moral obligation. Long before the war, Kastein had warned about the rise of fascism. He studied in Germany, saw Nazism up close, volunteered as a doctor during the Spanish Civil War, and wrote against racism and dictatorship. After the Netherlands fell, he quickly joined the underground and helped reorganize the Communist Party’s clandestine network. By 1942, he became a leading figure inside the resistance group CS-6, which targeted key collaborators and gathered intelligence on German defenses, Jewish deportations, and the Nazi-run administration. Kastein helped plan the assassination of General Hendrik Seyffardt and later took part in the attack on Hermannus Reydon, actions meant to show that Dutch collaborators would not go unpunished. These operations triggered violent reprisals by the Germans — mass arrests, executions, and terror across Dutch cities — but they also strengthened the resolve of the resistance. Betrayed by a double agent in 1943, Kastein was arrested after a dramatic struggle, attempted escape, and gunfight with SD officers. Refusing to reveal names under torture, he ended his own life by leaping from a third-story window during interrogation. He was only 32. Today he is remembered as one of the greatest heroes of the Dutch resistance. Narrator: Marchand Steenkamp. Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of the World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence