Amsterdam Civil Registry Raid

The street around you holds a story that most people walk past without ever knowing. On the night of March 27, 1943, nine resistance fighters disguised as police officers entered the Amsterdam civil registry at Plantage Kerklaan 36.

They overpowered the staff, sedated the guards, and got to work. Their mission was to destroy the identity card files that the Nazi occupiers used to track down Jews, people in hiding, and forced labourers. The team piled thousands of records on the floor, doused them in gasoline, and set off a series of explosions. Around 800,000 identity cards went up in flames that night. 

The physical damage turned out to be less than they hoped, roughly fifteen percent of all files were truly lost, but the symbolic blow was enormous. The operation was led by Willem Arondéus and Gerrit van der Veen, and it was carried out without harming a single person. That was a deliberate choice, and it speaks to the kind of people these resisters were. Within weeks, most of the group was betrayed. On July 1, 1943, twelve of them were executed, including Arondéus. 

A plaque on the building today honours their courage and keeps their names alive.