The German army invades the Netherlands in May 1940.

“On May 10, 1940, shortly after our visa was denied, German paratroopers landed in Holland. The occupation was swift. Within a few days, the German air force, the Luftwaffe, bombed Rotterdam, our birthplace. The centre of our city was totally destroyed, more than nine hundred people were killed and many were injured. Meanwhile, heavy fighting took place near Arnhem, about a hundred kilometres away, and by May 15 we were under German occupation. We were at war!”

Claire Baum