How One 14 Year Old Girl’s ‘Innocent’ Bicycle Killed Dozens of Nazi Officers
In 1943, amidst the horrors of World War II, a seemingly innocent scene unfolded in Harlem, Netherlands. A young girl with braided pigtails approached a woman sitting on a park bench, exuding an air of innocence. But in a shocking turn of events, this girl, Freddy Oversteigan, pulled out a pistol and shot the woman dead before riding away on her bicycle. This was not a random act of violence; the woman was a Dutch collaborator poised to hand over a list of Jewish residents to the Nazis, a list that would have sealed the fates of countless innocent lives.
Freddy was just 16 years old, yet she had already become a key figure in the Dutch resistance against the Nazi occupation. Alongside her sister, Truce, she would go on to assassinate dozens of Nazis and collaborators, using their youth and innocence as tools in a deadly game of survival. This is the incredible story of two teenage girls who transformed from innocent children into fearless warriors, fighting against the monstrous regime that sought to annihilate their people.
A Childhood Shaped by Injustice
Freddy Oversteigan was born in 1925 in the village of Shotton, just outside Harlem. Her upbringing was anything but ordinary. Raised by a mother who was a staunch communist, Freddy learned early on that injustice must be confronted head-on. After her parents divorced, Freddy and her sister were moved into a cramped apartment in Harlem, where they shared their home with Jewish refugees and political fugitives seeking shelter from the Nazis.
Their mother instilled in them the importance of sacrifice and compassion, teaching her daughters that helping others often comes at a personal cost. This lesson would guide Freddy and Truce as they navigated the treacherous landscape of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The Nazi Occupation Begins
On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands. The Dutch army surrendered after just five days, and the occupation began immediately. Freddy and Truce, now teenagers, witnessed the brutal reality of Nazi rule firsthand. They saw their neighbors taken from their homes, heard the terrifying sounds of soldiers banging on doors, and felt the pervasive fear that gripped their community.
But rather than cower in fear, the Oversteigan sisters joined their mother in the fight against oppression. They distributed anti-Nazi pamphlets and defaced German propaganda posters, risking their lives to spread messages of resistance. Their youthful appearance allowed them to evade suspicion, and they became adept at using their bicycles to navigate the dangerous streets of Harlem.
Joining the Resistance
Their bravery did not go unnoticed. In 1941, a man named France Vanderval, commander of the Harlem Council of Resistance, sought them out. Impressed by their courage and commitment, he invited them to join the resistance. With their mother’s blessing, the sisters accepted, ready to take their fight to the next level.
Vanderval needed to ensure their loyalty and resolve, so he devised a test. Dressed as a Gestapo officer, he burst into their home, brandishing a gun and demanding to know the whereabouts of a Jewish man. Instead of caving under pressure, Freddy and Truce fought back, kicking and hitting the intruder. When Vanderval revealed his true identity, he knew he had found two fierce allies.
Learning to Kill
The sisters were taken to an underground potato shed, where they underwent training to become resistance fighters. They learned to handle weapons, sabotage Nazi operations, and, ultimately, how to kill. Their first mission was not an assassination but an act of arson—burning Nazi warehouses guarded by SS soldiers. Using their charm and innocence, they distracted the guards while fellow resistance fighters set the buildings ablaze.
Their success proved they could infiltrate spaces that men could not, and soon they were tasked with more dangerous missions. Freddy’s first assassination target was a Dutch collaborator who had compiled a list of Jews to be turned over to the Nazis. This mission was personal; it was about saving lives.
The First Kill
Freddy rode her bicycle to a public park, where she found her target sitting alone. With an innocent demeanor, she approached the woman and asked for her name. Once she confirmed the identity, Freddy drew her pistol, looked the woman in the eyes, and shot her dead. The act was swift, and Freddy fled the scene, leaving behind a lifeless body and a sense of justice.
In her later reflections, Freddy described the instinct to help even after taking a life. “The first thing you want to do when you shoot somebody is to pick them up,” she recalled, revealing the complexity of her emotions. Despite the horror of her actions, she understood the necessity of her role in the resistance.
The Evolution of Their Tactics
As the war progressed, Freddy and Truce refined their methods. They would lure Nazi officers into the forest under the guise of flirtation, where they would ambush and kill them. Sometimes, they would follow a target home, learn their routines, and then strike when they were least expecting it. Their youth provided them with access that older soldiers could not achieve, and they became a formidable force in the resistance.
In 1943, they were joined by Hanny Shaft, a young woman with distinct red hair who had also refused to submit to Nazi rule. Together, the trio formed a lethal unit, combining their skills to execute daring missions against the Nazis. They not only assassinated officers but also sabotaged trains and helped smuggle Jewish families to safety.
The Line They Would Not Cross
Despite their willingness to kill, the sisters held firm to a moral code. They refused to murder children, even those of their enemies. This principle defined their actions and set them apart from the very monsters they fought against. When ordered to kidnap the children of a high-ranking Nazi official, they refused, asserting that they were not terrorists but freedom fighters.
Their humanity was tested time and again, but they remained steadfast in their beliefs. Freddy once witnessed a Dutch SS soldier brutally murder an infant. In a fit of rage, she shot the soldier dead, acting on impulse rather than orders. This act underscored the fine line they walked between resistance and becoming the very evil they sought to destroy.
The Price of Resistance
By 1944, Hanny had become one of the most wanted resistance fighters in the Netherlands. Her distinct features made her a target, and after a series of successful missions, the Nazis captured her. Despite enduring torture and interrogation, Hanny never revealed the names of her comrades. She was executed just weeks before the Netherlands was liberated, a tragic loss for the resistance.
Freddy and Truce continued their fight, but the war was taking its toll. As the Allies advanced, the sisters faced increasing danger. They operated in the shadows, knowing that each mission could be their last.
Liberation and Legacy
On May 5, 1945, the Netherlands was liberated. The sisters’ contributions to the resistance were significant but largely unrecognized for decades. After the war, they faced a different kind of battle—being overlooked and sidelined due to their communist ties during the Cold War.
Freddy married and tried to build a normal life, but the past haunted her. She suffered from insomnia and nightmares, forever marked by the choices she had made. Truce, on the other hand, turned to art, creating memorials to honor the resistance fighters who had perished.
In 2014, after years of silence, the Dutch government finally recognized their bravery. They were awarded the Mobilization War Cross, a military honor acknowledging their service during World War II. At ages 89 and 91, the sisters received the gratitude they had long deserved, a bittersweet acknowledgment of their sacrifices.
Conclusion: The Cost of Humanity
Freddy Oversteigan and her sister Truce were not just resistance fighters; they were symbols of courage in the face of unimaginable evil. They navigated the fine line between humanity and the brutality of war, carrying the weight of their decisions throughout their lives. Their story serves as a reminder that even in the darkest times, the human spirit can rise to confront evil, armed with nothing but courage and the will to protect the innocent.
Freddy lived to be 92, and Truce passed away at 91, leaving behind a legacy of bravery and resilience. They are a testament to the power of individual action in the face of tyranny, proving that even the most innocent among us can become warriors when the fight for justice calls. Their story, one of love, loss, and the relentless pursuit of humanity, must never be forgotten.
