The Second World War in a few square kilometers: an occupied Dutch village under the magnifying glass

An impressive, meticulous reconstruction of a dramatic incident that occurred on October 10, 1944, in the German-occupied village of Rhoon, which continues to divide the community to this day. On that day, a German soldier dies in the Dutch village of Rhoon, occupied by the Wehrmacht. The subsequent act of retaliation is horrific: seven men from the village are executed, their wives and children are expelled, and their homes are set on fire. Why this attack on the soldier? Or was it just an accident? Jan Brokken investigates this event with a detective's instinct, one that still troubles the villagers today. He conducted interviews with 185 eyewitnesses for his book, reviewed court documents, and meticulously reconstructs the events of October 1944. All those involved—from the Wehrmacht commander to the small factory worker who agitates against the occupiers underground—have their own very different motives, which the author gradually uncovers and skillfully weaves together. The search for the truth turns into a criminal investigation. Thus, a picture emerges of a village during wartime, where personal interests and resentments dictate daily life and continue to resonate into the present.