Suriname during World War II

Last updated
Soldiers of the Schutterij during the visit of Prince Bernhard (1943) Nederlands West-Indie. Suriname. Bezoek prins Bernhard. Inlandse soldaten staan , Bestanddeelnr 935-1564.jpg
Soldiers of the Schutterij during the visit of Prince Bernhard (1943)
A Surinamese soldier Nederlands West-Indie. Suriname. Inlandse soldaat, Bestanddeelnr 935-1565.jpg
A Surinamese soldier

The history of Suriname during World War II was mainly focused on protecting the bauxite industry and guarding the borders with French Guiana which was part of Vichy France. From November 1941 onwards, 2,000 American troops were stationed in Suriname who transformed Airstrip Zanderij into a major airport, and constructed defensive works. No actual battles took place in Suriname. There was a political crisis in 1943, because Governor Johannes Kielstra used the state of emergency to imprison political opponents.

Contents

History

Suriname was a colony of the Netherlands in 1940. At the start of the Battle of the Netherlands, it was defended by 200 soldiers of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) and 180 local volunteers of the Schutterij . Troops from the Schutterij were not allowed to be used outside of Suriname. [1] On 5 September 1939, Goslar , a German steamship, asked for asylum in Suriname. On 10 May 1940, she was scuttled by her crew, and her wreck is still visible in the Suriname River. [2]

Suriname was a major producer of bauxite which is used to make aluminium, a vital resource for the aircraft industry. Between 1940 and 1943, Suriname supplied 65% of American imports of bauxite. [3] About 90% of all aluminium was used for military purposes. [4] On 1 September 1941, three months before Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made an offer to Queen Wilhelmina to station 3,000 soldiers in Suriname. [3] The number of troops was later revised to 2,000 soldiers and they were placed under the command of the KNIL. The Netherlands would be responsible for the financial costs. [1] Attempts were made to expand the Schutterij, and at its height it comprised 5,000 volunteers. [5] : 92 

American soldiers training in Suriname American Troops in Dutch Guyana Amerikaanse troepen in Suriname, Bestanddeelnr 935-1571.jpg
American soldiers training in Suriname

The American soldiers started to arrive from November 1941 onwards. [1] In December 1941, the troops started to transform Airstrip Zanderij into the largest airport of South America at the time. [6] The airport was constructed to protect ships and factories against U-boat attacks. [7] On 16 February 1942, U-156 destroyed two oil tankers near Aruba, and then emerged to attack Lago Oil and Transport Company, the world's largest oil refinery. The crew forgot to remove the plug of the cannon, and the cannon exploded. [8] In June 1942, about 22 per cent of the bauxite fleet had been destroyed in the Caribbean. [9]

Another large airport near the border with Brazil was initially planned, [6] however in February 1942, a mutual defence treaty was signed between the United States, Brazil, and Suriname. [10]

The border with French Guiana, part of Vichy France, was a major concern, and was defended by the Schutterij. [1] On 16 March 1943, [11] French Guiana sided with Free France. [12] In 1943, the American troops were replaced by Puerto Ricans. [1]

Political events

On 6 December 1942, Queen Wilhelmina made a speech about the necessity of a re-evaluation of the relationship with the colonies. Even though the speech was intended to keep Indonesia within the Kingdom, it was well received in Suriname, and would lead to the 1954 Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands in which Suriname became a constituent country within the Kingdom. [13]

Governor Johannes Kielstra used the state of emergency to increase his power and circumvent the Estates of Suriname. [14] : 160  In 1943, he would use his increased authority against political opponents like Eddy Bruma and Otto Huiswoud who were arrested and imprisoned without trial. [15] [16] On 23 July, [17] Wim Bos Verschuur, a member of the Estates, petitioned Queen Wilhelmina to remove Kielstra from office. On 30 July, Verschuur was arrested and interned without trial. [14] : 162  Subsequently, all elected members of the Estates handed in their resignation. [18] On 28 December, [17] Kielstra was given an honourable discharge by the Dutch government-in-exile. [19]

Internment

On the morning of 10 May 1940, 73 German men and a handful of anti-colonial activists were detained. An additional nine German men, 45 women, and 35 children were later arrested without regard for their political disposition. [5] : 92  They were interned at Copieweg internment camp. [20] In 1942, political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies were interned at Jodensavanne internment camp near the abandoned Jewish colony. [21] In 1942, known prostitutes were interned at Katwijk plantation. They were released in 1944. [7]

Jewish immigration

There was traditionally a large Jewish presence in Suriname. [22] In 1942, a group of 1,000 French Jews who had fled to Portugal were given permission to settle in Suriname. Later more would follow. [7] At the 2012 census, only 181 people identified as Jewish. [23]

Volunteers

Surinamese volunteers arrive in Australia Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (KNIL), Australie. Vanuit Suriname arriveren, Bestanddeelnr 934-9000.jpg
Surinamese volunteers arrive in Australia

There was support for the war effort among the Surinamese, but most were ambivalent about volunteering for armed service. [5] : 92, 94  There were about 400 volunteers who wanted to fight with Royal Netherlands Motorized Infantry Brigade in Great-Britain, however ethnic concerns and the relationship of the Dutch government-in-exile with South Africa and the enlistment of Dutch South Africans led the army to abandon the plan in 1941. [24] [5] : 94  Nevertheless, 15 volunteers from Suriname participated in the Normandy landings. [24] About 450–500 volunteers enlisted with the KNIL to fight in the Pacific War in 1944 and 1945. Approximately 200 Surinamese served in the merchant navy. [5] : 94 

Legacy

Even though no actual battles took place in Suriname, it revitalised the economy of the colony. [25] The international airport and roads further helped develop the economy. During World War II, two bauxite factories opened in Paranam and Onverdacht. [7] In 1941, Suriname had a government budget surplus for the first time in 75 years which would remain positive throughout the war. [25] : 137  By the end of the war, bauxite production contributed one third of the country's gross domestic product. [5] : 92  The de facto independence during the war set in motion a movement for democratisation and autonomy which would finally lead to independence in 1975. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch government-in-exile</span> WWII government of the Netherlands during Nazi occupation

The Dutch government-in-exile, also known as the London Cabinet, was the government in exile of the Netherlands, supervised by Queen Wilhelmina, that fled to London after the German invasion of the country during World War II on 10 May 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Para District</span> District of Suriname

Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Suriname, with many large bauxite mining operations operating. The district is a mixture of forest and savannas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Netherlands East Indies Army</span> Military force maintained by the Netherlands in its colony of the Netherlands East Indies

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was the military force maintained by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies, in areas that are now part of Indonesia. The KNIL's air arm was the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. Elements of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Government Navy were also stationed in the Netherlands East Indies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moengo</span> Resort in Marowijne District, Suriname

Moengo is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moengo was the capital of Marowijne District between 1932 and 1945. The current capital is Albina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodensavanne</span> Plantation community established in Suriname by Sephardi Jews

Jodensavanne was a Jewish plantation community in Suriname, South America, and was for a time the centre of Jewish life in the colony. It was established in the 1600s by Sephardi Jews and became more developed and wealthy after a group of Jews fleeing persecution in Brazil settled there in the 1660s. It was located in what is now Para District, about 50 km (31 mi) south of the capital Paramaribo, on the Suriname River. Sugarcane plantations were established and Black African people were used as slave labour. At its height in around 1700 it was home to roughly 500 plantation owners and 9000 slaves. The colony faced regular attacks from Indigenous people, slave revolts, and even raids from the French navy. The community eventually relocated to the capital of Paramaribo. Clearing of grave sites and maintenance of the synagogue ruins has been attempted at various times from the 1940s to the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Borneo (1941–1942)</span> WWII Battle between Japanese and Dutch and British forces

The Battle of Borneo was a successful campaign by Japanese Imperial forces for control of Borneo island and concentrated mainly on the subjugation of the Raj of Sarawak, Brunei, North Borneo, and the western part of Kalimantan that was part of the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese main unit for this mission was the 35th Infantry Brigade led by Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi.

Prostitution in Suriname is illegal but widespread and the laws are rarely enforced. Human trafficking and Child prostitution are problems in the country. Prostitutes are known locally as "motyo". UNAIDS estimate there to be 2,228 prostitutes in the country.

Otto Eduard Gerardus Majella Huiswoud was a Surinamese political activist who was a charter member of the Communist Party of America. Huiswoud is regarded as the first black member of the American communist movement. Huiswoud served briefly as the Communist Party's representative to the Executive Committee of the Communist International in 1922 and was a leading black Comintern functionary during the decade of the 1920s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aarnoud van Heemstra</span> Dutch nobleman, jurist and politician

Aarnoud Jan Anne Aleid, Baron van Heemstra was a Dutch nobleman, jurist and politician. He served as mayor of Arnhem between 1910 and 1920, and Governor-General of Suriname from 1921 until 1928. Van Heemstra was the grandfather of Audrey Hepburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surinam (Dutch colony)</span> Dutch plantation colony in the Guianas

Surinam, also unofficially known as Dutch Guiana, was a Dutch plantation colony in the Guianas, bordered by the equally Dutch colony of Berbice to the west, and the French colony of Cayenne to the east. It later bordered British Guiana from 1831 to 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Suriname</span> Aspect of history

The history of the Jews in Suriname starts in 1639, as the English government allowed Spanish and Portuguese Jews from the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy to settle the region, coming to the old capital Torarica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Dutch Forces</span> WWII military of the Dutch government-in-exile

The Free Dutch Forces refers to the Dutch military formations of the Dutch government-in-exile and its colonies that were formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies during World War II following the Dutch surrender in May 1940.

<i>Goslar</i> (ship)

Goslar is a German turbine steamboat, and was in service as a freighter. She was built in 1929 in Hamburg. On 5 September 1939, she surrendered in Suriname. On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, and the ship was scuttled by her crew. Attempts to remove the wreck in 1955 failed, and has resulted in the ship breaking in two parts.

Wim Bos Verschuur, born Bernard Willem Hendrik Verschuur was a Surinamese politician, activist, artist, and writer. On 30 July 1943, he was arrested and interned for opposing governor Johannes Kielstra; this caused a major scandal in Surinam politics and led to a larger wave of repression against opposition figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodensavanne internment camp</span> Building in Para District, Suriname

Jodensavanne was a Dutch Internment Camp for Political prisoners from the Dutch East Indies operated in Surinam during World War II. The camp was named after a nearby, long-abandoned Jewish colony, Jodensavanne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copieweg internment camp</span> Building in Para District, Suriname

Copieweg camp was a Dutch Internment Camp for German civilians that operated in Surinam during World War II, from 1940 to 1947. They were interned due to their nationality rather than due to proven support for Nazi Germany, although some of them were widely known to be Nazi supporters. Non-German detainees were also sent to this camp after 1942, including a small group of South African conscientious objectors and a few members of the Surinam political opposition including the politician Wim Bos Verschuur. The camp was built on the site of a Roman Catholic Monastery twenty kilometres from Paramaribo which was expanded to house a larger number of detainees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Johan Alexander Schoonheyt</span> Dutch doctor and political prisoner

Louis Johan Alexander Schoonheyt (1903-1986), commonly known as L. J. A. Schoonheyt, was a Dutch medical doctor, writer, and supporter of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands before World War II. From 1935 to 1936 he was the camp doctor at the Boven-Digoel concentration camp in New Guinea, Dutch East Indies, and is mostly known today for the book he wrote about his experiences there, Boven-Digoel: Het land van communisten en kannibalen (1936). His praise for the conditions in the camp earned him the ire of the internees, Indonesian nationalists, and Dutch human rights advocates; E. du Perron called him a 'colonial bandit', while many internees burned his book after reading it in the camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Kielstra</span> Dutch politician (1878–1951)

Johannes Coenraad Kielstra was a professor and Governor of Suriname from 1933 until 1944. During World War II, he increased his authority and imprisoned political opponents causing the resignation of all elected members of the Estates of Suriname. On 28 December 1943, he was given an honourable discharge by the Dutch government-in-exile. He served as Ambassador of the Netherlands to Mexico from 1944 until 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memre Boekoe barracks</span> Barrack in Paramaribo, Suriname

The Memre Boekoe barracks is a military installation in Paramaribo, Suriname. It was constructed during World War II as barracks for the American soldiers stationed in Suriname. It was originally named Kampement Gemenelandsweg. In 1950, it was renamed Prins Bernhard kampement. After the independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975, it was renamed Memre Boekoe barracks after Fort Boekoe, a fort used during the Boni Wars. It is currently used as the headquarters of the Surinamese Land Forces.

The bombing of Sukabumi was an aerial bombing of the city of Sukabumi, West Java in the Dutch East Indies during the Dutch East Indies campaign of World War II. On the morning of Friday, 6 March 1942, a formation of seven Imperial Japanese aircraft indiscriminately bombed and strafed government buildings, infrastructure, and residential areas, resulting in the deaths of around 70 people and destruction throughout the city.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tweede wereldoorlog". TRIS Online (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. ↑ "Goslar". Don Sandro (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Het Prinses Irene detachement in Suriname". Parbode (in Dutch). 22 February 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  4. ↑ Mimi Sheller. "The Uneasy Alliance Between Aluminum and Warfare". The MIT Press Reader. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hoefte, R. (2013). Suriname in the Long Twentieth Century : Domination, Contestation, Globalization. Palgrave Macmillan US. ISBN   9781137360120.
  6. 1 2 "Aanleg vliegveld in Suriname". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 2 December 1941. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Suriname in de Tweede Wereldoorlog". Werkgroep Caraibische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  8. ↑ "U-BOAT 156". Lago Colony. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Stetson Conn, Rose C. Engelman and Byron Fairchild (2000). "The Caribbean in Wartime". History of the United States Army. p. 423. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "De verdediging van Suriname". Nieuwe Vlaardingsche courant (in Dutch). 18 February 1942. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  11. ↑ Donet-Vincent, Danielle (2001). "Les "bagnes" des Indochinois en Guyane (1931-1963)". Persée. Outre-Mers. Revue d'histoire (in French). p. 220.
  12. ↑ Thabouillot, Gérard (2011). "Être chef de poste en Inini (1930-1969)". Persée. Outre-Mers. Revue d'histoire (in French). p. 48. ISSN   2275-4954.
  13. ↑ Maurice Blessing (October 2013). "Wilhemina preekt de revolutie" (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  14. 1 2 Johan Ferrier (1995). "De Unie Suriname". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "BRUMA, Eddy Johan". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  16. ↑ "Otto Eduard Gerardus Majella Huiswoud". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  17. 1 2 "Museumstof 74: Wim Bos Verschuur, de sika in de pels van Kielstra". Surinaams Museum (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  18. ↑ E. van Laar. "Kielstra, Johannes Coenraad (1878-1951)". Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  19. ↑ "Mr. J.C. Kielstra". Parliament of the Netherlands (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Interneringskamp Copieweg" (in Dutch). Network of War Collections . Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  21. ↑ Christine F. Samsom. "Strafkolonie Jodensavanne". Werkgroep Caraibische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  22. ↑ "The Arrival of Jewish Settlers". Suriname Jewish Community. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  23. ↑ "Definitieve Resultaten Achtste Algemene Volkstelling" (PDF). Statistics Suriname (in Dutch). 2012. p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  24. 1 2 "Rekruten uit Suriname". Prinses Irene Brigade (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  25. 1 2 Hans Ramsoedh (1995). "Rumcola en Yankee-dollars". OSO. Tijdschrift voor Surinaamse taalkunde, letterkunde en geschiedenis (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.