Loyal cooperation

Official instruction No. 323, 20 May 1940, Railway Museum Collection.

In its official instruction of 20 May 1940, the NS management board ordered employees to commit to loyal cooperation with the German occupying forces. In later years in particular, the term ‘loyal’ has been the subject of much criticism, as it suggests that the NS board tended to side with the Germans.

Agreement in principle, 19 April 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

In late May 1940, NS and the Germans agreed on a number of arrangements that were to be laid down in an ‘agreement in principle’ on 21 June of that year. Supplementary provisions were added to this agreement on 19 April 1941, at the request of the Germans. It was ruled, for example, that NS would have to liaise with a new official for legislative affairs. This was the Referent für Eisenbahnverkehr beim Reichskommissar [Head of Department for Railway Transport at the Imperial Commissioner’s Office] in The Hague, who formed the link with the Reichsverkehrsministerium [Imperial Ministry of Transport] in Berlin.

Picture postcard with a coloured photograph of the NS head office in Utrecht (HGB III) from 1921, Railway Museum Collection.

Initially, the German occupying forces included some 3000 German railway employees. Following the agreement of NS with the Germans, around 350 of those remained in the Netherlands. They were posted to major railway stations and workshops. The largest group ended up on the second floor of the Main Administrative Building of NS, HGB III, in Utrecht, where they cooperated with NS under the leadership of the so-called Bahnbevollmächtigte.

Stamps used by employees of the Deutsche Reichsbahn, Railway Museum Collection.

Reporting to Bahnbevollmächtigte Matthäus Selzer, a number of German railway employees worked on the first floor of the Main Administrative Building of NS, which also accommodated the NS management board, for five years. After the war, these stamps were found in the offices occupied by this group.

Oil painting of G.F.H. Giesberger by J.H. Moesman, 1943, Railway Museum Collection.

In order to make a living, the Utrecht surrealist painter Joop Moesman (1909-1988) had taken on a job at the NS’s graphic department for timetable design. In 1943 he painted a portrait of his boss, Gustav Giesberger (1885-1958), who was Head of Operations and contact person of NS with the German authorities. In the painting, Giesberger is shown carrying the timetable of 15 May 1938, with Utrecht Central Station and the Main Administrative Building (HGB III) of NS in the background. No doubt this was inspired by the roll-out, by Giesberger, of the ‘fixed’ timetable system in the entire country in that year. He was presented with the portrait on his 60th birthday, just after the war, on 29 June 1945, on behalf of all the staff at his department.

Long-service testimonial of Gustav Giesberger, Railway Museum Collection.

Although trained for the military, Gustav Friedrich Hermann Giesberger (1885-1958) entered the service of the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van de Staatsspoorwegen (SS) in 1914. He initially served as assistant inspector, but was ultimately promoted to Head of Scheduling Operations in 1932. In 1939 he celebrated his 25th anniversary with the railways. Like all other employees with 25 years of service, he received an official long-service testimonial to mark the occasion.

Photograph of Gustav Giesberger studying the timetable of 7 January 1937, text written by the NS Publicity Department, Railway Museum Collection.

This photograph shows Gustav Giesberger (left) and a colleague studying the timetable of 7 January 1937, the day of the royal wedding between Princess Juliana and Prince Bernhard. To accommodate the crowds expected at The Hague, NS decided to draw up a special timetable and publish a special timetable booklet for the event. Staff at Giesberger’s department had to ‘work harder than ever before’ to finish the timetable in time.

Glasses worn by G.F.H. Giesberger, Railway Museum Collection.

Gustav Giesberger typically wore a three-piece suit and was rarely seen without his glasses. Many years after his death in 1958 the glasses were donated to the Railway Museum.

Stamps once used by Gustav Giesberger, Railway Museum Collection.

As NS contact person for the Germans, Gustav Giesberger was responsible for all correspondence with the occupying forces. Most of that correspondence is now lost, but NS still holds eight box files full of letters, minutes and notices of objection. These are now part of the Utrecht Archives. By far the majority of the letters were signed by Giesberger himself. The set of stamps includes one with his signature.

Photograph of a dinner party of the NS management board on the occasion of the departure of Mr Lauwmans, 12 July 1941. Railway Museum Collection.

Life and work continued more or less as usual during the war. This also applied to the members of the NS management board, who held a dinner party at Huize Molenaar, a renowned establishment in Utrecht, on the occasion of the departure of one of their colleagues. That colleague was Mr J.Q.H. Laumans, Chief Engineer and Chief Locomotives Supervisor. He is shown in the left-hand side of the photo, seated between directors Hupkes (left) and Van Rijckevorsel. Gustav Giesberger is the person in the far right of the picture.

Photograph of a railway inspection by German investigators in 1940, Railway Museum Collection.

During the first five days of the war, the railways were bombed repeatedly. After the capitulation of the Dutch army, three German investigators posed next to a damaged rail.

Photo in an album in memory of Mr J. v.d. Berg, donated by employees of the Tilburg workshop, 1928-1966, Railway Museum Collection.

A photo album of an NS employee at the Tilburg workshop, J. v.d. Berg, contains several notable photographs taken just before and during the occupation. In one of those photographs, the workshop employees can be seen posing with several German soldiers in what seems to be a fairly relaxed atmosphere. The caption for this picture reads as follows: ‘And as the loco was being overhauled according to schedule …. Jerry invaded the country.’ The locomotive in the background is probably a German machine that was being overhauled in the workshop.

Photograph of German and Dutch railway employees in the Alkmaar station yard, Railway Museum Collection.

This photo shows Dutch and German railway employees walking side by side in the station yard at Alkmaar, in the company of a German Wehrmacht officer (right), probably during a railway inspection. The official caption of the press photo of NS reads as follows: ‘The Dutch and German railway officials are good colleagues.’

Photograph The Hague, Dutch State Railways, 1943, Railway Museum Collection.

In 1943 train passengers arriving at The Hague Staatsspoor Station (today The Hague Central Station) were checked before being allowed to board the train. The gentlemen in the foreground seem to be in a hurry to catch their train. Some of the signs on the platform are in German, others are in Dutch.

Photograph with caption reading ‘Trains were also crowded in the war’, Railway Museum Collection.

The caption for this photograph, taken at Utrecht Central Station in 1943, reads: ‘Trains were also crowded in the war’. Written in pencil on the back is the following text: ‘Travelling was anything but fun during the war.’ The sentence was erased later.

Photograph of passenger transport in goods carriages during the war, Railway Museum Collection.

Due to the fuel shortages, private and public road transport was decimated, resulting in an enormous increase in the number of rail passengers for NS. As more and more carriages and locomotives were requisitioned by the Germans, NS soon faced a shortage of rolling stock, prompting it not infrequently to transport passengers in closed goods carriages.

Warning signs, designed by Joop Geesink, c. 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

Advertisement designer Joop Geesink made posters and signs for NS during the war. He created these four warning signs, which urge railway employees to remain alert and not to waste any resources.

Warning signs, designed by Joop Geesink, c. 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

Advertisement designer Joop Geesink made posters and signs for NS during the war. He created these four warning signs, which urge railway employees to remain alert and not to waste any resources.

Warning signs, designed by Joop Geesink, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

Advertisement designer Joop Geesink made posters and signs for NS during the war. He created these four warning signs, which urge railway employees to remain alert and not to waste any resources.

Warning signs, designed by Joop Geesink, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

Advertisement designer Joop Geesink made posters and signs for NS during the war. He created these four warning signs, which urge railway employees to remain alert and not to waste any resources.

Warning sign in German, c. 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

Before long, a variety of signs appeared in railway carriages with warnings, orders or prohibitions. One such sign, for example, urged German soldiers to be alert to eavesdroppers when sharing information while travelling.

German Red Cross sign for use on trains, Railway Museum Collection.

This enamelled sign with red crosses would be hung in the back of a carriage, indicating that the seats on the balcony were reserved for people who had been injured during the war.

Sign in German, Mütter mit kleinen Kindern [mothers with small children] for use on trains, c. 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

The countless signs displayed on trains during the war included this one, explaining that certain compartments were reserved for mothers and their children.

Sign in German stating Dienstreiseabteil [compartment for business travellers], 1943, Railway Museum Collection.

In second-class carriages, seats were reserved for German business people and war invalids.

Sign in German, Bekanntmachung [announcement], c. 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

German-language signs were hung up in Dutch trains to explain to German military personnel and civil servants how to use the emergency brake.

Advertising poster for Noritex, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

During the occupation, the shortage of foodstuffs gradually increased. It was not long before alternatives for luxury products such as coffee appeared on the market. For instance, this poster from 1941 advertised a product called Noritex that made hot water taste like coffee.

NS calendars from the war years, Railway Museum Collection.

During the war, NS continued its tradition of publishing a yearly calendar with photographs of signposts, locomotives and railway buildings.

Photograph of first and second-class waiting room at Schiedam railway station, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

This photo shows two German soldiers enjoying their coffee and smoking cigarettes in the first and second-class waiting room at Schiedam railway station.

Photograph of the waiting room at Apeldoorn railway station, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

Wary of too much German influence at NS, deputy director Hupkes banned collections for the Winter Charity Campaign in the NS administration buildings in Utrecht. This was a campaign set up by the Germans to support Dutch citizens in need by providing food and clothing. However, Hupkes was unable to prevent posters supporting the campaign being displayed in some waiting rooms, like this one at Apeldoorn railway station.

Photograph of third-class waiting room at Delft railway station, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

Prince Bernhard’s 29th birthday, on 29 June 1940, was celebrated by people all over the country, with many of them wearing a carnation. The Germans regarded that as a provocation and tried to suppress monarchist tendencies. For some reason, however, at some stations the portrait of Queen Wilhelmina was not removed, as shown in this picture from 1941 of the third-class waiting room at Delft.

Two watercolours of the joint offices at Tegelen railway station, Petrus Wolfs, 1943, Railway Museum Collection.

NS employee with 40 years of service, Petrus Wolfs was the station master at Tegelen during the war. In 1943 he made two watercolours of the joint offices showing various items including a ticket window, a ticket-dating machine, a desk and a clock.

Oil painting on panel, signed ‘Houtman’, 1941, Railway Museum Collection.

Due to shortages during the war, people were anxious not to waste resources, foodstuffs and heat (the latter owing to an increasing lack of coal). This panel, painted by ‘Houtman’ in 1941, shows train passengers in a waiting room. A group has gathered around the stove, much to the dismay of some people in the background. Translated in English, the text says: ‘Don’t leave others out in the cold, so allow the heat to spread’.

White armband, ca 1942, Railway Museum Collection.

During the war, many NS employees wore a white armband so as to identify themselves during curfew when they needed to go out for work. Without the armband, NS employees could be arrested.

Train driver’s jacket, ca 1940, Railway Museum Collection.

During the war, NS employees kept their pre-war uniforms. For instance, train drivers could be recognised by a black jacket made of a type of corduroy known as manchester. The jacket had a collar and lapels, four copper buttons in a row, an outer breast pocket, two side pockets and an inner pocket, and was trimmed with a black woollen band along all the edges.

Wooden sign in German, ‘Deutsche Reichsbahn – Außenstelle des Bbv Utrecht – Bahnbetriebswerk Roermond’ [German State Railway – Utrecht stationmaster’s branch – Roermond railway yard], Railway Museum Collection.

Near the German border, such as here in Roermond, depots and rail yards were used by NS and the Deutsche Reichsbahn alike, by order of the Bahnbevollmächtigte. These facilities were used for minor repairs and maintenance work both on Dutch and German trains.

Article heading: ‘Who is this wholesale buyer, Goudriaan?’ From: Volk en Vaderland, 6 June 1941.

Starting on 6 June 1941, just after NS director Goudriaan had returned from Buchenwald, a number of articles appeared in Volk en Vaderland, a collaborator magazine, that were clearly intended to put Goudriaan in a bad light. The articles expressed resentment at his request for an ‘extra diesel train’ to Hilversum to get his family to safety, while having expressly forbidden all other NS employees to take such an action themselves. His pre-war policy of buying bus companies was also criticised, as was the fact that he had appointed several ex-colleagues of Philips to crucial positions at NS.

Official instruction No. 452, Goudriaan’s dismissal, Railway Museum Collection.

The negative publicity amounted to a personal attack on Goudriaan. He was summoned by the Dutch state secretary Spitzen to render account for his actions. Like the NS management and the Germans, Spitzen concluded that Goudriaan could not possibly be maintained in his position as NS President. Consequently, he was dismissed by Reich Commissioner Seyss-Inquart on 1 October 1941. His dismissal was subsequently communicated to the NS workforce by means of an official instruction. Goudriaan’s co-directors persuaded the Germans that there was no need to replace Goudriaan and that they could manage, sharing his tasks between the two of them. As of that time, Hupkes acted as deputy President. This strategy enabled the management board to prevent the appointment of a pro-German or NSB-affiliated director to replace Goudriaan.

Photograph of the simple ceremony during the installation of the Staff Council sculpture, 15 October 1940, Railway Museum Collection.

By the time the sculpture by Charles Eyck, a gift from the NS Staff Council in 1939, was finished the country had already been invaded by the Germans. According to an article in Spoor- en Tramwegen, the scultpure was installed in the Utrecht Central Station hall ‘without any ceremony’.

‘You’ll be on your own’, NVV poster, 1941, Beeldbank WO2-NIOD.

The Dutch Association of Railway and Tramway Personnel (NV) was one of the unions affiliated to the NVV, the largest federation of trade unions in the Netherlands before the war. With its socialist leanings, the NVV was seen as a threat by the Germans. Before long, on 16 July 1940 they appointed NSB member H.J. Woudenberg as commissioner of the NVV with a view to slowly transforming it to reflect National Socialist principles. Many administrators were dismissed, while others remained in the hope of being able to look after their members’ interests even under German supervision. The poster encouraged members not to leave the NVV if they wanted to improve working conditions.

Photograph of G. (Godert) Joustra, 1946, International Institute of Social History (IISG).

One of the people who did not resign after the NSB had taken control of the NVV was Godert Joustra. Within this umbrella union, Joustra took the post of chairman of the Dutch Association of Railway and Tramway Personnel (NV), convinced that this put him in a better position to look after the workers’ interests than by resigning. He also hoped that the NVV chairman, NSB member Woudenberg, would prove not altogether uncooperative. This strategy did not earn him universal respect. Joustra was also appointed chairman of the NS Staff Council. Like many other members, he eventually resigned after all when the NVV, in 1942, merged with the National Socialist Dutch Labour Front (NAF). He then became chairman of the new and independent NS Staff Council.

Official instruction No. 735, 30 June 1940, Railway Museum Collection.

The Staff Council continued to serve as an important consultation partner for the NS management board during the years of the occupation, especially as regards working conditions, wages and bonuses. For example, following consultation with the Staff Council the management board decided to grant an extra bonus to all NS employees on 30 June 1944.