---
title: "Today in military history: Dutch Resistance attacks SS officer"
date: "2022-03-06"
modified: "2022-03-07"
authors:
  - name: "Team Mighty"
    job_title: "Author"
    link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/teammighty/"
url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/today-in-military-history-dutch-resistance-attacks-ss-officer/"
categories:
  - "History"
  - "War History"
  - "World War II"
---

# Today in military history: Dutch Resistance attacks SS officer

![A black and white photograph showing a group of men, some in military uniforms and others in civilian suits, standing indoors. The central figure is a man in a military uniform with a serious expression, flanked by two men in dark military uniforms and caps. Several other people are visible in the background, standing in a formal setting with large windows and columns. Two microphones are positioned in front of the group.](<https://www.wearethemighty.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rauter.jpg>)
*Hans Alwin Rauter voor het Bijzonder Gerechtshof in Den Haag, 1 april 1948 Foto Ben van Meerendonk / AHF, collectie IISG, Amsterdam*

On March 6, 1945, members of the Dutch Resistance unwittingly ambushed SS officer Lt. General Hanns Rauter.

The Dutch Resistance was a fierce and determined underground movement comprised of all segments of society. Rauter was an officer in the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the Nazi party’s paramilitary organization. He was responsible for the deportation of 110,000 Dutch Jews to Nazi concentration camps, the deportation of 300,000 Dutchmen to labor camps, and policies designed to enforce obedience and fear in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands.

https://youtu.be/A_X-82TOug0

On March 6, 1945, members of the Dutch resistance attempted to hijack a truck in Apeldoorn, Holland, while dressed in German uniforms. Unfortunately, Rauter was in the motorcade, and had just two weeks earlier issued orders that German military vehicles were not to be stopped.

A firefight broke out. Rauter feigned death and was left behind. In retaliation, 243 Dutchmen were executed.

After the war, Rauter was tried for war crimes by a Dutch court and sentenced to death. He was executed in 1949.

*Featured Image: SS Obergruppenführer Hanns Albin Rauter on trial at The Hague in 1948.*

## Author
Team Mighty's experience encompasses intel, special ops, military history, tactical expertise, aviation, gear, and weapons. Authors on Team Mighty include veterans, spouses, and active and reserve service members from every branch of the military, as well as former CIA employees.