AFEES Book “Stepping Stones to Freedom”

The book, Stepping Stones to Freedom: Help to Allied Airmen in The Netherlands During World War II, by Professor Bob de Graaff was originally published in Dutch as Schakels naar de vrijheid by SDU Publishers in The Hague in 1995 in cooperation with “The Escape” organization, a group made up of WWII helpers of downed Allied airmen.  Members of “The Escape” felt so strongly about its historical contents that they gathered financial support to have it translated and printed in English for members of the Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society (AFEES) in 2003.  We are grateful to Professor de Graaff for permission to reproduce the English version of the book on this website.

By way of introduction to Stepping Stones, it might be interesting to read the two following articles, the first of which, about the mailing of the book to AFEES members, appeared in the September 2003 issue of the AFEES newsletter, Communications, and the second of which appeared in the Winter 2003-2004 issue, about the presentation to H.R.H. Prince Bernhard by representatives of “The Escape” and AFEES of an autographed copy of the English language translation.

A copy of the English translation, beginning with the front and back covers, appears below.  With the exception of the covers, the different portions of the book appear as separate pdf files.  Click on a red link to view that part of the book.  The pdf files should load quickly because each one is a relatively small part of the book.  Section headings with their corresponding page numbers are listed below for each chapter to assist in finding what may be of special interest to the reader.

Title page, Publisher, Table of Contents, Dedication, Foreward (2), Note from Author, and List of Abbreviations:  3.pdf

Chapter 1, Introduction, pp. 19-20: 4.pdf

Chapter 2, The Context, pp. 21-42: 5.pdf

  • 2.1. The Whisper of Freedom, p. 21
  • 2.2. Phases in the aerial offensive above The Netherlands, p. 23
  • 2.3. Borrowed time, p. 29
  • 2.4. First decisive moments on the ground, p. 32
  • 2.5. It looked like the Queen was coming, p. 35
  • 2.6. Threats and punishment, p. 38

Illustrations (16 unnumbered pages): 6.pdf

  • Tails of condensation from formations of B-17 bombers
  • German air-defense artillery
  • German soldiers at a crash site
  • Telgram to parents of a missing pilot
  • Two shot-down airmen posing with a policeman
  • Downed airman folding his parachute
  • Downed airman getting a haircut
  • Airmen in hiding helping with house work
  • Driver with truck used to transport downed airmen to Belgium
  • Airmen dressed as monks crossing border (reconstruction)
  • Two false identity cards
  • Prayer cards for executed helpers
  • Memorial service for airman killed in air battle
  • Wedding of Lt.-Col. David T. Dobie.  Honor guards from Operation Market Garden
  • Postcard memorial of Dutch-Paris Line
  • Helper Joke Folmer receives Medal of Freedom with golden palm
  • See also map of main evasion routes in western Europe on pg. 135

Chapter 3, ‘Pilot Help’, pp. 43-79: 7.pdf

  • 3.1. ‘We’ve got one of them’, p. 43
  • 3.2. Phases of support for Alled airmen, p. 48
  • 3.3. Traffic cop in one’s own house, p. 51
  • 3.4. ‘Rather thirty Frenchmen than three Americans’, p. 55
  • 3.5. Struggle against idleness, p. 58
  • 3.6. Underway, p. 61
  • 3.7. The border crossing, p. 63
  • 3.8. Support from London, p. 69
  • 3.9. Paratroopers and the crossings, p. 73

Chapter 4, The Organizations, pp. 81-124, 8.pdf

  • 4.1. Introduction, pp. 81-82
  • 4.2. National network: Fiat Libertas, pp. 82-87
  • 4.3. Southern Limburg, pp. 87-93
    • 4.3.1. The Eijsden group, pp. 87-88
    • 4.3.2. The RAF group, pp. 88-89
    • 4.3.3. The Bongaerts group, pp. 89-90
    • 4.3.4. The Blok group, p. 90
    • 4.3.5. The Vrij group, pp. 90-92
    • 4.3.6. The Sangen group, p. 92
    • 4.3.7. The Koers family, pp. 92-93
  • 4.4. Northern and central Limburg, pp. 93-97
    • 4.4.1 Venlo and surroundings, pp. 93-96
    • 4.4.2 Roermond and surroundings, pp. 96-97
  • 4.5. Noord Brabant, pp. 98-106
    • 4.5.1 De Peel, pp. 98-99
    • 4.5.2 Budel-Maarheeze, pg. 100
    • 4.5.3. Boxtel, pg. 100
    • 4.5.4. Schijndel, pg. 100-101
    • 4.5.5. Tilburg-Goirle-Baarle, pg. 101-103
    • 4.5.6. Hilvarenbeek, pg. 103
    • 4.5.7. Chaam, pg. 103
    • 4.5.8. Sprang Capelle, pg. 104
    • 4.5.9. Convents and monasteries, pg. 104
    • 4.5.10. Tilburg, pg. 104-105
    • 4.5.11. Oisterwijk, pg. 105-106
  • 4.6. Eastern and northern regions, pg. 106-111
    • 4.6.1. Twente and the Achterhoek, pg. 106-107
    • 4.6.2. Salland, pg. 107-108
    • 4.6.3. Western Overijsel, pg. 108
    • 4.6.4. Liemers and surroundings, pg. 108
    • 4.6.5. The Noordoostpolder, pg. 109
    • 4.6.6. Drenthe, pg. 109-110
    • 4.6.7. Friesland, pg. 110-111
  • 4.7. Western region, pg. 111-116
    • 4.7.1. Amsterdam, pg. 111-114
    • 4.7.2. Northern Noord Holland, pg. 114
    • 4.7.3. The Hague, pg. 114
    • 4.7.4. Coastal region, pg. 115-116
    • 4.7.5. Overschie, pg. 116
    • 4.7.6. Zeeland, pg. 116
  • 4.8. Central region, pg. 116-118
    • 4.8.1. Eemnes and surroundings, pg. 116
    • 4.8.2. Amersfoort, pg. 116-117
    • 4.8.3. Apeldoorn, pg. 117
    • 4.8.4. The Veluwe, pg. 117-118
    • 4.8.5. Barneveld, pg. 118
  • 4.9 Regional distribution and social background of ‘pilot helpers’, pg. 118-124

Chapter 5, Continuation and Results, pp. 125-144, 9.pdf

  • 5.1. Across the border: Belgian escape lines, pg. 125-129
    • 5.1.1. Luc Marc Line, pg. 126
    • 5.1.2. Comet Line, pg. 126-128
    • 5.1.3. Eva Line, pg. 128-129
  • 5.2. Dutch escape lines on foreign soil, pg. 129-133
    • 5.2.1. Dutch-Paris Line, pg. 129-132
    • 5.2.2. The Leiden connection, pg. 132-134
  • 5.3. Escape lines and MI9 operations, pg. 134-137
    • 5.3.1. Pat O’Leary Line, pg. 134-136
    • 5.3.2. Burgundy Line, pg. 136
    • 5.3.3. Shelburne Line, pg. 136
    • 5.3.4. Mary Lindell or Marie Claire Line, pg.136
    • 5.3.5. Operation Marathon, pg. 137
  • 5.4. The results, pg. 137-144
    • 5.4.1. Structure of Dutch help for airmen, pg. 137-138
    • 5.4.2. Estimated success, pg. 138-139
    • 5.4.3. Infiltration, pg. 139-140
    • 5.4.4. Arrests, pg. 140
    • 5.4.5. Military versus morale output, pg. 141
    • 5.4.6. Dutch sentiment, pg. 142-143
    • 5.4.7. ‘Pilot help’ versus the resistance movement, pg. 143-144

Notes, pp. 145-158, 10.pdf

References, pp. 159-171, 11.pdf

Index, pp. 173-190, 12.pdf

About the Author, p. 191, 13.pdf

See also Professor de Graaf’s biography at the University of Utrecht: https://www.uu.nl/staff/bgjgraaff/0.