VAN KOKEN EN STOKEN / HOW ZADEL – VITGAVE KOMPAS DEN HAAG – “On Cooking and Heating” / “Hold On” – A Humorous Cartoon Booklet on the Dutch Population’s Struggle Against the Nazi Occupation Decrees During World War II. Published by Compass, The Hague, [1945].
The booklet humorously illustrates how the Wehrmacht took control of gas plants and cut off household gas supplies. As a result, Dutch citizens took to the streets, chopping down trees for firewood wherever possible. Once the trees along the streets were gone, they started cutting down trees from private courtyards. Eventually, no trees were left, and the streets of the Netherlands became entirely bare. The second part of the booklet focuses on the mass confiscation of bicycles by the Nazis. At first, Dutch citizens cycled freely through the streets. Suddenly, the Nazis arrived and began seizing bicycles. The resourceful Dutch responded creatively, removing the front wheel of their bicycles to evade the regulation, since a bicycle without a front wheel was technically not a bicycle. Later, a new type of bicycle appeared, featuring one large wheel and one small wheel at the front. However, the Nazis eventually decided to seize anything that resembled a bicycle, leaving the streets of the Netherlands completely devoid of them.
Although these events were a nightmare for the Dutch under Nazi occupation, the booklet portrays them with characteristic Dutch humor.
The mass confiscation of bicycles in the Netherlands by the Nazis began after the country’s occupation in 1940. Every Dutch citizen who owned a bicycle was forced to surrender it to the Germans. In 1939, there were 3,700,000 bicycles in the Netherlands, making them essential for daily transportation. On June 20, 1942, the Germans raided Dutch cities and looted all bicycle warehouses. Cyclists were forced to stop mid-ride, and their bicycles were seized on the spot. The confiscation was carried out on an enormous scale, with German soldiers simply stopping people in the streets and stealing their bicycles. Following the occupation of the Netherlands, the Nazis exploited Dutch coal resources intensively to fuel their war efforts, causing severe energy shortages for the civilian population. The lack of household gas was part of a broader policy of diverting resources to the German war machine at the expense of the local population. Gas produced in the Netherlands was redirected for industrial and military purposes, while civilian needs were neglected. As a result, Dutch citizens had to build improvised stoves, using whatever fuel they could find, including wood scraps and food waste.
During the years of Nazi occupation (1940–1945), the Dutch, perhaps more than any other nation, used humor as a tool to cope with harsh restrictions. Satirical booklets, underground cartoons, and daily jokes became an integral part of passive resistance against the occupiers. The Dutch are known for their ability to find humor even in difficult times, using it as a way to maintain morale and mock the Nazi regime. Satirical publications reflected daily life under occupation, the absurdity of Nazi policies, and how the Dutch outwitted the authorities.
Rare. Only one copy appears in the WorldCat global library catalog, held in a London library.
30 pages. 17×12 cm. Very good condition.
