February 3, 1945
Introduction to the content
In the poem Safety under Seyss, Curt Bloch responds to statements made by Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the Reich Commissioner for the Netherlands. It was claimed to be hostile lies and rumors that people in the country should fear the German occupiers. The opposite is demonstrated, among other things, by the fact that girls and women can move fearlessly on the streets with their bicycles. Curt Bloch has his own reasoning for this observation: Because so many Dutch people have been banished, imprisoned, and killed, men no longer dare to venture out onto the streets.
With the text Now you didn’t want it! Curt Bloch addresses the German people. They had surrendered to the “Hitlerian delusion of grandeur.” Now, all that remains is the hangover after the megalomania of thinking they were the master race. Afterwards, the Germans claimed that they had never intended the wars and that disputes with other countries had been forced upon them. Now they have awakened from the illusion, but late remorse can no longer change anything – “it will be night for Germany”.
In September 1944, the Dutch government in exile called on railway workers in the country to go on strike. This was intended to paralyze Dutch infrastructure and prevent the German army from quickly and effectively moving troops and supplies to the front. 30,000 railway employees participated in the work stoppage, which led to logistical problems for the Germans. The strike, as well as the silent resistance in the Dutch population, is addressed in Curt Bloch’s poem The Underground Front.
Although Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels no longer attributed any breakthrough to the Russian forces in 1941, the situation has clearly changed: In the poem New Russian Offensive, Curt Bloch describes how Germany has already lost most of the conquered territories in the east. With the strong Russian troops, the “German elite army” is now facing a very bleak future.
In the hunger winter of 1944/45, Curt Bloch finds reports in the newspapers about meat rations. For example, an article states that the allocation in Belgium has been reduced to 20 grams per day. This evokes pity from Bloch. Fortunately, they are not in the shoes of the Belgians here in the Netherlands because, according to official statements from Reich Commissioner Seyss-Inquart, they receive at least 100 to 125 grams of meat per week. However, after a calculation, Curt Bloch realizes that it is significantly less in comparison. So in the poem About meat rations he hopes for a better future after the British liberation – and an increase of 15 grams.
According to Curt Bloch, the unstoppable advance of the Russian army leads to an Offensive of Offensives, which could mean the end for the National Socialists. Hitler is beyond saving, and the battle will now be decided, bringing peace back to the earth.
