War tide is turning
Total War
After their victory at Stalingrad, Russian troops drove the Germans back. The English gained supremacy in the air, and German cities were subjected to heavy bombing. Hitler stirred the population on to an all-out effort in Totalkrieg [Total War]. There was a massive move of German soldiers to the Eastern Front. Labour forces from occupied countries were put to work to keep the German war industry going.
Forced labour in Germany
If someone would try to resist or flee,
he would be shot.
People in the Netherlands expected the liberation to happen soon. Defiance increased. Dutch men eligible for forced labour in Germany went into hiding on a grand scale. The Germans abandoned their attempts to win the Netherlands over. They switched to intimidation and violence.
