Hans Larive
Encyclopedia
Etienne Henri "Hans" Larive, MWO, DSC
and bar
, (23 September 1915—28 December 1984) was a Dutch naval officer during World War II
. He escaped from the prisoner of war
camp Oflag IV-C
at Colditz Castle
in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in England serving aboard Motor Torpedo Boat
s. He later wrote his memoir Vannacht varen de Hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into English as The Man Who Came In From Colditz (1975).
. He entered the Royal Netherlands Naval College
(KIM) in 1934, graduating in 1937, and gaining his commission as Luitenant ter Zee (3de klasse)
on 13 August that year. He was promoted to Luitenant ter Zee (2de klasse)
on 13 August 1939.
, he returned from his tour of duty in the Dutch East Indies
as Navigation Officer
aboard the Admiralen class destroyer
HNLMS Van Galen. On 10 May 1940 the Germans invaded, and the Van Galen was sent to shell German paratroopers which had landed around Rotterdam
and Waalhaven
airport. The ship had to steam into the narrow Nieuwe Waterweg
, where she was attacked and soon sunk by Stuka
dive-bombers.
not to take part in any hostile activities against the Germans. Larive, with about 60 other officers and one rating refused, and were sent to German POW camps. The first was Oflag VI-A in Soest, Germany
, where Larive made his first escape attempt in October 1940. This attempt brought him near to Singen
, close to the Swiss border, where he was arrested. Convinced that Germany would soon win the war, the interrogating Gestapo
officer arrogantly showed Larive how he would have crossed the Swiss border without problems. Larive later passed this valuable information on, and many Dutch and British prisoners used the "Singen route" to enter Switzerland. After this escape attempt all Dutch POW's were moved to Oflag VIII-C near Juliusburg
, but after another successful escape by two officers they were all moved again in July 1941 to the maximum security camp (sonderlager) Oflag IV-C
at Colditz.
, known as "Vandy" by the British. Van den Heuvel quickly recognised the possibilities of the exercise park and soon had his first escape plan ready. On 15 August 1941 Larive and Lieutenant Francis Steinmetz
hid under a manhole cover
under the cover of a rugby scrum
. Lieutenant Gerrit Dames then created a diversion by cutting a hole in the barbed wire fence, before allowing himself to be caught, shouting to imaginary escapers to run, so that the Germans would think that the missing officers had already escaped.
Larive and Steinmetz hid for several hours. The cover was fixed with a heavy bolt, which Van den Heuvel had replaced with a fake made of glass. Once it was dark the two men forced the manhole cover open from below, and replaced the now broken glass bolt with the original one. They then made their way out of the castle. (This escape method was repeated on 20 September 1941 by two other Dutch officers, C. Giebel and O. L. Drijber.). At Leisnig
Larive and Steinmetz took a train to Nuremberg
where they waited for their next train in a nearby park. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, they pretended to be a courting couple, with Steinmetz pulling a blanket down over his shorts so it looked like a skirt. They crossed the Swiss border on 18 August 1941.
Under Swiss neutrality law
they were not allowed to leave the country, so the Dutch Legation provided false papers describing them as sugar planters on their way to Cuba. They travelled on a sealed train in which neutrals were able to pass through France into Spain. At Barcelona
they boarded the neutral ship, Isla de Teneriffe, sailing for Havana. The ship was intercepted by a Royal Navy cutter in the Strait of Gibraltar
and the two men were taken off and arrived in Gibraltar
on 4 November. They then sailed to England aboard the submarine HNLMS O 21
and arrived in London on 17 December 1941.
MTB 203, part of the Anglo-Dutch 9th MTB Flotilla. Later the 9th Flotilla become wholly Dutch, and Larive commanded it from October 1942 until October 1943. He then became the Senior Officer of all Dutch MTBs (commanding the 2nd and 9th MTB Flotillas) until 16 September 1944, with the rank of Temporary Acting Luitenant ter Zee 1ste klasse. The Dutch MTB service was disbanded on 5 September 1944, and its personnel were reassigned to "Port Parties", operating in liberated areas of the Netherlands. Larive then became head of the Dutch Naval Press Agency MARVO (Marine Voorlichting Dienst), a post he held until leaving the navy on 1 July 1946.
company from 1 September 1946. Between December 1951 and May 1954 he was a Deputy Director of N.V. Curaçaose Scheepvaart Maatschappij (Curaçao Shipping Company), a Shell subsidiary.
In 1950, he published his wartime memoirs entitled Vannacht varen de Hollanders ("The Dutch Sail Tonight"), later published in English as The Man Who Came In From Colditz. He died at The Hague
on 28 December 1984.
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
and bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, (23 September 1915—28 December 1984) was a Dutch naval officer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He escaped from the prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
at Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in England serving aboard Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
s. He later wrote his memoir Vannacht varen de Hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into English as The Man Who Came In From Colditz (1975).
Early life
Larive was born on 23 September 1915 in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He entered the Royal Netherlands Naval College
Royal Netherlands Naval College
The Royal Netherlands Naval College in Den Helder is the service academy of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The KIM offers a program of four or five years and also a short course of sixteen to twenty-two months...
(KIM) in 1934, graduating in 1937, and gaining his commission as Luitenant ter Zee (3de klasse)
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
on 13 August that year. He was promoted to Luitenant ter Zee (2de klasse)
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 13 August 1939.
World War II
In May 1940, just a few days before the Germans attacked HollandBattle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
, he returned from his tour of duty in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
as Navigation Officer
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
aboard the Admiralen class destroyer
Admiralen class destroyer
The Admiralen Class were eight destroyers built for the Royal Netherlands Navy between 1926 and 1931. All ships fought in World War II and were scuttled or sunk...
HNLMS Van Galen. On 10 May 1940 the Germans invaded, and the Van Galen was sent to shell German paratroopers which had landed around Rotterdam
Battle of Rotterdam
The Battle of Rotterdam was a Second World War battle fought during the Battle of the Netherlands. Fought between 10–14 May 1940, it was a German attempt to seize the Dutch city. It ended in a German victory, following the bombing of Rotterdam.-Prelude:...
and Waalhaven
Waalhaven
thumb|right|250px|Waalhaven Airport in 1932, with the [[LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin|Graf Zeppelin]] in the background.The Waalhaven is one of various harbours in the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and used to be home to an airport, Vliegveld Waalhaven . It was the first civilian airport in the...
airport. The ship had to steam into the narrow Nieuwe Waterweg
Nieuwe Waterweg
The Nieuwe Waterweg is a ship canal in the Netherlands from het Scheur west of the town of Maassluis to the North Sea at Hook of Holland...
, where she was attacked and soon sunk by Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
dive-bombers.
The Singen route
After the Dutch capitulation, all officers were required to give their word of honourParole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
not to take part in any hostile activities against the Germans. Larive, with about 60 other officers and one rating refused, and were sent to German POW camps. The first was Oflag VI-A in Soest, Germany
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
, where Larive made his first escape attempt in October 1940. This attempt brought him near to Singen
Singen
Singen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.-Location:...
, close to the Swiss border, where he was arrested. Convinced that Germany would soon win the war, the interrogating Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
officer arrogantly showed Larive how he would have crossed the Swiss border without problems. Larive later passed this valuable information on, and many Dutch and British prisoners used the "Singen route" to enter Switzerland. After this escape attempt all Dutch POW's were moved to Oflag VIII-C near Juliusburg
Dobroszyce
Dobroszyce is a village in Oleśnica County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It is the seat of the administrative district called Gmina Dobroszyce. Prior to 1945 it was in Germany....
, but after another successful escape by two officers they were all moved again in July 1941 to the maximum security camp (sonderlager) Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C
Oflag IV-C, often referred to as Colditz Castle because of its location, was one of the most famous German Army prisoner-of-war camps for officers in World War II; Oflag is a shortening of Offizierslager, meaning "officers camp"...
at Colditz.
Escaping Colditz
At Colditz all Dutch escapes were coordinated by the Dutch escape officer Captain Machiel van den HeuvelMachiel van den heuvel
Machiel van den Heuvel was the Dutch escape officer in Oflag IV-C Colditz for Dutch POW's held in Germany during World War II. A similar role to that held by Captain Pat Reid, the author of The Colditz Story, for the British POW's...
, known as "Vandy" by the British. Van den Heuvel quickly recognised the possibilities of the exercise park and soon had his first escape plan ready. On 15 August 1941 Larive and Lieutenant Francis Steinmetz
Francis Steinmetz
Francis Steinmetz was an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy who escaped from Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle, a German POW camp, during World War II....
hid under a manhole cover
Manhole cover
A manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole, to prevent anyone from falling in and to keep unauthorized persons out....
under the cover of a rugby scrum
Scrum (rugby)
Scrum , in the sports of rugby union and rugby league, is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement or when the ball has gone out of play...
. Lieutenant Gerrit Dames then created a diversion by cutting a hole in the barbed wire fence, before allowing himself to be caught, shouting to imaginary escapers to run, so that the Germans would think that the missing officers had already escaped.
Larive and Steinmetz hid for several hours. The cover was fixed with a heavy bolt, which Van den Heuvel had replaced with a fake made of glass. Once it was dark the two men forced the manhole cover open from below, and replaced the now broken glass bolt with the original one. They then made their way out of the castle. (This escape method was repeated on 20 September 1941 by two other Dutch officers, C. Giebel and O. L. Drijber.). At Leisnig
Leisnig
Leisnig is a small town in the district of Mittelsachsen, federal Free State of Saxony in Germany.-History:A settlement in this location was first mentioned in 1046. The town features Mildenstein Castle which is over 1000 years old. The house Markt 13 shows the coat of arms of the family...
Larive and Steinmetz took a train to Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
where they waited for their next train in a nearby park. To avoid attracting unwanted attention, they pretended to be a courting couple, with Steinmetz pulling a blanket down over his shorts so it looked like a skirt. They crossed the Swiss border on 18 August 1941.
Under Swiss neutrality law
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
they were not allowed to leave the country, so the Dutch Legation provided false papers describing them as sugar planters on their way to Cuba. They travelled on a sealed train in which neutrals were able to pass through France into Spain. At Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
they boarded the neutral ship, Isla de Teneriffe, sailing for Havana. The ship was intercepted by a Royal Navy cutter in the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
and the two men were taken off and arrived in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
on 4 November. They then sailed to England aboard the submarine HNLMS O 21
O 21 class submarine
The O 21 class was a class of seven submarines, built for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The ships were still incomplete at the start of the German invasion of the Netherlands O 21, O 22, O 23 and O 24 were hastily launched and escaped to the United Kingdom. O 25, O 26 and O 27 are not able to escape...
and arrived in London on 17 December 1941.
MTB commander
In March 1942 Larive was assigned to command of the Dutch Motor Torpedo BoatMotor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
MTB 203, part of the Anglo-Dutch 9th MTB Flotilla. Later the 9th Flotilla become wholly Dutch, and Larive commanded it from October 1942 until October 1943. He then became the Senior Officer of all Dutch MTBs (commanding the 2nd and 9th MTB Flotillas) until 16 September 1944, with the rank of Temporary Acting Luitenant ter Zee 1ste klasse. The Dutch MTB service was disbanded on 5 September 1944, and its personnel were reassigned to "Port Parties", operating in liberated areas of the Netherlands. Larive then became head of the Dutch Naval Press Agency MARVO (Marine Voorlichting Dienst), a post he held until leaving the navy on 1 July 1946.
Post-war
Larive was employed by the Royal Dutch ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
company from 1 September 1946. Between December 1951 and May 1954 he was a Deputy Director of N.V. Curaçaose Scheepvaart Maatschappij (Curaçao Shipping Company), a Shell subsidiary.
In 1950, he published his wartime memoirs entitled Vannacht varen de Hollanders ("The Dutch Sail Tonight"), later published in English as The Man Who Came In From Colditz. He died at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
on 28 December 1984.
Awards
- RidderRidder (title)Ridder is a noble title in the Netherlands and Belgium. The collective term for its holders in a certain locality is the Ridderschap . In the Netherlands and Belgium no female equivalent exists...
der 4e klasse der Militaire Willems-Orde (Knight 4th Class of the Military Order of William), awarded on 23 July 1947. The citation read:
- For outstanding acts of courage, leadership and devotion distinguished by;
- Firstly, on the night of 14/15 June 1942 off the French coast, as commander of MTB 203, accompanied by two British motor torpedo boats of the flotilla under a British commander, competently, audaciously and successfully attacked an enemy convoy near CalaisCalaisCalais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
, and returned to base with only minor damage to his boat. - Secondly, on the night of 5 July 1943 as commander of a Flotilla of motor torpedo boats, consisting of MTBs 235 and 240, and a British MTB, in the Strait of DoverStrait of DoverThe Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, 6 kilometres northeast of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French of...
, in cooperation with the heavy 35 inch batteries at Dover, attacked two heavily armed enemy destroyers, which were in transit through the channel. - Thirdly, on the night of 26/27 September 1943, as Senior Officer of the flotilla, consisting of MTB 202, 204 and 231, he attacked and sank an escorted enemy merchantman, while under fire from the heavily defended French coast.
-
Ridder der Orde van Oranje-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau) -
Bronzen KruisBronze Cross (Netherlands)The Bronze Cross of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was instituted on 11 June 1940 by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands while she was residing in London during the German occupation of the Netherlands...
(Bronze Cross) and bar, awarded 2 September 1942 and 13 July 1944, for successfully escaping from Germany and his actions in May 1940. - Oorlogsherinneringskruis (War Commemorative Cross) with 3 bars.
- Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
and bar (UK), for his attacks on enemy convoys in June 1942 and September 1943. - Mentioned in Dispatches (UK)
-