Christiaan Boers

Who was Christiaan Boers?

Christianus Franciscus Johannes Boers was a captain of the Royal Netherlands Army during World War II. During the Battle of The Afsluitdijk, he rallied his men to successfully push back the German attackers. This was one of the few victories of the Allied forces on the Western Front in 1940.

After the surrender of Dutch forces on 15 May 1940, Boers joined the Dutch resistance. He joined an illegal organization called the OD. It was set up to preserve order once the Germans would have been defeated. Boers was executed by the Germans at the Sachsenhausen camp in 1942. He was a professional officer, who was considered a natural born leader. It was said that his men would follow him blindly into battle. Today there is a monument in memory of him on the Afsluitdijk.