After Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, the occupation authorities introduced anti-Jewish laws, deportations, and a system of terror that targeted thousands of Dutch Jews forced into hiding. Among the most feared collaborators was Dutch police detective Pieter Schaap, a member of the Office of Jewish Affairs working under the SD — the Nazi intelligence service.
Using informants, betrayal networks, torture, and brutal interrogations, Schaap helped track down Jews in hiding as well as members of the Dutch resistance. Together with collaborators such as Ans van Dijk and other agents, he became responsible for the arrest and deportation of thousands of people during the Holocaust in the Netherlands.
The story follows the German occupation of Holland, the persecution of Dutch Jews, the role of collaborators and “Jew-hunters,” and the violent methods used by Pieter Schaap during the war. It also examines how he ultimately paid for his crimes after the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945.
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