Cigarette Wrap

 

Dutch WWII Cigarette Wrapping – “Oranje Zal Overwinnen!”

Date: August 31, 1941

Location: The Netherlands

Medium: Cigarette wrapper and foil

Collection: Yavneh Klos Collection, Dutch Occupation Archive 

This patriotic cigarette wrapper, bearing Dutch royal symbols and slogans such as “The Netherlands Will Rise Again,” was air-dropped by Allied forces over Nazi-occupied Holland on Queen Wilhelmina’s 61st birthday. The symbolic gesture boosted morale and reinforced Dutch resistance. The cigarettes themselves were made from Dutch East Indies tobacco, further strengthening national identity and connection to the broader Dutch colonial empire despite the occupation. The distribution of these cigarettes was more than just a symbolic act; it reinforced underground resistance networks by providing a common rallying point for Dutch citizens who opposed German rule. Those caught in possession of these cigarettes risked severe punishment, including imprisonment or execution, making the circulation of these packs an act of courage.

Knickerbocker Weekly – Dutch-American Wartime Publication
Date: 1944
Location: New York City, United States
Medium: Printed magazine
Yavneh Klos Collection, WWII Archive

This 1944 issue of Knickerbocker Weekly features prominent coverage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Queen Wilhelmina, alongside news about Dutch soldiers in the United States, the Dutch royal family, and pivotal World War II developments. A bilingual Dutch-English publication, Knickerbocker Weekly served the growing community of Dutch émigrés who had settled in the U.S. before and during the Second World War.

Published from 1941 to 1947 by the Netherlands Publishing Corporation Inc., the magazine operated out of the 50th floor of the Radio City Building in Rockefeller Center, New York. One of its key editors was L.A. Ries, former Treasurer General of the Netherlands, who had emigrated during the war.

After 1947, the magazine continued under the title The Knickerbocker: The Netherlands Magazine. Its pages featured contributions from notable Dutch literary figures including children’s author Paul Biegel—who published two stories in September 1946—and poet Leo Vroman, who contributed a piece that same year. The publication stands as a cultural bridge between the Netherlands and the United States during a time of global upheaval.