49 minSeason 1 • Episode 8
LatestAt the end of 1949, Dutch rule over Indonesia ended. The colonial army to which Hans Goedkoop's grandfather has been associated all his life is being disbanded. As chief of staff, he is even responsible for that operation. There is also one last, secret job: smuggling the infamous Captain Raymond Westerling out of the country. He does so, but his involvement leaks out. Just not fired, but with a knighthood - so he leaves his native country. Is he bitter? Hans talks about it with his family. What is it like to lose a war and then your country? How do you process that and how does it continue in the family, even into our time?
Historian Hans Goedkoop traces back the life of his grandfather: Rein van Langen. 'Grandpa Rein', born on Java, served in the colonial military between 1900 and 1950 - a period when the Dutch rule over the 'East Indies' began to falter.
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