WWII in the Eyes of Anne Frank - Part II In Hiding

In the previous video, we talked about the rationale of the war between the Netherlands and Germany. In this video, we are going to continue with Anne's story with her life in hiding. The next morning, Anne's mother woke her up at half past five. She had to put on as many of her clothes as possible. They could not walk along the streets with suitcases. People would notice. Anne pulled on as many items as she could. Two shirts, two pairs of trousers, a skirt, and a dress. She was very warm. It was a humid day and raining outside. Anne had to leave her cat Morjay behind. She could not come. Anne left a letter to the neighbors asking them to take care Anne's mother Edith also left a piece of paper with an address in Maastricht. The Frank family were hoping that this would trick people into thinking that they had fled to Switzerland via Maastricht. Miep Gies came to fetch Margot at half past seven. Margot had removed the yellow Star of David from her jacket and left with Miep on a bicycle. Anne did not learn where they were going until they were on their way. Their hiding place would be in her father's business. They arrived there after an hour of walking. Miep was waiting and opened the door for them. Soaking wet from the rain and sweat, they went inside and climbed the small staircase to the secret annex. A nervous Margot was already waiting. Everyone was relieved they had not been stopped by street patrols on their way and happy that they had all arrived safely. The secret annex itself was still a big mess with boxes full of things, food supplies, furniture all strewn around. Otto and Edith did not plan to go into hiding until July 16th but because Margot received her notification, their plans had changed. The first few days in the secret annex were taken up with tidying and organizing the place. The neighbors could not be allowed to see them so Otto and Anne immediately made curtains. These were not particularly nice, simply some sheets stitched together. Otto also took care of the blackout curtains. In the occupied Netherlands, windows had to be blacked out at night so no light could come out of the houses. The street lights were also off. This was to make it difficult for Allied bombers to find their way to German cities. Anne did not have time to write in her diary for a few days. Her life changed completely from one day to the next. A week previously, she had still been in school. She had met all her friends in the afternoons and had been looking forward to the summer holidays. Now she was hidden inside her father's office building and no longer permitted to go outside. How long would she have to stay here? The Van Pels family arrived at the secret annex on July 13th. Her main, his wife Augusty and their son Peter. Anne already knew Peter. He had been to her 13th birthday and brought her some chocolate. He wasn't really her type. She found him boring and shy. Peter had brought his cat, Mouchie. Anne had to get used to Mouchie. She missed Morgie. Would the neighbors take good care of her? Anne wrote a goodbye letter to her friend Jacqueline. They had promised to write to each other if either of them had to go away unexpectedly. But Anne's father would not let her send the letter. That was too dangerous. In her diary, Anne fantasized about receiving a reply from Jacqueline and wrote her another letter. Anne read all the books she was able to bring from her favorite writer C.C. van Marksveld. These books were about the experiences of Jupiter Hill and her friends. Anne started to write to the friends of Jupiter Hill in her diary. She pretended they were her own friends. However, there were so many that Anne eventually chose one, Kitty. This became the friend to whom Anne wrote in her diary. Writing was the only way for Anne to get some release. All the adults around her sometimes drove her crazy, treating her like a small child. And she could never slam a door, stomp her feet, or even just go outside. Anne also described what was going on in the world outside in her diary. The reports from Amsterdam had worsened. More and more Jews were being summoned to register with the authorities. If they did not, they would be dragged from their homes by the Nazis, usually at night. The Dutch police helped with this, the helpers told the group hiding in the secret annex. Beth also told Anne that her classmate Betty had been taken away. Anne was shocked and very worried. How would things go for her friends? Another source of news for the people in hiding was the radio located downstairs in Otto's office. The first time they went down to listen to the news there, Anne was terrified. Imagine if the neighbors heard anything. She wanted to get back to the safety of the secret annex as quickly as possible. Later, she became used to being able to go to other parts of the building in the evenings, at night, and during the weekends. She even enjoyed these opportunities to leave the tiny cramped hiding place for a little while. In September, Miep asked Otto Frank if there was room for another person to join the group, Fritz. The people in hiding and the helpers all decided that he could join them. On November 17, 1942, Fritz was the 8th person to go into hiding in the secret annex. Initially, Anne liked her new roommate, but found him to be increasingly difficult as the days went on. He kept on commenting on her behavior and also told on her to her mother. Anne found him to be Fortunately, there were also happy moments in the secret annex. For the first time in their lives, those in hiding celebrated Sinterklaas in early December. The helpers brought presents and wrote funny little poems. It was a fun evening of exchanging gifts. Otto and Edith had planned in advance how they could spend the time. They had brought schoolbooks for Margot and Anne, and Otto gave lessons to the three youngsters. Every week, the helpers brought new library books for everyone. Anne read book after book. Reading made her life less tedious. Everyone in the group understood that they could only stay sane in the tiny space if they kept to a tight daily schedule. There were also strict rules for safety because every sound could be dangerous. Below them, in the company warehouse, were people at work who knew nothing. They could not be allowed to find out that there were people hiding in the annex of the building. The waste pipe from the toilet in the secret annex went straight down to the warehouse. Every morning, there was a dangerous half hour when the warehouse employees were already at work and the helpers had yet to arrive Then those in hiding had to be extra quiet and not use the toilet. Once the helpers had arrived, the toilet could be used occasionally. The men working in the warehouse would assume that the sound came from the office waste pipe. The people hiding in the annex would walk around in slippers all day and could only talk very softly during the day. They were happy when lunchtime came, as the warehouse workers would go home to eat. The helpers would often come to the hiding place for lunch and a chat. It was the nicest part of the day. The helpers provided whatever was needed for those in hiding. For eight people, this meant a lot of groceries. Luckily, they knew local shopkeepers they could trust, like the baker, the butcher, and the vegetable grocer. The dark winter passed slowly and spring came. Anne celebrated her 14th birthday on June 12, 1943. This was her first birthday in the secret annex and she had not been outside for almost a year. Anne was given lots of sweets and a big book about the mythology of Greece and Rome. Her father wrote a lovely birthday poem for her. Anne actually liked writing best of all. During her time in the secret annex, Anne actually started writing a novel called Caddy's Life and worked her father's life into it. But Anne stopped with this after just a few chapters. She realized she did not yet have enough life experience. Anne's passion for writing led to a major role with Fritz. Anne wanted to sit at the table in their room, but he did too. Fritz was learning Spanish because he wanted to migrate to Chile after the war. Anne asked nicely if they could divide the time between them, but he did not want to do that. After asking a second time in vain, Anne asked her father for help. He talked with Fritz. Fritz finally relented. Anne could use the table two afternoons a week. Anne found life difficult in the secret annex. She missed grandmother Hollander and wondered how things were for Hannah. She thought that Hannah and her other friends had been taken to a concentration camp. Anne could not help them. She could only pray for them. Her belief in God was a comfort and a great source of strength. Anne wrote in her diary letters to Kitty, but she very much wanted to talk with a real person about what was on her mind. Maybe Peter? She would go to see him in his room in the evenings. Before long, they were talking about everything. About their parents, their dreams, and also about love. Anne had not expected that she would get on so well with this boring boy. Peter and Anne fell in love. One evening, when they were sitting close together in Peter's room, they kissed for the first time. Anne's first real kiss. Over the following weeks, they would sit in the attic more often because they felt more freed up there. In Anne's opinion, there was nothing nicer than lying in Peter's arms. But sometimes, she had her doubts. Did it happen too quickly? And what would her parents think? She confided in her father, but did not tell him that they were in love. Although Frank did not find this a problem at first, but later, he had his doubts. The situation in the secret annex was very different from how it would be in normal world, where Anne would be able to meet and go out with other boys and girls. This is why he felt that Anne should spend less time with Peter. What if they had a row? Life in the secret annex was already difficult enough. Anne did not listen. She continued going to Peter. Otto told her off about this and Anne was furious. She wrote her father a long letter. He could not treat her like she was a small child. She felt she had grown up more quickly than other girls and that this was due to her own merits. She wrote that her parents had not supported her in this. For Anne was simple. Her father should either trust her or forbid her to go to Peter. Otto was very hurt by this letter. He discussed it in depth with Anne. Why did she write such a letter? He and Edith had always supported her and always done their best for her. How did she get the idea that she had done everything alone? Anne realized she had gone too far and was deeply ashamed. In spring of 1944, the people in hiding heard on Radio Orange, the Dutch radio broadcaster located in England, that diaries, letters and other documents would be gathered after the war. In this way, the hardship people suffered during the war would be recorded for posterity. The group immediately thought of Anne's diary and the news report gave Anne an idea. After considerable deliberation, in May, she decided to write a real book about her time in the secret annex. She used her diary entries as a source for this book and made a new and more detailed version. She left out some parts because she found them too private or not good enough. She also added new texts and had already thought of a title, the secret annex. Her greatest dream was to be In the meantime, her passion for Peter had cooled a bit and she distanced herself emotionally from him. He had not become the boyfriend she had longed for. She had hoped to be able to talk to him about her deepest thoughts and feelings, but this turned out not to be the case. Anne also thought it was a pity that her father did not tell her much about himself. It was because of this that she did not share her own thoughts with him. On June 6, 1944, there was a fantastic news. Thousands of Allied soldiers had crossed from Britain to France in ships and had landed on the French coast. They wanted to liberate all of the occupied countries and defeat Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany was caught in a vice. The Russians were attacking from the east while the Americans, British and Canadian and other Allied forces were attacking from the west. Margot said that Anne might well be able to go back to school in October. Imagine, in her diary, Anne paid less and less attention to the daily events in the secret annex and the news about the war. Instead, she thought more about herself. Why was she so different when other people were around? She appeared more superficial but at the same time had a serious side that she herself found sweeter and more attractive. She actually knew how she would have liked to be, but she couldn't manage to actually be this way. On Friday, August 4, 1944, it started out just like every other day. The people in hiding got up, had breakfast and were quietly passing the time. Suddenly, they heard the sound of stomping and clattering and the bookcase that hid the entrance to the secret annex was pushed open.