Connecting the Dutch East Indies
In 1920 a Dutch government architect Julius Luthmann got the task of developing a suitable building to house a large generator for an ultramodern long wave frequency radio transmitter. The radio station would allow direct communications with the Dutch East Indies, better known as Indonesia, then still under the rule of the Dutch colonial empire.
The facility was destined to be built on an open plain in the forest called Kootwijkerzand near Apeldoorn, Holland, so the chances of interference would be minimal.
The main building was called ‘Building A’ of Radio Kootwijk. Luthmann was not allowed to use wood or metal in his design, so he chose to construct the whole building out of concrete (yes, even the window cells) in Art Deco style. The Art Deco building, the material en the surroundings all add up to create a weird atmosphere in the middle of a quiet forest.
German U-boot communications
After the invasion of the Netherlands during the Second World War, the powerful transmitter fell into German hands. It was used by the German Kriegsmarine to contact her U-boats in the Atlantic Ocean and to jam and intercept broadcasts. To protect it, FLAK (air defense) positions were placed on several of the buildings of Radio Kootwijk. Some buildings were outfitted with bomb shelters. When on April 6th and 7th of 1945 the Canadian Army made its advance, the German Army blew up the towers of the radio station and removed or disabled the stations radio equipment.
They also tried to destruct building ‘A’ itself by blowing up a transmitter tower to let it collapse onto the building. This attempt resulted in little damage to the concrete structure.
After the liberation
After the liberation Radio Kootwijk was taken back into service by the Dutch Postal, Telegraph and Telephone company. A large part of the stolen equipment was found in East Germany at the end of the war and returned to the radio station on fourteen trainwagons in April 1947. After 1999 Radio Kootwijk lost it’s function as a radiostation and is currently property of the Dutch Government (Staatsbosbeheer).
Visit
The radio station compound is freely admissible. You can wander around the building and enjoy it and it’s surroundings.
There are guided tours around and inside the building, which you have to book in advance.
This site provides a little known aspect of the war that Germany waged during the 40s. My interest in the Kootwijk radio transmitter started with a reference to this site as a target for the Dutch SOE agents in the book, “London Calling North Pole” by H. J. Giskes. Giskes was a German Abwehr officer who successfully compromised SOEs operations in Holland. In the same book was another reference to the Eureka radio homing beacons. As a side note, a question that is still unanswered to this day concerns SOE’s continued sending of agents from England to Holland when they had a strong suspicion that their agents had been compromised. The answers lies in Briitish archives that are still sealed. If I were to visit Holland, the transmitter building would be the type of site, I would have to visit before I would look ar the popular tourist sites. For example, on a visit to Prague two years ago, I was able to see the church crypt where the Czech paratroopers who had assinated the SS governor had died during a pitched battle with the SD. I also paid my respects at the site of the the Village of Ludice that the SD had destroyed on Hitler’s orders for the assination.