WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Undetected: Audrey Hepburn

Episode Date: October 21, 2024

This week, Megan and Alessia dive into the little known resistance story of the famed actress Audrey Hepburn during World War II.

Welcome to Undetected on Radio Free Hillsdale. Go undercover with your hosts, Alessia Sandala and Megan Lee, as they uncover the stories of spies from every country and time. The most thrilling, yet the most secret of lives in history. Hi there, I'm Megan, and Alessie and I are so excited to talk about this week's spy. I personally can't wait, Megan, because this week we are talking about one of the most talented and most famous actresses of all time, Audrey Hepburn. Now, when I first heard Hepburn was involved in espionage activity, I thought no way. But despite not many knowing the spy side to her career, Hepburn played an important role in the Dutch resistance during World War II.

Indeed, she did. Megan and I are going to explore Hepburn's role in covert resistance activities starting from the very beginning. If you want to know more, you should totally check out Robert Mattson's book, Dutch Girl, Audrey Hepburn and World War II. Hepburn was born on May 4th, 1929. Hepburn's mother, Baroness Ella von Heimstra, who was descended from Dutch nobility. played a vital role in her life. Her father, English-born Joseph Rustin, would play a very different but no less important role in Hepburn's life. Some sources say he only married Van Heimstra for the money he thought she had. However, Van Heimstra was not wealthy,

and their relationship became strained and filled with disagreement. Because of this, Hepburn spent a lot of time with her brothers and grandparents. Eventually, things became so heated that Hepburn's father left the family. Hepburn's life really isn't as glamorous as I thought it was going to be. Yeah, she actually had a lot of struggles as a child, especially when she was sent to a boarding school in England without her family anywhere near her. But everything changed for Hepburn when she first tried ballet. Dance captured her and would eventually lead her to become the famed Hollywood actress we adore today. Before all of the glamour of Hollywood, though, she would have to survive the greatest struggle of all, World War II.

Since Hitler's rise to power, Van Heimstra had been a supporter of Nazism. She had written articles for fascist publications. When war became clear on the horizon, Van Heimstra brought young Hepburn back from school in England to Arnhem in the Netherlands because she was afraid her daughter would be in danger. In fact, Hepburn was on one of the last KLM plates to leave England. Van Heemstra had no idea that the Nazis would soon invade the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. When the war came to Arnhem, Van Heemstra became friendly with a German officer and began hosting lavish events for the German occupiers. At first, the occupation didn't seem so bad. That, of course, was about to change.

For sure. In 1942, things began to take a turn for the worse. Rationing grew more strict as Germans hit roadblocks in Russia, and Hepburn's uncle, Count Otto van Limburg's serum, was arrested by the Nazis to be held as what was called a death candidate. One of the earliest instances of Dutch resistance was an explosion near the city of Rotterdam. In turn, Hepburn's uncle and four other hostages were executed on August 15, 1942. News of her uncle's death deeply hurt Hepburn and her entire family.

This was the first draw that would lead von Heimstra closer to the resistance and eventually Hepburn as well. Not too long after, Hepburn's older brother, Ian, was taken for forced labor by the Germans. But unfortunately for Heimstra, the resistance wasn't sure if they could trust her. She had been listed in a resistance newspaper as someone who could not be trusted and was a known collaborator. Hepburn, just a teenager, began her work with the resistance by doing volunteer work for of Rissert Haft, one of the key leaders of the Dutch resistance in Velp.

Hofft was a doctor in the hospital, which served as a resistance HQ, and was where many downed Allied airmen and Jews were funneled through and hidden. Following the Allied landings on D-Day in June 1944, the Germans began taking more and more supplies from the Dutch people. Food became incredibly scarce as winter approached. The young Hepburn began working more and more at the hospital, becoming even closer to the growing resistance movement. She was surrounded by resistance activity, but also began

dancing for her country. Dancing? That is definitely not what I was expecting. How on earth did this help the resistance and undercut the Germans? I'm glad you asked because the story gets a little strange here. The doctor and the resistance hosted illegal music and culture nights around the area. The goal was to raise money for the resistance and those in hiding across the Netherlands. The events were called Black Evenings. So how does Hepburn fit in? She's just a teenager after all. Right. So Hepburn is a well-renowned dancer in the community and ends up dancing ballet at these events. Malnutrition made dancing difficult and there was fear of being caught, but Hepburn and her mother believed in the cause. They were willing to help free their country and bring the war to a faster end in any way they could.

According to Hepburn, she also helped ferry food and supplies to the place where Down Allied airmen were being hidden. She was perfect for the job. She was a young teenage girl. No one would have thought Hepburn to be working for the resistance. On one occasion, she even distracted the police so they would not discover one of the down pilots. Incredible. Late in 1944, Hepburn moved to the hog to be closer to family and for resources. Joy would finally return to the family when the Netherlands was liberated on May 5th,

1945, just a few days before Germany's official surrender. While this isn't the traditional story of espionage, the work Hepburn did help to covertly undermine the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands. Hepburn was truly brave. There is so much more behind the star that we all know and love today. I'm Megan. And I'm Alessia. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Undetected.

Tune in next week to hear the shocking story of the Beverly Hills spy Frederick Redland on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.