(Rotterdam, 1914)

Commander of the DNB

Fighting Spirit and Unrivalled Leadership

Bob Krul, born on 8 April 1914 in Rotterdam, grew up in Arnhem. In 1939, he was mobilised and commanded border detachments around Winterswijk, Aalten, and Dinxperlo. During the war, he joined the ‘Raad van Verzet’ (Resistance Council) and the ‘Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten’ (Dutch Interior Forces).

In 1940, Krul fought at the Grebbeberg and in Rotterdam but managed to evade capture as a prisoner of war by going into hiding in Arnhem. There, alongside Pastor Groenewegen and Lieutenant Colonel Schuurmans, he founded the ‘Oranjewacht’. He was later arrested but escaped using forged documents, including an identity card identifying him as a clergyman.

As District Commander for the Achterhoek BS, he went into hiding in Lintelo. His headquarters was located with the Sellink family, where he coordinated with Cees van Beem and Jan Tinge, as well as with Wim Leuverink and David Engers, who were also hidden at the Sellinks’.

Krul maintained radio contact with London, passed intelligence to the Allies, and assisted downed pilots in their escape. He collaborated with Gerrit Klein Entink and was connected to secret telephone networks (espionage groups Albrecht and Rolls Royce).

Following the liberation of Aalten, he became the Commander of the Dutch National Battalion (DNB). The battalion was disbanded on 12 July 1945 and incorporated into the regular Dutch Army, after which Krul led mine-clearing operations. He left the military in 1947.

Krul remained silent about his resistance work for 37 years, but in 1983, he gave an interview revealing his pivotal role as DNB Commander. Bob Krul passed away in Arnhem on 29 October 2003.

Bob Krul