Vaders

The Vaders were the generation of fathers and uncles of the members of De Vrienden. They belonged to the Noord family, Paap family, Van Hetten family, Hoos family and Schroeter family. Their main adult period corresponded to the Vader Era (1920–1945), although members of the generation continued working and participating in family affairs during the Middenvader Era and Vriend Era.

Members of the generation served in German military formations during the Second World War. Others operated family businesses. In 1944, men identified as Vaders established the first houses of Vriendendam near Arnhem. The settlement remained occupied after the war and became an industrial town during the following decades.

History

During the 1930s, members of the older family generation entered German military service. Angelo van Noord and Martin Paap I joined the Wehrmacht in 1934. Imro van Hetten entered the Luftwaffe in 1935 after obtaining German citizenship. Hendrik Hoos had already joined the German military in 1924 and later transferred to the Waffen-SS.

Angelo van Noord commanded German units during the invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940. Martin Paap I served under him in 4./Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 during the operations against bridges over the Maas and the Maas–Waal Canal. Their wartime service continued until Germany's defeat in 1945.

The Paap family underwent a separate political development during the war. Jan Paap, the younger brother of Martin Paap I, deserted from the German Army in January 1944 and escaped through Spain to Argentina. On 13 May, he founded the Argentine Einsatz in Rada Tilly. The movement reached Tanoa on 9 August and became the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen, with Jan serving as its first Führer of Tanoa.

Establishment of Vriendendam

In September 1944, following the Battle of Arnhem, a German defensive position was established north of Arnhem. Men serving with an SS armoured division constructed houses behind the fortifications. The buildings provided accommodation for soldiers stationed at the defensive position.

The houses survived the end of the war because they stood away from the main fortifications. Other Vaders occupied them after 1945, when the settlement began developing beyond its original military purpose. During the late 1940s and 1950s, additional housing and industrial facilities were established. The settlement became Vriendendam, a town in the Dutch province of Gelderland.

Members

The following members of the five founding families are documented as fathers or uncles of members of De Vrienden.

Noord family

• Angelo van Noord (born 1905) – Father of Angelo Noord, the first member of De Vrienden. He served as a German military officer during the Second World War, commanded formations of the Brandenburg unit and reached the rank of Oberstleutnant. After the war, he was detained and investigated by Dutch authorities before the case was closed in 1950.

Paap family

• Martin Paap I (1905–2025) – Father of Martin Paap, the second member of De Vrienden. He served as an Unteroffizier in the Wehrmacht during the war and became the fourth Great Paap on 28 October 1948. He retained the family title until his son succeeded him in 2007.
• Jan Paap (1919–1999/2005) – Younger brother of Martin Paap I and uncle of Martin Paap. He founded the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen in 1944 and ruled Tanoa until his retirement in January 1980.

Van Hetten family

• Imro van Hetten (born 1903) – Father of Imro van Hetten, the third member of De Vrienden. He served as a Luftwaffe fighter pilot with Jagdgeschwader 27 during the Second World War and was credited with 23 aerial victories. After the war, he returned to Paramaribo, where he worked as a civilian flight instructor.

Hoos family

• Hendrik Hoos (1904–1998) – Father of Eef Hoos, the fourth member of De Vrienden. He served in the German military from 1924 to 1945, initially in engineering units and later in the Waffen-SS. After the war, he worked for Toetanchamon and taught his children metalwork and vehicle repair.

Schroeter family

• Lourens Schroeter (1889–1985) – Father of Lourens Schroeter, the fifth member of De Vrienden. He was an engineer who served as a German Army officer during both world wars and reached the rank of General der Infanterie. In 1945, he began assembling road vehicles with his son in Rotterdam. Their workshop developed into Schroeter Romeo, which was formally registered in Vriendendam in 1950.

Later activities

Members of the Vader generation remained active after 1945. In the Paap family, Martin Paap I succeeded his father, Martinus Antonius Johannes Paap, as Great Paap in 1948. In the Schroeter family, Lourens Schroeter continued manufacturing vehicles with his son after returning from German military service.

In 1960, Vaders and Middenvaders from the five founding families constructed the Vriendendam Racetrack. The original circuit measured approximately seven kilometres and had around fifty pit lanes. A bar was built for the drivers, but the circuit initially had no dedicated spectator facilities. It was later expanded for organized motor racing events.

See also

• De Vrienden
• Vader Era
• Pre-Vader Era
• Middenvader Era
• Vriendendam