On 7 May 1945, the people of Amsterdam were celebrating on Dam Square. The atmosphere was ecstatic, because the Netherlands had been liberated two days before. All of a sudden, they heard the sound of shots being fired. The celebrating crowd was under attack from German soldiers. They were firing into the crowds from the balcony of ‘de Groote Club', a building next to the Royal Palace. When the shooting stopped, 32 people were dead and over one hundred were injured.
Shooting on Dam Square
May 7, 1945 Amsterdam
The exact reason for the shooting never became clear. In the early years after the war, many people saw it as a final act of desperation or revenge by the occupying forces. Another explanation is that the Germans felt threatened by the Domestic Armed Forces. For fear of the anger of the Dutch, the Germans had opened fire.
