Top secret mission to prevent diamonds from falling into the hands of Nazi Germany

To prevent the Nazis from seizing large quantities of industrial diamonds that could be used to make weapons, a secret operation was urgently underway to get them out of the Netherlands.

It took Nazi Germany only 5 days to occupy the entire Netherlands. Photo: Wikipedia

According to We are the mighty, when Nazi Germany began attacking the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, the international community was not only concerned about the lives of the country's people, but also feared that a huge amount of industrial diamonds in Amsterdam could fall into the hands of the German army.

Industrial diamonds are used for a variety of manufacturing purposes, and countries that control these diamonds can manufacture many weapons, vehicles, and modern technologies such as radar.

That is why two British diamond merchants, Jan Smit and Walter Keyser, volunteered to serve the British government. Keyser's father ran a large trading operation in Amsterdam and was friends with many other merchants. Smit was sure that if he were allowed to enter Amsterdam, he could smuggle a lot of diamonds out of the city before they were seized by the Nazis.

The British Prime Minister at the time, Winston Churchill, personally approved the mission. Churchill ordered a military officer to accompany the two men and allowed them to use a former World War I destroyer, HMS Walpole, to quickly reach Amsterdam.

The Walpole had to weave through British and German minefields, located only about 1.6 km apart, in the dark without turning on its lights to cross the English Channel, also known as the English Channel.

Warship HMS Walpole. Photo: Royal Navy

During this voyage, the ship narrowly avoided collision with another British ship, also traveling in the dark. Years later, those on board the Walpole learned that the ship they encountered that night was being used to evacuate members of the Dutch Royal Family.

Keyser and Smit arrived at the port at dawn and spent the rest of the day working with Smit's father to convince other merchants to hand over their diamonds. From the moment they landed and throughout their journeys around Amsterdam, they were guided by a Jewish woman named Anna, who kept an eye on them to prevent them from being spied on by German spies.

Throughout the day, Dutch police and soldiers struggled to repel German paratroopers who were pillaging the city. In other parts of the Netherlands, the Nazis quickly crushed resistance. Several meetings between Keyser and Smit in Amsterdam were interrupted by gunfire.

Many of the diamond merchants in Amsterdam were Jewish. They could have bribed their way out of the Netherlands with their goods and escaped the Holocaust. Instead, they chose to let the British ship the diamonds to prevent them from falling into German hands. Most refused to accept receipts, fearing the Nazis would track down the diamonds.

Although many diamonds were transferred to the two British representatives, the Nazi attacks occurred on a weekend when banks were closed, making it impossible to retrieve the diamonds stored in bank safes.

Fortunately, another British representative, Major Montagu R. Chidson, reached a huge vault at the Amsterdam Mart and successfully broke down the door after hours of effort. At that time, German paratroopers also stormed the building. Chidson escaped with the diamonds as the German soldiers poured down the stairs.

Later that day, Chidson escaped alone, while Anna hurriedly brought Smit, Keyser, and their military escort back to port, just in time to leave on the HMS Walpole. Smit was carrying a large bag full of diamonds and had to hold a helmsman at gunpoint to get them to where the British destroyer was anchored.

The Chidson diamonds were later handed over to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, while the diamonds brought back by Smit and Keyser were kept in London throughout the war.

An industrial diamond mounted on a weapon. Photo: Wikipedia

According to VNE