Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Hero

Posted by Christopher Eger Oct 17, 2007

If you watch TV or movies you are well aware of the exploits of James Bond, Austin Powers, Vin Diesel's "Triple X" (he makes a mean break dancing video) and other super secret agents. When you see their antics on the big screen you sometimes forget that they are based on real life people like Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema.

Roelfzema was a larger than life real secret agent man. Born 1917 in Surabaya, Indonesia when it was part of the Netherlands East Indies, he was 23 when Hitler invaded his homeland of Holland. He made it to England and joined the Dutch resistance working with the Special Operations Executive. There he helmed small plywood boats across the English Channel on spying missions. After pilots training in Canada he joined a Pathfinder unit and flew 72 sorties leading British bombers over Germany. This is when the life expectancy of a pilot of a bombing mission was 25 sorties. This led to his decoration of the highest Dutch award that could be given and he was made the personal aide to the Queen. He was entrusted with flying Princess Beatrix back to Holland after the war. He wrote of his exploits in a “Soldier of Orange” - which was made into a movie starring a little known Dutchman (no he is Not German) named Rutger Hauer.

Not one to settle down after the war, he flew guns into the South Moluccas Republic, formed a racing team and helped crown Queen Beatrix.

This secret agentman has just passed at his home in Hawaii at age 90.