Gerrit Kastein
Dr. Gerrit Willem Kastein (25 June 1910 - 21 February 1943) was a Dutch communist, neurologist and resistance fighter and leader during World War II.
On returning to the Netherlands, he later provided medical assistance to fellow-communist Arie Kloostra during a riot in The Hague, whom he would later join in the Dutch resistance.
Kastein formed the Communist Dutch resistance group CS-6, named after their address Corellistraat 6 in Amsterdam, where the two brothers Boissevain lived.
After Hitler had approved Anton Mussert as "Leider van het Nederlandse Volk" (Leader of the Dutch People) in December 1942, he was allowed to form a national government institute, a Dutch shadow cabinet called "Gemachtigden van den Leider", which would advise Reichskommissar Arthur Seyss-Inquart from 1 February 1943.
[1] On 4 February Retired General and Rijkscommissaris Hendrik Seyffardt, already head of the Dutch SS volunteer group Vrijwilligerslegioen Nederland [nl], was announced through the press as “Deputy for Special Services”.
As a result, CS-6 concluded that the new institute would eventually lead to a National-Socialist government, which would then introduce general conscription to enable the call-up of Dutch nationals to the Eastern Front.
[1] After approval from the Dutch government in exile, on the evening of Friday 5 February 1943, after answering a knock at his front door in Scheveningen, The Hague Seyffardt was shot twice by student Jan Verleun who had accompanied Kastein on the mission.
[1] On 7 February, CS-6 shot fellow institute member “Gemachtigde voor de Volksvoorlichting” (Attorney for the national relations) Hermannus Reydon and his wife.
[4] On 19 February 1943, Kastein was scheduled to meet fellow CS-6 member Piet Wapperom [nl] in De Kroon public house, Delft.
However, Wapperom had been arrested by the SD Rotterdam in Utrecht, where a subsequent search of his rooms found a notebook with details of the meeting with Kastein.
A subsequent search of Kastein at the local SD offices found a notebook scheduling a second meeting that day with fellow Dutch resistance member "Luc" at a cafe near the Binnenhof.
