The wartime history of Belgian Railways.
Trains continue to run, even during the German occupation of Belgium in WWII. How could it be otherwise? At the time, the NMBS/SNCB was the largest company and the greatest public service provider in Belgium. The mammoth company was responsible for the supply of a large proportion of raw materials, materials and food, and thus holds the fate of the Belgian population and industry in its hands. Cooperation with the all-powerful German occupier was thus inevitable. But this was where things soon went horribly wrong. Between 1941 and 1944, the Belgian Railways helped deport 189,542 Belgian forced laborers, 25,490 Jews, 16,081 political prisoners and 353 Roma to Germany and concentration camps in the East.
The book analyzes the politics of cooperation of the Belgian railroad company and tackles all difficult questions. Who made the key decisions? Did the NMBS/SNCB carry out military assignments for the Germans? Was the company paid for the deportation trains? Were there margins for negotiation and how were they (not) used? And what was the role played by the strong railway resistance?
Despite growing protest and resistance, trains continued to run for the Germans almost until the last day of the war. How can we explain this with today's knowledge and perspective? This war story is devoid of simplistic schemes in black or white and also has little to do with nazi collaboration. That makes it all the more interesting, because it is precisely in the grey areas that lie the most difficult choices and therefore the most relevant insights.