Michel Wilhelm Nuboer (1916-1980) left Paramaribo in 1941/42 as an Assistant in the engine’s department of a freight ship bound to Curaçao during the Second World War. The ship may have likely been carrying aluminum aggregates for making fighter planes in the U.S. as cargo. Upon arrival, he probably was a gunner first, but then became a Medical Assistant stationed on Bonaire. During the 1960s - 1974+ he was a First Aid Medical Trainer in the Volunteer Corps Curaçao (VKC). On August 21st , 1969, Michel Wilhelm Nuboer received the Order of Orange-Nassau (no. 122) from Her Majesty the Queen.
What do you know about World War II
in the Dutch Caribbean?
Do you know who is a war victim?
Do you know where the fighting was?
Do you know what the effect was on our daily life?
On February 16, 1942, Aruba and Curaçao became involved in World War II. Torpedo attacks from German submarines destroyed six tankers off the coast of Aruba, while the steam tanker Rafaela was torpedoed near Curaçao. However, for the residents of the islands, the war was visible much earlier. The day after the invasion of the Netherlands, everyone on Curaçao who had any connection to Germany was arrested. A German-sounding surname was enough to get interned in a special camp on Bonaire.
This website combines two platforms — Guera na Korsou and Antilles at War — to offer a deeper insight into the region’s WWII heritage. Guera na Korsou is a website that originally started as an exhibition in Curaçao, while Antilles at War is a database documenting warships, planes, victims, survivors, and individuals involved in the conflict, including the members of the Schutterij and the Vrijwilligerskorpsen, the sailors and the airmen. Together, these resources provide a more comprehensive view of the Dutch Caribbean’s wartime history and its lasting impact on the islands’ heritage.
