During World War 2 a large part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was occupied by the enemy. Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands and Japan forced the Netherlands East Indies to surrender. But one part of the Kingdom remained free and would become vital to the war effort and the ultimate Allied victory. The Netherlands West Indies, then consisting of Suriname and the six Antillean islands Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Martin, seemed like a safe haven from all the violent warfare, but nothing was further from the truth.