Matthias Ouwejan

My interest in WW2 goes way back. My granddad got me into the subject when I was 12 years old and I have developed my knowledge ever since. Between 2009 and 2016 I lead international groups in the summer through former concentrationcamp Bergen Belsen. The trips would take about 10 days in which we dived into different parts of the holocaust history. In 2017 I became author for Traces of War, a platform I love for the amount of information it contains. Writing articles keeps my passion for history alive, after finishing my master degree in history back in 2014 (military history). My key areas of interest are the German side of the war (holocaust and warfare) and personalities (gives a great insight in perceptions and feelings). My articles for tracesofwar focus on those interests, but I also write about specific units like the SAS or British operations in North-Africa. Normally I work as a consultant in digitalisation and help local government organisations to transform into the digital world. My focus is on the human side of change and I help people to understand why change is necessary and how to improve their working culture. In my free time I do voluntary work for 3 other organisations: Wijherdenken (a initiative to bolster commemoration amongst young people, see facebook/instagram), YMCA Nederland (as chief of international relations) and Y Service Club Zwolle (helping student exchange over the world). The rest of my time goes to sports, which I do at least 6 times a week. I love to do survivalrunning, biking, running, calisthenics or climbing and hiking.