Hans Larive
| Etienne Henri Larive | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Nickname(s) | "Hans" |
| Born |
23 September 1915 Singapore |
| Died | 28 December 1984 (aged 69) The Hague, Netherlands |
| Allegiance |
 Netherlands
|
| Service/branch | Royal Netherlands Navy |
| Years of service | 1937—1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
Military Order of William Order of Orange-Nassau Bronze Cross War Commemorative Cross Distinguished Service Cross (UK) Mentioned in Dispatches (UK) |
| Other work | Employee of Royal Dutch Shell |
Etienne Henri "Hans" Larive, MWO, DSC and bar, (23 September 1915 – 28 December 1984) was a Dutch naval officer during World War II. He escaped from the prisoner of war camp Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle in 1941, and spent the rest of the war in England serving aboard Motor Torpedo Boats. He later wrote his memoir Vannacht varen de Hollanders (1950), which was republished translated into English as The Man Who Came in From Colditz (1975) – a pun on the best-selling novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
Larive was born on 23 September 1915 in Singapore. He entered the Royal Netherlands Naval College (KIM) in 1934, graduating in 1937, and gaining his commission as Luitenant ter Zee (3de klasse) on 13 August that year. He was promoted to Luitenant ter Zee (2de klasse) on 13 August 1939.
In May 1940, just a few days before the Germans attacked Holland, he returned from his tour of duty in the Dutch East Indies as Navigation Officer aboard the Admiralen class destroyer HNLMS Van Galen. On 10 May 1940 the Germans invaded, and the Van Galen was sent to shell German paratroopers who had landed around Rotterdam and Waalhaven airport. The ship had to steam into the narrow Nieuwe Waterweg, where she was attacked and soon sunk by Stuka dive-bombers.
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