text analytics for detecting dutch, german, and allied perspectives on events at the end of the...

Text%Analy+cs%for%Detec+ng%Dutch,%German,%and%Allied%Perspec+ves%on%Events%at%the%End%of%the%Second%World%War%in%the%Arnhem@Nijmegen%Region%%%Antal%van%den%Bosch%%Centre%for%Language%Studies,%Radboud%University%Nijmegen,%The%Netherlands%%Marten%Düring%Department%of%History,%University%of%North%Carolina%at%Chapel%Hill,%USA%%%%%

DHBenelux%2014,%June%13,%2014,%The%Hague%

toen%het%om%6%uur%licht%werd.%was%Nijmegen%vrij%we%waren%de%plunderaars%kwijt.%voorzich+g%gingen%we%naar%buiten%steeds%meer%mensen%kwamen%buiten%en%we%konden%de%gevolgen%zien%van%de%gevechten%in%den%afgelopen%dag%en%nacht.%op%de%hoek%van%onze%straat%lag%stuk%geschoten%een%kleine%Amerikaanse%tank.%de%bemanning%3%Amerikanen%en%een%Hollander%lagen%er%dood%naast.%allen%met%opgeheven%handen.%in%de%rich+ng%van%de%brug.%vemoedelijk%hebben%ze%zich%nog%willen%overgeven.%

Historical%context%

%•  Opera+on%Market%Garden%–  17@25%September%1944%–  about%34,000%parachuters%and%a"bridge"too"far"

•  7%month%stand@s+ll%and%evacua+ons%

•  Opera+on%Veritable:%1,000,000%soldiers%in%the%region%

%

Sources%Airborne(Museum(Hartenstein((Oosterbeek)(%•  About%60,000%digi+zed%items%such%as%memoirs,%diaries,%photos,%reports,%historical%narra+ves…%%Most%of%which%have%been%OCRed%or%contain%metadata%

•  Dutch,%English,%German%

•  Military,%civilian,%police,%academic%discourses%%%%%

An%example%

%%Generalmajor%Friedrich%Kussin%and%his%driver%were%shot%dead%on%Utrechtseweg%near%Wol`eze%in%the%aaernoon%of%17th%September%1944.%

%%%Generalmajor%Friedrich%Kussin%and%his%driver%were%shot%dead%on%

Utrechtseweg%near%Wol`eze%in%the%aaernoon%of%17th%September%1944.%

%%%Generalmajor%Friedrich%Kussin%and%his%driver%were%shot%dead%on%

Utrechtseweg%near%Wol`eze%in%the%aaernoon%of%17th%September%1944.%

%%%Generalmajor%Friedrich%Kussin%and%his%driver%were%shot%dead%on%

Utrechtseweg%near%Wol`eze%in%the%aaernoon%of%17th%September%1944.%

…a"German"Citroen"staff"car"suddenly"appeared"at"a"junc9on"in"between"the"platoon's"posi9ons,"promp9ng"these"units"to"open"fire"with"rifles"and"sten"guns,"killing"all"inside."So"enthusias9c"had"been"the"firing"that"both"vehicle"and"passengers"were"riddled"with"bullets"and"it"took"Cleminson's"interven9on"to"get"his"men"to"cease"fire."This"prize"put"the"platoon"on"a"high."

%%%Generalmajor%Friedrich%Kussin%and%his%driver%were%shot%dead%on%

Utrechtseweg%in%the%aaernoon%of%17th%September%1944.%

…a"German"Citroen"staff"car"suddenly"appeared"at"a"junc9on"in"between"the"platoon's"posi9ons,"promp9ng"these"units"to"open"fire"with"rifles"and"sten"guns,"killing"all"inside."So"enthusias9c"had"been"the"firing"that"both"vehicle"and"passengers"were"riddled"with"bullets"and"it"took"Cleminson's"interven9on"to"get"his"men"to"cease"fire."This"prize"put"the"platoon"on"a"high."

Ques+ons%

•  Two%or%four%casual+es?%Where%are%they?%•  Why%no%adempt%to%arrest%Kussin?%•  Where%are%the%many%bulletholes?%%•  Why%no%blood?%

Overall%goal%

Help%historians%and%curators%with%the%laborious%task%of%finding%relevant%informa+on%by%(semi@)%automa+cally%linking%related%sources.%Create%a%basis%for%interpreta+on%of%

%1.  Events%@%Link(primary(sources(through(text(analysis(

2.  Mo+fs%–%Study(the(changing(?)(building(blocks(of(war(narraAves(%%

%

%1.   Aggregate(depicAons(of(events(based(on((

(locaAon,(Ame(and(type(of(event.(

We"are"looking"for:""interconnected%ac+ons%which%are%iden+fiable%by%men+oned%points%in%+me%and/or%a%specific%loca+on%in%the%Arnhem/%Nijmegen%area%between%September%1944%and%May%1945.%

1.%Aggregate%depic+ons%of%events%based%on%%loca+on,%+me%and%type%of%event%

We"are"looking"for:""interconnected%ac+ons%which%are%iden+fiable%by%men+oned%points%in%+me%and/or%a%specific%loca+on%in%the%Arnhem/%Nijmegen%area%between%September%1944%and%May%1945.%

"Prac9cal"applica9ons:"•  Highlight%contradic+ons%and%ambigui+es%of%sources%and%their%

interpreta+ons.%Paderns?%•  Who%depicts%what?%Paderns?%•  Changes%over%+me?%Which%events%have%(not)%been%documented?%•  Iden+fy%new,%poten+ally%relevant%sources%•  Raise%new%ques+ons:%

–  Why%doesn’t%SourceX%men+on%EventY?%

2.%Iden+fy%and%extract%mo+fs%from%historical%sources%1944@2013%

MoAfs(in(folk(tales:(•  “predator%pretending%to%be%a%friend“%•  “ghost%summoned%by%music“%%MoAfs(in(our(case:(•  “loud%and%brutal%German%soldier“%•  “elated%Dutch%civilians”%%•  “dancing%in%the%streets”%…"basically"any"standard"situa9on"during"a"war%%

Case%study%

•  85%texts,%digitally%transcribed%or%born%digital%

•  Star+ng%point:%street%names%– Regexp%– NER%

Named%En+ty%Recogni+on%

•  Textcat%language%iden+fica+on%•  Frog:%open%source%NLP%tool%for%Dutch%

– Memory@based,%hdp://ilk.uvt.nl/frog%

•  Stanford%NER%–  CRF@based,%hdp://nlp.stanford.edu/soaware/CRF@NER.shtml%

Named%En+ty%Recogni+on%

•  Frog%finds%6,927%loca+ons%in%71%Dutch%texts%–  201%Arnhem;%195%Rhenen;%140%Oosterbeek;%106%Amersfoort;%98%Spakenburg;%97%Duitsland;%79%Scherpenzeel;%68%Rijn;%64%Ede;%61%Nijkerk%

•  Stanford%NER%finds%17,221loca+ons%in%13%English%texts%– Without%work%on%Canadian%army:%8,170%loca+ons%–  395%Aachen;%182%Antwerp;%129%Nijmegen;%123%Arnhem;%122%Germany;%107%Holland;%105%London;%92%Normandy;%92%Netherlands;%90%Geilenkirchen%

Iden+fying%street%names%

Regular%expression%•  *road,%*street,%*boulevard,%*avenue,%*path,%*square,%*straat,%*laan,%*weg,%*plein,%*dijk,%*pad,%*brug,%*park,%*singel%

Evalua+on%•  Precision: %182/205%=%88.8%%•  Recall: % %182/203%=%89.7%%•  F@score: % %89.2%%%

Mapalist%+%Google%Maps%

Automa+cally%found:%Dreijenseweg%Civilian%reports%seeing%German%tanks%along%the%road%(18%Sept%1944)%•  …"Langs"de"DREIJENSEWEG"stonden"grote"Duitse"tanks"opgesteld"en"er"lagen"grote"stapels"voorraden"die"

bij"het"afwerpen"door"de"vliegtuigen"in"Duitse"handen"waren"gevallen."Ik"weet"nog"dat"de"Duitse"militairen"die"daar"rondliepen"zichtbaar"veel"genoegen"beleefden"aan"de"inhoud"van"de"manden"en"containers."…%

Allied%soldier%describing%the%skirmish%in%his%memoirs%(19%Sept%1944)%•  …"Advanced"through"woods"in"area"between"Johannahoeve"and"DREIJENSEWEG,"with"Sgt"Shepley,"and"

three"others"of"my"company,"I"cannot"recall"their"names;"we"were"held"up"trying"to"cross"a"track.."…%Police%Report:%Mrs.%Jansen%no+fies%authori+es%about%a%body%(20%August%1945)%•  Mejuffrouw"Jansen,"wonende"AMSTERDAMSEWEG"No"244"(waterleiding)"geeW"kennis"dat"een"Engelse"

soldaat"begraven"ligt"in"de"berm"van"de"DREIJENSEWEG"juist"in"de"bocht"voorbij"het"huis"van"Buuren."…""Police%Report:%Human%bones%and%Bri+sh%gear%found%(30%October%1948)%•  In"de"tuin"van"het"pand"DREIJENSEWEG,"bewoond"door"de"Gruijter,"is"door"opgraving"verschillende"

beenderen"van"een"menselijk"lichaam"en"resten"van"uitrus9ngsstukken"gevonden."Ook"zit"er"(gezien"de"verpakking)"nog"een"lijk"in"de"grond."De"uitrus9ngsstukken"zijn"aZoms9g"van"Engelse"…%

Police%Report:%Bodies%of%three%Bri+sh%soldiers%have%been%found%(4%November%1948)%•  Door"de"Nederlandse"en"Engelse"lijkendienst"zijn"in"de"tuin"van"de"Gruijter,"DREIJENSEWEG,"alhier,"drie"

lijken"van"Engelse"militairen"opgegraven"en"overgebracht"naar"de"Engelse"begraafplaats.%

Evernote’s%Atlas%func+on%

Evernote% Texts%connected%by%streets%(Gephi)%

a.vandenbosch@let.ru.nl%