the men that could be relied upon. The coup never took place. The Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Prize in Literature In 2009 a foundation was established in memorial to promote writing and the ideals of Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema. The foundation offers a bi-yearly literary prize in two categories: the Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Young Talent Prize, awarded to the best master's thesis written in Dutch or English at a Dutch or Flemish university, and the Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema Biography Prize awarded to the best Dutch-language Biography. The Young Talent Prize aims to encourage young academic writers. The Biography Prize aims to promote interest in and the reading of biographical works among the Dutch. The thinking of Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and the standards and values that characterized his life are used as a guide in evaluating submissions. Princess Irene accepted the position of guardian of the "Erik Hasselhoff Roelfzema Foundation Prize". Awards Hazelhoff Roelfzema was acclaimed in the Netherlands as one of the nation's greatest heroes of the war. He was the recipient of the highest Dutch military honour. His experiences during the war became known throughout the world through his writings on those events and the film. Late in his life he was given the Dutch American Heritage Award. He did not see himself as unusual and when honoured was ever mindful of the friends that he had lost. In an interview in July with De Telegraaf, Hazelhoff Roelfzema said he had received too much recognition for his wartime exploits. "I became a war hero because I stuck out, because I wrote about my experiences". He went on to offer: National honours : Knight 4th class of the Military Order of William 4 June 1942 : Airman's Cross 22 September 1945 : Cross of Merit 20 March 1944 : War Commemorative Cross (Oorlogsherinneringskruis) with 2 clasps : Resistance Memorial Cross : Queen Beatrix's Inauguration Medal 1980 Foreign honours : Distinguished Flying Cross, 3 July 1945 : 1939-1945 Star : Air Crew Europe Star : France and Germany Star : War Medal 1939-1945 List of works Rendezvous in San Francisco (Rendezvous in San Francisco ) (1939) Het smeulende vuur (The smoldering fire) (1941) Het hol van de ratelslang (The rattlesnake hollow) (1970) Soldaat van Oranje (Soldier of Orange – a revision of Het hol van de ratelslang) (1971) De verre tamboer; Soldaat van Oranje zwaait af (The distant tambourine; the Soldier of Orange