De Zwarte Hand

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De Zwarte Hand ( Dutch "The Black Hand") was a resistance group in Belgium, which was occupied by the German Wehrmacht during World War II . The group was primarily active in the province of Antwerp . In the fall of 1941, the group, consisting largely of very young men, was discovered and in 1943 twelve of its members were executed. The other members of the group were deported to various concentration camps; of 109 men only 37 saw the end of the war.

history

The De Zwarte Hand movement was founded in August 1940 by Marcel De Mol, the sexton of the Sint-Jan-Baptistkerk in Tisselt , and nine other colleagues. She was active in the regions of Klein-Brabant and Rupelstreek . In the months that followed, around 100 men, mostly very young, joined the group, which was divided into 16 cells. It was allegedly one of the first resistance groups in Belgium and called itself De Zwarte Hand , after the Serbian secret society Schwarze Hand , which carried out the 1914 assassination attempt in Sarajevo on the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.

First, the group contacted members of the resistance in Brussels in order to collect and distribute underground newspapers produced there. She then printed out leaflets herself , which were typed on a Remington typewriter , which was telltale because of their typical typeface. The first were directed against the city council, which consisted of members of the right-wing nationalist Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond and collaborated with the occupiers . Another leaflet carried the text: “Wij zijn Belgen, van welken godsdienst, van welke gedchte ook, wij allen wij zijn Belgen, wij know maar één vijand. Dat is het Nazi-Duitsland. "(" We are Belgians, of whatever religion or whatever attitude, we all, we are Belgians, we only know one enemy. That is Nazi Germany. ") To encourage their fellow citizens to Members of the group wrote the letter “V” (for victory ) on the facades of houses with chalk .

The only sabotage -Akt the group consisted of a tank with kerosene at the airfield in Hingene to empty. On July 21, 1941, the Belgian national holiday , she broadcast the Belgian national anthem on her radio station - with piano accompaniment from Küster De Mol - and called on the population to resist. The group had weapons, but they were not used. She printed anti-German leaflets, blacklisted collaborators and tried - unsuccessfully - to establish radio contact with Great Britain .

In September 1941 the first members of the Zwarte Hand were arrested. In October 1941, the Germans arrested more members of the group and found the full list of members in the tower of the Sint-Jan-Baptistkerk in Tisselt, including a photo with members of De Zwarte Hand in the church, so that they could all arrest on October 27th . Only two members of the group escaped. It is suspected that the partly very young members of the group - some were only 16 years old at the time of their arrest - did not exercise the necessary caution in their youthful recklessness. Their activities were noticed by Germans friendly Belgians and the group was denounced, especially since the men did not publicly hide their dislike of the German occupiers.

109 men from De Zwarte Hand were detained in Mechelen prison, from where they were taken one by one to Fort Breendonk to be interrogated and tortured. After a few days, most of them were transported to the Antwerp prison . There they were further interrogated by the Gestapo under the direction of the German August Schneider and the Flemish Eugeen Dirckx . On March 15, 1942, they were taken to the Saint-Gilles Wehrmacht prison in Brussels , where an entire wing was cleared for them. On June 29, 1942, they were transported by train to Wuppertal , where they were then held in solitary confinement in Bendahl prison for around a year ; according to other sources, the Belgians had to work in arms production. One of the Belgian prisoners died there, allegedly of tuberculosis .

Staf Vivijs, then 20 years old and a survivor of the Zwarte Hand , wrote in his memoirs in 1985:

“It's hard to say what tortured me worst in Wuppertal. The loneliness, the longing, the hunger, the numbness, the humiliation of the turnkey, their frauds, the punishment of actual or supposed offenses or the hatred in the eyes of these supermen! "

Wall of names in today's Esterwegen memorial

On January 14, 1943, 25 members of De Zwarte Hand in Wuppertal were brought before the People's Court under Roland Freisler , who sentenced 16 of them to death; the remaining defendants received sentences of between five and ten years. After appeals for clemency, four death sentences were later commuted to prison sentences. About half a year later, a fire broke out in prison after a heavy air raid on Wuppertal . The members of the Zwarte Hand were then transported to the Esterwegen camp . There they came to the strictly separated "Camp South" for resistance fighters from various Western European countries, so-called " night and fog prisoners ". The total of 2,696 prisoners, including some women, were completely isolated and were not allowed to have any contact with the outside world.

On the morning of August 7, 1943, the twelve Belgian men sentenced to death, including Marcel De Mol and his brother Remy, were executed at the Wehrmacht firing range in Schepsdorf ; the youngest victim was 20 years old. The local Wehrmacht commander had initially refused these executions by his subordinates, but finally received express orders from his superiors to carry them out. The dead were buried in the Bockhorst-Esterwegen camp cemetery . The executions were kept secret and relatives were not informed. In a second trial in January 1944, other Zwarten Hand resistance fighters were charged. The trial in the Groß-Strehlitz prison ended in June 1944 with juvenile and prison sentences. In September 1944, all “night and fog prisoners” were ordered to be transferred to other concentration camps. Of the 109 members of the Zwarte Hand who were deported to Germany , only 37 saw the end of the war.

Members

  • Frans Aerts (Ruisbroek May 30, 1913 - Flossenbürg March 24, 1945)
  • Jan Aerts (Ruisbroek June 23, 1915 - Strzelce Amolskie December 1944?)
  • Louis Alewaters (Tisselt November 30, 1921 - Vilvoorde January 9, 2012), liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945
  • Frans Andries (Hingene November 10, 1921 - Dachau February 11, 1945)
  • Gustaaf Baeckelmans (Tisselt March 21, 1904 - Theresienstadt May 11, 1945), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945, but died of the exertions three days later
  • Camille Bastaens (Montpellier May 2, 1915 - Sonnenburg January 30/31, 1945)
  • Frans Beuckelaers (Merchtem March 24, 1921 - there March 3, 1994), liberated in Brandenburg April 27, 1945
  • John Bossuyt (Hemiksem September 17, 1923 - Antwerp March 7, 2006), liberated from Sachsenhausen on April 22, 1945
  • Jan Callaerts (Liezele June 24, 1903 - Sachsenhausen February 11, 1945)
  • Bernard Frans Caremans (boom February 15, 1924 - Esterwegen December 24, 1943)
  • Bernard Caremans (boom August 17, 1922 - Brugge April 3, 2003), accidentally not arrested because his cousin was also called Bernard Caremans
  • Arthur Clerbaut (Ruisbroek September 15, 1914 - Londerzeel December 31, 2002), liberated in Dorndorf on April 13, 1945
  • Roger Coeckelbergh (Puurs July 28, 1922 - Aalst January 19, 1990), liberated in Dorndorf on April 13, 1945
  • Jozef Corbeel (Niel October 16, 1922 - Rumst August 19, 2016), liberated from Sachsenhausen on April 22, 1945
  • Achiel Daes (Terhagen July 16, 1923 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Jan Daelemans (Eikevliet February 22, 1914 - Theresienstadt April 15, 1945)
  • Florent De Boeck (Niel August 24, 1922 - Essen November 15, 2018), liberated from Sachsenhausen on April 22, 1945
  • Albert De Bondt (Puurs March 11, 1922 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Robert De Bondt (Puurs September 18, 1911 - Ottignies July 13, 1992), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Hendrik De Bondt (Niel September 8, 1924 - Reet September 23, 2012), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Evarist De Bondt (Niel September 30, 1914 - Gembloers April 5, 1962), liberated from Dachau on May 1, 1945
  • Frans De Bruyn (Niel November 29, 1924 - Antwerp June 24, 2007), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Emiel De Cat (Puurs April 9, 1895 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Camiel De Clerk (Ouwegem March 1, 1909 - Flossenbürg March 3, 1945)
  • Frans De Decker (boom May 23, 1919 - Mijas November 9, 1981), escaped to Laband (1944) and arrested again in January 1945
  • Jan De Doncker (Ruisbroek April 16, 1902 - Mittelbau-Dora March 1945)
  • Etienne De Geyter (Puurs September 23, 1924 - Bergen-Belsen March 14, 1945)
  • Luc De Geyter (Puurs January 16, 1921 - Bornem July 25, 1994), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Joris De Keersmaecker (Ruisbroek March 24, 1920 - Merksem January 2, 2000), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Arthur De Leeuw (Sint-Amands January 31, 1907 - Groß-Rosen November 27, 1944)
  • John De Maeyer (Sint-Amands October 30, 1908 - Groß-Rosen November 27, 1944)
  • Marcel De Mol (Ghent May 5, 1908 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Remy De Mol (Nazareth October 18, 1899 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Petrus Demul (Liezele March 11, 1918 - Willebroek March 29, 2000), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Louis De Roek (boom December 2, 1918 - July 2, 1992 there), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Joseph De Veirman (Bornem April 29, 1911 - 1944 or 1945?)
  • Alex De Vierman (Puurs August 14, 1909-1944 or 1945?)
  • Antoon De Wachter (Puurs July 1, 1922 - Brasschaat May 16, 2010), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Jules De Wachter (Niel September 27, 1924 - Reet February 25, 2010), liberated in Nordhausen on April 11, 1945
  • Isidoor De Wit (Ampuurs November 22, 1910 - Mittelbau-Dora March 8, 1945)
  • Clemens Dielis (Bressoux October 5, 1919 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Alfons Dinant (boom April 18, 1923 - December 30, 1947 there), liberated in Laband on January 23, 1945
  • August Elsen (boom July 8, 1923 - Nordhausen March 1945)
  • Louis Eyckmans (boom May 7, 1924 - Nordhausen March 2, 1945)
  • François Gevaers (Breendonk February 18, 1920 - Bornem April 29, 2008), liberated from Dachau on May 1, 1945
  • Jozef Hermans (Puurs November 16, 1914 - Theresienstadt May 5, 1945)
  • Paul Herremans (Niel October 29, 1925 - Nordhausen April 4, 1945)
  • Louis Hofmans (Puurs January 29, 1920 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Louis Houthooft (Puus June 24, 1913 - Bornem January 26, 1986), arrested October 9, 1941
  • Adolf Huysmans (Tisselt July 24, 1919 - Groß-Rosen February 7th to 8th 1945)
  • Frans Kerremans (Tisselt March 2, 1908 - Groß-Rosen December 24, 1944)
  • Louis Koek (Sint-Amands May 11, 1903 - Nordhausen April 3, 1945)
  • Edmond Maes (Boom May 14, 1922 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Frans Maes (Puurs March 4, 1921 - Baasrode February 28, 2000), liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945
  • Jan Maris (Stokrooie September 1, 1880 - Sonnenburg January 31, 1944)
  • Louis Meeus (Londerzeel January 22, 1923 - Sonnenburg May 1944)
  • Robert Mertens (boom October 5, 1925 - Gross-Rosen February 1945)
  • Florent Meskens (Puurs May 8, 1918 - Mortsel December 24, 1970), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Alfons Moeyersons (Londerzeel April 16, 1922 - Bergen-Belsen March 7, 1945)
  • Maurice Moortgat (Sint-Amands January 20, 1920 - Groß-Rosen February 8, 1945)
  • Henri Pauwels (Puurs August 14, 1920 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Alfons Peeters (Tisselt November 10, 1906 - Willebroek January 6, 1992), liberated from Sachsenhausen on April 22, 1945
  • Herman Peeters (boom April 24, 1912 - Wolfenbüttel October 27, 1941)
  • Jozef Peeters (Lippelo April 12, 1910 - Wuppertal March 11, 1943)
  • Jozef Peeters (Londerzeel July 2, 1919 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Lodewijk Pelgrims (Puurs October 30, 1923 - Strzelce Amolskie 25 to August 26, 1944)
  • Firmin Piessens (Elsene December 19, 1922 - Gross-Rosen February 1945)
  • Albert Polfliet (Born on July 25, 1917 - November 19, 1979), liberated on April 23, 1945
  • Louis Polfliet (Bornem March 1, 1915 - Mittelbau-Dora March 3, 1945)
  • Victor Saerens (Puurs November 4, 1914 - Brussels January 31, 1984), liberated in Brandenburg on April 29, 1945
  • Philemon Sarens (Sint-Amands June 12, 1915 - Dachau March 9-12, 1945)
  • Pieter Schaerlaecken (Tisselt January 30, 1923 - Nordhausen March 27, 1945)
  • Leamold Schelkens (Londerzeel July 15, 1921 - Nordhausen April 3-4, 1945, probably during a bombing)
  • Leo Schoof (Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde December 23, 1908 - Bergen-Belsen March 2, 1945)
  • Florent Siebens (Puurs October 12, 1904 - there January 14, 1965), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Hendrik Spiessens (Hingene September 17, 1902 - Maagdenburg. May 1945)
  • Robert Sprimont (Tisselt April 3, 1894 - Gross-Rosen December 7, 1944)
  • Jozef Stevens (Puurs March 20, 1914 - Willebroek April 18, 1970), liberated from Buchenwald on April 13, 1945
  • Jozef Suykens (Antwerp January 9, 1922 - Puurs December 11, 1978), liberated in Laband on January 23, 1945
  • Hector Temmerman (boom November 23, 1924 - Edegem October 25, 1985), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Jozef Thijs (Puurs December 14, 1916 - Buchenwald March 23, 1945)
  • Louis Uytfries (boom February 17, 1924 - April 12, 1974), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Frans Van Beneden (Ruisbroek July 7, 1913 - Wolfenbüttel December 18, 1944)
  • Joseph Van Beneden (Ruisbroek April 23, 1921 - Sonnenburg around August 15, 1943)
  • Leonard Van De Sande (Willebroek May 4, 1925 - Kamp Sandbostel April 22, 1945)
  • Denis Van Den Heule (Ruisbroek April 16, 1921 - Leuven November 26, 2009), liberated from Bergen-Belsen on April 15, 1945
  • Frans Vanderkinderen (Hingene February 4, 1915 - Nordhausen April 1, 1945)
  • Willem Van Der Taelen (Tisselt September 14, 1921 - Terhulpen July 5, 1945), liberated in Nordhausen on April 11, 1945
  • Emiel Vangelder (Klein-Willebroek April 11, 1922 - Groß-Rosen November 27, 1944)
  • Carolus Van Gucht (Hingene February 6, 1919 - Gross-Rosen January 2, 1945)
  • Leamold Van Hoeymissen (Malderen November 3, 1919 - Strzelce Amolskie November 30, 1944)
  • Laurent Van Hoof (Schelle March 12, 1923 - Nordhausen Night from April 3 to 4, 1945)
  • Willem Van Hoof (Niel May 18, 1924 - Esterwegen January 14, 1944)
  • Pieter Van Humbeeck (Londerzeel October 4, 1923 - Gross-Rosen February 1945)
  • Gustaaf Van Lent (Ruisbroek March 14, 1902 - Mechelen October 11, 1965), liberated from Sachsenhausen on April 22, 1945
  • Frans Van Muylder (Londerzeel October 7, 1902 - Antwerp July 22, 1945), liberated from Theresienstadt on May 8, 1945
  • Pieter Van Obbergen (Londerzeel January 16, 1907 - Sachsenhausen December 13, 1943)
  • Albert Van Oost (Hingene March 29, 1916 - Gross-Rosen February 1945)
  • Jozef Van Zaelen (Tisselt December 20, 1919 - Flossenbürg March 8, 1945)
  • Petrus Van Zaelen (Tisselt December 20, 1919 - Mittelbau-Dora March 10, 1945)
  • Frans Verbelen (Malderen March 17, 1923 - Bergen-Belsen March 8, 1945)
  • Karel Verbelen (Londerzeel September 4, 1906 - Groß-Rosen December 2, 1944)
  • Jozef Verhavert (Puurs April 18, 1918 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • Georges Verhaben (Tisselt January 11, 1915 - Kashits May 1, 1945)
  • Jozef Vermaesen (Malderen July 16, 1922 - Sonnenburg May 13, 1944)
  • Jean-Pierre Vincent (Schaarbeek August 13, 1920 - Lingen August 7, 1943), executed
  • August Vivijs (Tisselt October 10, 1922 - Veurne April 29, 2007), liberated from Mauthausen on May 5, 1945
  • Louis Vivijs (Tisselt October 26, 1923 - Mechelen May 2, 2012), liberated from Nordhausen concentration camp on April 11, 1945
  • Jozef Vyncke (Sint-Niklaas March 12, 1905 - Buchenwald March 12, 1945)
  • Frans Willaert (Puurs October 30, 1909 - Bonheiden February 11, 1992), liberated in Brandenburg on April 27, 1945
  • Prosper Windey (Sint-Amands October 12, 1903 - Dachau February 6, 1945)

Commemoration

Memorial stone for the twelve murdered members of the Zwarten Hand in Schepsdorf

On August 14, 1991, in the presence of a Belgian and a Luxembourg delegation, a memorial stone bearing the names of the executed prisoners was unveiled on the site of the former Wehrmacht shooting range in Schepsdorf. A memorial plaque was placed on the Puurs parish hall in 2018. The group is also remembered at the Esterwegen memorial .

Relatives of members of the Zwarte Hand have come together to form Vriendenkring De Zwarte Hand . They organize events, support publications and run the dezwartehand.be website.

literature

Web links

Commons : De Zwarte Hand  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Annemie Turtelboom: 70 jaar geleden… arrestatie verzetstrijders Zwarte Hand ( Memento from February 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g De Zwarte Hand. Verzetsbewegung Klein Brabant- Vaartland en de Rupelstreek WHERE II EEN in leven, EEN in dood Ons vaderland getrouw! In: docplayer.nl. Retrieved April 13, 2020 (Dutch).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Mirko Crabus: De Zwarte Hand. Heimatverein Lingen, accessed on April 12, 2020 .
  4. ↑ a b c De Zwarte Hand. In: dezwartehand.be. Retrieved April 12, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Christian Schröder: Exhibition on Nazi Justice: Guilty of Indictment. In: tagesspiegel.de . May 11, 2018, accessed April 13, 2020 .
  6. ↑ The Esterwegen memorial leaflet
  7. ↑ DIZ - Camp VII (Esterwegen). In: diz-emslandlager.de. Retrieved April 12, 2020 .
  8. ↑ Gerd Schade: names of almost 2,700 Nazi victims discovered in Emsland. In: noz.de. June 20, 2014, accessed April 13, 2020 .
  9. ^ Concentration and prison camps. In: gedenkstaette-esterwegen.de. March 26, 2020, accessed April 13, 2020 .
  10. ^ Johannes Franke: Citizens in Lingen remember murdered Belgian resistance fighters. In: noz.de. August 8, 2018, accessed April 12, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Gedenkplaat voor verzetgroep Zwarte Hand. In: rtv.be. June 26, 2018, accessed April 12, 2020 (Dutch).