Grete Kusber
.jpg)
Margarete Irmgard Kusber (born August 1, 1907 in Berlin as Margarete Irmgard Dehneke ; † October 31, 1987 in Gronau (Westphalia) ) was a resistance fighter against National Socialism .
Childhood and youth
Margarete Kusber was born on August 1, 1907, as the daughter of Carl Brillereich-Domke and his wife Elli Domke (née Dehneke) in Berlin. She attended elementary school in Dortmund . In 1922 her family moved to Gronau / Westphalia. There she first worked as a housemaid for the privy councilor Gerrit van Delden and later, from 1924, she was employed as a textile worker. Kusber was employed by a pastor in the Evangelical Church. Later there was a falling out with the Church, and she left the Church on March 28, 1931.
Start of political activity and resistance to National Socialism
Kusber joined the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1930 . Between 1933 and 1936, Grete Kusber carried out courier trips to and across the German-Dutch border several times a month. She transported suitcases with unknown contents in a stroller by train over the Gronau-Enschede route to Germany. This courier service across the border was a constant threat to life during the Nazi era . The material from the Netherlands was passed on by Grete Kusber to people unknown to her in the Ruhr area . Rudi Steffens from Gronau was your liaison.
Kusber brought many refugees who came from Wuppertal across the Green Border to the Netherlands. This happened via the border town of Overdinkel and from there on to Amsterdam . On July 7, 1936, during one of her actions in Enschede, Grete Kusber learned of the arrest of the liaison officers in the Ruhr area and initially stayed in Enschede . She later fled to Amsterdam, where she continued to work politically against the Nazi regime. From 1936 to 1940 she worked there in the Dutch resistance. During her stay in Amsterdam she lived illegally with the Beelman family.
Grete Kusber fetched her daily supper from a so-called "food distribution point", whereby her personal details were always recorded. The Beelman family and the "Red Circle" warned them that people who were often wanted were picked up at this point. She lived under the name Maria Beelman and was active in the CPN (Communist Party of the Netherlands) . Grete Kusber ignored the warnings and was arrested. She was expelled and taken to Hamm on June 25, 1940 by the Gestapo . On January 9, 1941, she was finally released.
post war period
From 1941 until her death on October 31, 1987 she was still active in the labor movement and in anti-fascist organizations. For example Nooit-Meer - Never Again e. V., Rote Hilfe e. V. , DFD -Democratic Women's Association of Germany, Association of the Persecuted of the Nazi Regime (VVN) , German Communist Party , AWO -Gronau, GH (Community Aid Free Welfare Association), Textile Clothing Union .
Honors
On April 29, 2015, a stumbling block was laid in Gronau in honor of their courageous behavior .
literature
- Sahin Aydin: One family - a struggle for humanity, against fascism and war. Political biographies . Publisher: KDFK e. V., Gronau / Westphalia 2015
Movie
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Frank Zimmermann: Stumbling blocks for Carl u. Elli Domke and Grete Kusber relocated . In: Westfälische Nachrichten of April 30, 2015, accessed on May 19, 2015.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kusber, Grete |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kusber, Margarete Irmgard; Dehneke, Margarete Irmgard (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German resistance fighter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 1, 1907 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Berlin |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 31, 1987 |
| Place of death | Gronau |