Jan Houtman
Jan Houtman (* 1917 in Hoonhorst ; † November 17, 1944 ibid) was a Dutch resistance fighter who was murdered during the German occupation in World War II .
Houtman was a member of the Landelijke Knokploegen resistance group in the municipality of Ommen and was involved in several acts of resistance against the German occupiers. In this context, he was arrested by the Dutch SS man Herbertus Bikker , known as de Beul van Ommen (German: the executioner of Ommen ), while preparing to smuggle arms , and shot by him on a farm in Hoonhorst in the municipality of Dalfsen.
The death of Jan Houtman gained notoriety through the 2003 trial against Bikker. He was sentenced to death in 1949 and, after an appeal hearing, to life imprisonment. In 1952 he managed to escape from prison and to the Federal Republic of Germany , where he could live almost undisturbed. It was only after he bragged about Houtman's murder in an interview with Stern magazine reporters that the investigation began.
Several testimony before the Hagen District Court in October 2003 made the circumstances of Jan Houtman's murder public. Accordingly, the English had parachuted weapons for the resistance in the woods around Dalfsen. Houtman wanted to borrow a car with a friend to transport these weapons when the so-called Green Police , a control command in the service of the Germans, appeared. The friends separated on the run, Houtman was pursued and caught by Bikker. At the farm where Annie Bosch-Klink, who would later become a witness at the time, lived, Houtman tried to escape again. He was initially injured with several shots. Other witnesses testified that Bikker shot the man who was already injured on the ground. Then they heard him say: Have you had enough now? You don't get up anymore. Now you are really dead.
There was no verdict, the proceedings against Bikker were broken off at the end of 2004 because the defendant was unable to stand trial. Bikker died in 2008.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nederlands verzet in de Tweede Wereldoorlog , accessed on August 9, 2010
- ^ Report from hagalil.com of January 27, 2004 , accessed on August 9, 2010
- ^ Elisabeth Zimmermann: “Later trial against former SS man Herbertus Bikker” , wsws.org , January 6, 2004, accessed on August 9, 2010
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Houtman, Jan |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Dutch resistance fighter who was murdered during the German occupation in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hoonhorst |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 17, 1944 |
| Place of death | Hoonhorst |