The fallen resistance people in Limburg

Lambert Kraft (Bèr)

Maastrichtse Gevelstenen

Lambert Kraft was a representative for vacuum cleaners. In the municipal elections in Maastricht on June 14, 1939, he headed the list of the CPN (Communists). They achieved 5.18%. [1]
On December 8, 1940, he was arrested by order of the security police SiPo for helping communist refugees from Germany in the 1930s.
On February 28, 1941, five communists were arrested in Maastricht, allegedly on suspicion of involvement in the miners’ strike. More likely, this was a sign that the "friendship" between Hitler and Stalin was cooling (see below). In addition to Bèr Kraft, these were André Bos, Chris Heuts, J.J. Baartscheer, and Bernhard Holty. They were released after a month. In his house the clandestine magazine De Vonk was printed. [2]
On June 23 or 25, 1941, Lambert was arrested for the third time.This has everything to do with the German hunt for communists after the German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact [3] was broken.
He was imprisoned in Aachen, Maastricht, Schoorl and finally Neuengamme. [4]
With 44 other Dutch prisoners from this concentration camp, he was selected for gassing experiments at the Landes-Heil- und Pflegeanstalt in Bernburg (Saale). [5]
According to the Book of the Dead (Totenbuch) of Neuengamme, he was gassed there in June 1942. [6]
In Maastricht, the Bèr Kraftstraat is named after him. [7]
His resistance work is summarized in the archives of the CPN-Limburg as follows: The deceased participated in the underground work at the beginning of the war, but was always picked up by the Germans from 1941. [8]
This person is listed in the “Erelijst 1940-1945” (Honor Roll of the Dutch Parliament). [9]

Footnotes

1. verkiezingsuitslagen.nl Maastricht, 14 juni 1939
2. Mestreech online Verzetsstrijders Maastricht
3. Deutsch-sowjetischer Nichtangriffspakt (Molotow-Ribbentroppakt) Wikipedia
   • Nederlands • Deutsch • English • Français
4. struikelsteentjes-maastricht.nl (pdf)
5. Tötungsanstalt Bernburg
   Wikipedia • Deutsch • English • Français • Português
   Gedenkstätte für Opfer der NS-"Euthanasie" Bernburg
   OpenStreetMap
6. wo2slachtoffers.nl Kraft, Lambertus
7. OpenStreetMap Bèr Kraftstraat
8. ARCH00347.148 Image 46
9. Erelijst 1940-1945
10. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl
11. https://www.maastrichtsegevelstenen.nl/0.OORLOG/oorlog2c-verzet.htm