Communisten & sympathisanten
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1940-1945. The resistance in the dutch province of Limburg

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Communists & Sympathizers

The Communist Party of the Netherlands, or CPN, started up a well-organized resistance organization early in the war, also in Limburg and especially in the mining region, favored by the fact that they had already a close-knit organization before, just like the former soldiers and the churches. Also in Limburg they were the resistance organization, which in comparison to the number of members, had the most victims. Cooperation with the other resistance groups was initially very difficult, also caused by the non-aggression treaty between Germany and the Soviet Union of August 23, 1939, but it improved as the war progressed. Only with the former soldiers of the OD, which after all was explicitly founded as an anti-communist organization, mutual distrust remained high.
Due to the de facto end of the above-mentioned non-aggression pact, the communist resistance groups and their sympathizers came in particular into the crossfire of the Nazis. The following quote about the Oostelijke Mijnstreek, the eastern part of the mining district is typical of the situation of the entire communist resistance in Dutch Limburg.
Fred Cammaert wrote in his dissertation Het Verborgen Front, Geschiedenis van de georganiseerde illegaliteit in de provincie Limburg tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog, Hoofdstuk X, De C.P.N. en de illegaliteit (The Hidden Front, History of the Organized Illegality in the Province of Limburg during World War II, Chapter X, The C.P.N. and the Underground) on p. 1004: “In the course of June 1942, several more arrests followed in the Oostelijke Mijnstreek. Only a few escaped. On June 19th the curtain fell on E.J. Vinerius, J.H. Lübben, L. Bosand his son as well on the CPN trainer Nas. The latter managed to escape during the transport to Maastricht. He returned to South Holland, where he was arrested and executed more than a year later. On August 17, 1942, the Sipo stopped and arrested W. Gerards, a diffuser of De Vonk, in Heerlerheide. When he tried to escape he was shot. Finally W. van den Beemd fell into German hands on September 9th.”
… “The Befehlshaber der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD (commander of the security police and the SD) in The Hague, Harster, noted with satisfaction in a report to his superiors in Berlin on July 14, 1942 that it had become quiet around the CPN in the mining area since the wave of arrests in May and June. In fact, the organization was completely paralyzed and internal connections were destroyed.”

Were all the people who are in the CPN cartotheque of their fallen comrades in Limburg actually involved in the CPN? Ad van Liempt explains in De jacht op het verzet (The Hunt for Resistance), chapter: De tragiek van het ‘kleine’ verzet, that some of them only read one copy of De Vonk, nothing else.
Read more The Danger of Lists
See also on wikipedia: Communist Party of the Netherlands
International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam Archief CPN

All the fallen resistance people in Limburg

Communists & Sympathizers – 50 pers.

Balter,
Hendrik Hubert
∗ 1917-08-06
Schaesberg
† 1945-04-17
Flossenbürg AL Gröditz
- Underground Press - Schaesberg - Communists & Sympathizers -

Hendrik Hubert Balter was a collaborator of De Vonk (The Spark), a resistance magazine of the CPN. On May 29, 1942, a distributor of De Vonk, F.E. Scheper from Schaesberg, was arrested …
wall: right, row 13-01
Beers, van
Adrianus Hubertus
∗ 1895-09-24
Wamel
† 1942-08-31
KZ Groß-Rosen
- Initial resistance - Heerlen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Scaffolder, helped to bring refugees across the border. Arrested on June 24, 1941.
Eventually he ended up in the Nacht und Nebel [1] concentration camp in Gross-Rosen [2], where …

wall: middel, row 05-02
Benedic,
Nikolaus
Nico
∗ 1903-03-02
Aachen
† 1944-07-11
Natzweiler
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers -

Nico Benedic was the keeper of a little library and a member of the CPN [1]. Was he also a miner? Lived in Waubach. Arrested on May 30, 1942 for distributing party papers.De Vonk and De …
wall: right, row 24-01
Bos,
André
∗ 0000-00-00
† 1943-02-12
Neuengamme
- Maastricht - Communists & Sympathizers -

André Bos was a party member of the CPN. According to their archive (ARCH00347.148) he was a peat worker. Of course, he could not have practiced this profession in Maastrichti. Arrested …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.04-05
Bos,
Lubbert
∗ 1900-08-10
Emmen
† 1943-04-06
KZ Buchenwald
- Brunssum - Communists & Sympathizers - Underground Press -

Lubbert Bos was a miner and a member of the CPN (Communist Party Netherlands).
Cammaert wrote about him on p.1000:
In August 1941, the party leadership again sent a liaison …
wall: left, row 06-01
Brinkman,
Jan
∗ 1893-08-01
Koekange
† 1945-02-20
Dachau
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers -

Miner (hewer), born in Koekange [2], a village in the province of Drenthe, until 1997 municipality of De Wijk. He lived in Waubach. Worked for the party newspaper De …

wall: right, row 24-02
Busch,
Elbertus Frederikus
∗ 1903-05-11
Apeldoorn
† 1943-05-25
Neuengamme
- Initial resistance - Underground Press - Hoensbroek - Communists & Sympathizers -

He spent his youth in Zutphen, his places of residence in South Limburg were Brunssum and Hoensbroek (from 1931). According to the biography on heemkundehoensbroek.nl, he was a gardener during the …

wall: middel, row 10-02
Crauwels,
Paul Nicolaas
Pauli
∗ 1901-08-17
Maastricht
† 1944-09-08
Sittard
- Underground Press - Sittard - Communists & Sympathizers -

Paul Crauwels was born in Oud-Vroenhoven, municipality of Maastricht, and was a typesetter. [1#5]
Machine setter at Alberts Printers in Sittard as well as working in …
wall: right, row 18-01
Dost,
Mans
∗ 1905-12-10
Onstwedde
† 1942-11-12
Neuengamme
- Initial resistance - Heerlen - Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers -

Worker in a factory, liaison man for the party newspaper De Waarheid. In the card index Limburg [1] of the CPN (Communistische Partij Nederland) his last name is written Dorst, but …
wall: middel, row 06-01
Eldert, van
Johannes Antonie
Jan
∗ 1894-10-31
Amsterdam
† 1944-07-21
Leusden
- Nijmegen - Communists & Sympathizers - Limburg + - Underground Press -

Van Eldert, a carpenter, was married to Wilhelmina van de Berg and distributed illegal newspapers, including De Waarheid. On June 17, 1944, at 2:15 a.m., he was arrested by the nefarious Wiebe …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Gerards,
Wilhelm
Willi
∗ 1907-11-04
Bottrop (D)
† 1942-07-24
Heerlen
- Underground Press - Heerlen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Wilhelm Gerards was born in Bottrop (D) to parents from Heerlen and had Dutch citizenship since birth. His father was a miner there. When he was less than two years old, his parents returned to …

wall: middel, row 07-01
Gotjé,
Bernardus Theodorus
Bernard
∗ 1903-07-18
Woensdrecht
† 1942-12-05
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

The birthplace of Bernard Gotjé is Woensdrecht. That is why he is mentioned on brabantsegesneuvelden.nl:
In adulthood Bernard lived in Nieuwenhagen, Limburg, where he worked …
wall: right, row 01-02
Gronden, van der
Gerrit Jan
Gerrit
∗ 1895-12-13
Dordrecht
† 1943-01-02
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Initial resistance - Maastricht - Valkenburg - Communists & Sympathizers -

On November 6, 1897, at the age of almost two years, he moved with his parents and siblings from Dordrecht to Vlissingen, his mother’s birthplace, see civil registry card Vlissingen [1]. On …

More in our story Resistance in Valkenburg
wall: right, row 26-03
Heesch, van
Peter Johannes
Peter
∗ 1910-09-09
Maasbree
† 1944-06-28
Groß-Strehlitz
- Underground Press - Hoensbroek - Communists & Sympathizers -

Peter van Heesch was a miner. Jan van Kan [1] wrote: machine fitter.
The following information was taken from Het verborgen front: [2]
For a while, printing was done in his …
wall: middel, row 14
Hendriks,
Johannes Hubertus
Jan
∗ 1905-05-07
Maastricht
† 1943-01-27
kamp Vught
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Maastricht -

Jan Hendriks was a pavement worker and worked in a pigment factory. [1]
In 1939, he ran for the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) for the Maastricht City Council. [2]
He was …

wall: left, row 31-04
Heuts,
Chris
∗ 1888-06-12
Meerssen
† 1943-02-24
Kamp Vught
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Maastricht -

Photo: Archive of the CPN Limburg [1]Chris Heuts was a plasterer. Distributor of the magazine De Vonk. At struikelsteentjes-maastricht.nl we can …
wall: left, row 32-01
Holty /Holtij,
Bernhard
∗ 1890-11-29
Amsterdam
† 1942-01-10
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Maastricht -

The father of Bernard Theodoor Adolf Holty was German. In the Netherlands his name was often spelled as Holtij. After the death of his parents, Bernard moved in with his brother Franz and lived …

wall: left, row 33-01
Jansen,
Gerrit
∗ 1887-10-12
Olst (Gld.)
† 1943-03-19
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers -

The miner Gerrit Jansen lived in Waubach (municipatity of Ubach over Worms). Distributor of De vonk [3]?
According to Ad van Liempt, he was a more or less accidental reader and thus …
wall: right, row 24-03
Jongen,
Hubert
Huub
∗ 1910-10-22
Nieuwenhagen
† 1943-03-25
Bremen
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers - Forced Labor -

The miner Huub Jongen lived in Waubach (municipality of Ubach over Worms) and was a distributor of De vonk (The Spark) [1]
He was arrested on May 31, 1942. [2]
He was in the …
wall: right, row 24-04
Keesman,
Hendrik
∗ 1895-10-30
Nieuwer-Amstel
† 1943-01-15
Neuengamme
- Brunssum - Communists & Sympathizers -

Machine fitter. On a sheet (picture 45) in ARCH00347.148, the CPN archive of their fallen comrades in Limburg, he is referred to as coming from Brunsum. On it, a photo of him is requested by …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.04-17
Koenders,
Albert
∗ 1888-01-20
Rhenen
† 1943-04-30
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Schaesberg - Communists & Sympathizers -

According to ARCH00347.148 the CPN’s records of their fallen members in Limburg, Albert Koenders was a store owner and was arrested for having distributed the party newspaper “De …
wall: right, row 12-02
Kraft,
Lambert
Bèr
∗ 1902-02-06
Maastricht
† 1942-06-22
Bernburg (Neuengamme)
- Underground Press - Initial resistance - Maastricht - Communists & Sympathizers -

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 …

wall: left, row 33-03
Krol/Kroll,
Johan/Johann
∗ 1920-09-20
Heerlen
† 1942-12-13
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers -

Office worker, worked for the banned party newspaper De Waarheid [1], lived in Waubach. The sources do not agree on the spelling of the first and last name. Cammaert also gives a …

wall: right, row 25-01
Lubben,
Johan Herman
Johan
∗ 1893-10-24
Enschede
† 1944-12-07
Bergen-Belsen
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Heerlen -

Johan Lubben was a miner. Last place of residence: Heerlerheide.
The picturee and all of the following information can be found on scans posted by a family member at …
wall: middel, row 07-02
Maka,
Guillaume (Giel)
∗ 1898-10-27
Maastricht
† 1942-02-06
Leusden
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Maastricht -

Giel Maka was a civil engineering worker, belonged to the resistance group De Vonk (a.o. printing and distribution of illegal literature [1], arrested on 9 September 1941 for refusing to …
wall: left, row 34-01
Narinx,
Jozef Wilhelmus Hubertus
Jos
∗ 1889-11-24
Maastricht
† 1943-01-07
Neuengamme
- Artists - Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Maastricht -

Jos Narinx was a painter and one of the founders of the Limburgse Kunstkring [1] (Limburg Art Circle). Arrested on June 24, 1942 for anti-German sentiments and …
wall: left, row 34-03
Nas,
Adrianus Reinardus
Janus
∗ 1909-04-27
Rotterdam
† 1943-09-23
Wassenaar, Waalsdorpervlakte
- Underground Press - Brunssum - Communists & Sympathizers -

Janus Nas was a warehouse worker [1] and a full-time functionary of the Communist Party Netherlands (CPN). [2]
Unless otherwise noted, the following information is from Cammaert. …
wall: middel, row 02-02
Rinzema /Rensema,
Sjoerd
∗ 1909-02-28
Drachten
† 1945-06-01
Maastricht
- Underground Press - Heerlen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Sjoerd Rinzema was a baker [1#12] and miner [1#2] and had lived in Heerlen since August 4, 1930. [1#3]
According to almost all sources, e.g. oorlogsgravenstichting.nl/ [6] …

wall: middel, row 08-01
Rombouts,
Kees (Cornelis)
∗ 1889-04-04
Zundert
† 1942-12-09
Buchenwald
- Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Gravel merchant. Date of death December 2 or 9, 1942
According to Ad van Liempt, he was a more or less accidental reader of De Vonk and thus came into the focus of the Sipo. See for more …
wall: right, row 01-04
Schillings,
Hubert Peter
Peter
∗ 1900-02-28
Nieuwenhagen
† 1942-11-07
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Hubert Peter Schillings was a worker in a brickyard [1#1] and/or upholsterer. [3]
He was married to Ilse Luise Weller, a native of Dortmund, Germany. [1#4].
Arrested on June …

wall: right, row 02-01
Schillings,
Johan Joseph
Johan
∗ 1921-05-19
Nieuwenhagen
† 1942-12-14
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

The house painter Johan Joseph Schillings was son of Johan Peter Schillings and Anna Maria Erens. [1#1]
He was arrested on June 4, 1942 for having distributed De Vonk. On the same day …
wall: right, row 01-05
Senster,
Hendrik Servatius Jozef
Hein
∗ 1914-12-21
Vaals
† 1945-05-03
Lübecker Bucht
- Vaals - Initial resistance - Unorganized resistance - Communists & Sympathizers -

Hein Senster was a miner. Arrested on fair Monday, June 23, 1941, a year after the Germans invaded the Netherlands. He had organized a demonstration with a group of young people from Vaals. Then, …

wall: right, row 25-06
Sijbers,
Peter Johannes
Piet
∗ 1912-02-01
Tegelen
† 1942-05-15
Neuengamme
- Communists & Sympathizers - Tegelen -

Piet Sijbers was a soap dealer. He was considered a communist by the municipality of Tegelen and was therefore arrested by the occupying forces. But according to his brother Frits he was never …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.04-27
Smid,
Hendrikje
∗ 1922-00-00
Smilde
† 1944-10-15
Hoensbroek
- Communists & Sympathizers - Women in the resistance - Underground Press - Hoensbroek -

Worked for the party paper De Waarheid (The Truth). Arrested on 2 February 1941. After release she died ill in Hoensbroek. (Source: H.J. Smid on ARCH00347.148)

This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.04-28
Snippe,
Derk
∗ 1893-11-30
Emmen
† 1943-04-05
Buchenwald (Weimar)
- Underground Press - Ubach over Worms - Communists & Sympathizers -

Derk Snippe was a miner, lived in Waubach. Voluntary collaborator of De Vonk. Arrêté le 30 mars 1942. [1][2]
In his file at the OGS archives, the question whether his name was Dirk …

wall: right, row 24-05
Soesman,
Gerhard Lodewijk Robertus
Gerard
∗ 1922-06-23
Valkenburg
† 1945-01-21
Auschwitz/Oświęcim
- Initial resistance - Jews in resistance - Valkenburg - Underground Press - Maastricht - Communists & Sympathizers -

Student HBS (high school). Listed in the Honor Roll of Victims 1940 – 1945 [1], in the category resistance people. Moreover he had a Jewish father, Jacob Soesman. Mother: Christina …
More in our story Resistance in Valkenburg
wall: left, row 35-04
Sonneville,
Alphonse
Fons
∗ 1883-07-23
Maastricht
† 1945-02-25
Dachau
- Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers - Intelligence - Maastricht -

As the following shows, Fons Sonneville was not a communist, but he did work with communists. Therefore, he was considered and treated as such by the Nazis. This cost him his life.
He was an …

wall: left, row 36-04
Span,
Petrus
Piet
∗ 1908-10-14
Nijmegen
† 0000-00-00
Leusderheide
- People in hiding - Nijmegen - Communists & Sympathizers - Limburg + - Underground Press -

Piet Span was a carpenter. Distributor of De Waarheid (The Truth), had gone into hiding in the Waterkwartier. He was betrayed, the identity of the traitor is unclear. Arrested on June 17, …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Tersteeg,
Johannes Arnoldus
Nol
∗ 1890-01-01
Huissen
† 1943-01-21
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Nol Tersteeg was a miner. Arrested on May 31, 1942. Reason: “Support to people in hiding and to De Waarheid (The Truth)”. [1]
According to Ad van Liempt [2], he was a more or …
wall: right, row 02-02
Theunissen,
Johannes Wilhelmus Hubertus
Giel
∗ 1904-01-30
Mesch (L)
† 1944-09-08
Stadbroek, gem.Sittard
- Underground Press - Munstergeleen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Since April 3rd, 1931, he lived in Munstergeleen [1#3]. Unmarried. Newspaper deliverer. Member of the resistance under the pseudonym Giel.
“On September 7, 1944, two distributors of …

wall: left, row 39-02
Tholen,
Heinrich
Hein
∗ 1907-01-23
Willich (D)
† 1942-11-14
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Schaesberg - Communists & Sympathizers -

Hein Tholen was originally a bricklayer [2#1], married to Madeleine Bonni from Montzen [2#5] near Eupen (B). He was registered in Schaesberg on 1 April 1939, coming from Belgium, and …

wall: right, row 12-03
Treytel /Treijtel,
Petrus Laurentius
Piet
∗ 1877-08-09
Rotterdam
† 1944-07-21
Leusderheide
- Underground Press - Nijmegen - Communists & Sympathizers - Limburg + -

Piet Treijtel was a carpenter. He worked on the party newspaper De Waarheid (the truth) and was involved in various other illegal activities. He was arrested by the nefarious Wiebe at 4:00 …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Vallen,
Stephanus Hubertus
∗ 1901-03-11
Rothem, B
† 1943-05-02
Neuengamme
- Venlo - Communists & Sympathizers - Underground Press -

He was a mason and an acquaintance of Lubbert Bos. Distributor of the party newspaper De Vonk [1]
Last address: Maasschriksel 13, …
wall: middel, row 24
Veldhoven, van
Johan Theodoor
∗ 1914-08-06
Heerlen
† 1942-11-06
Neuengamme
- Nieuwenhagen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Jan van Veldhoven was a miner. Arrested on May 31, 1942. Reason: “Financial support to de Vonk (the Spark)”. [1]
. But according to Ad van Liempt, he was a more or less accidental …
wall: right, row 02-03
Vinerius /Vienerius,
Engelbert Joseph
∗ 1893-05-10
Rheine
† 1942-11-17
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Heerlen - Communists & Sympathizers -

Miner, distributor of De Vonk and De Waarheid, arrested on June 19, 1942, at the same time as Johan Herman Lubben,
wall: middel, row 08-02
Vusschers,
Maria Magdalena
Marijke?
∗ 1914-01-02
Heerlen
† 1945-04-25
Ravensbrück → Schwerin
- Communists & Sympathizers - Women in the resistance -

Maria Magdalena Vusschers had been married to Johann Gerritsen [1] since January 17, 1935 and lived in Heerlerheide.
According to her archive card (no. 23) in the CPN Limburg archives, she …


This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Wagter,
Arp
∗ 1907-01-17
Groningen
† 1944-07-21
Leusden
- Communists & Sympathizers - Nijmegen - Underground Press - Limburg + -

Arp Wagter was a blacksmith and machine fitter. On June 6, 1944, he was arrested in Nijmegen.
On oorlogsdodennijmegen.nl we read about him [6]:Arp Wagter, married to …

This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Wetering, van de
Maricus
∗ 1905-05-06
Heesch
† 1942-11-14
Neuengamme
- Underground Press - Schaesberg - Communists & Sympathizers -

Maricus van de Wetering was a miner and member of the CPN (Communistische Partij Nederland). Arrested on Mai 30, 1942 for having distributed the CPN papers De Vonk and De …
wall: right, row 12-04
Witvoet,
Marinus
∗ 1922-12-13
Emmen
† 1944-10-28
Venlo
- Geleen - Underground Press - Communists & Sympathizers -

Mijnwerker uit Geleen, medewerker van de Waarheid maar geen partijlid. Opgepakt 24 maart 1944 in Geleen. Gedeporteerd naar Remscheid (D). Omgekomen tijdens bombardement op de Maasbruggen in …

This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.04-32
Zanders,
Johan(n)
∗ 1898-05-20
Kevelaer
† 1945-04-29
Siegburg
- Communists & Sympathizers - Forced Labor - Heerlen -

Johan Zanders is listed in the index of the CPN Limburg. [1]
His card states the following:
He was allegedly arrested on August 24, 1934. This is obviously a spelling mistake and …

n-