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

Versleijen Group

After the Dresen group was busted between December 1 and 12, 1941, those who had remained out of harm’s way continued, but now even more cautiously. They worked individually and each member had his own responsibility, but they consulted among themselves about the various activities.
Some of them worked at the Maastricht tax office. A strong anti-German mood prevailed there, as well as at the customs offices on the border between Maastricht and Belgium.
Some of the customs officials were military personnel demobilized in 1940. As a result, they usually had connections with other former soldiers and with the Ordedienst (O.D.). The O.D. was strongly represented at the tax office as well.
They were looking for ways to thwart the occupier. People like Michel Bartels, Piet Sijmons, Derk van Assen and S.W. Hovens took the lead there. [1.1]
The aforementioned Michel Bartels is not to be confused with Roelf Bartels, a member of the Dresen group. Possibly they were related.

Cammaert describes the restart as follows: They originally set themselves the task of maintaining contact with and providing support for political prisoners in the jail in Maastricht. This mission was soon expanded. Tax official Michel C.M.H. Bartels took the initiative to form a branch dedicated to helping people in hiding: the group-Sjeng or group-Versleijen. The emphasis was on helping officials who got into trouble, both in and outside the province. This gave the Versleijen group connections throughout the country and with organizations such as R.V.V. and P.B.C. [1.2]
The P.B.C. (Persoonsbewijzencentrale) was a group in Amsterdam that mainly forged documents. [2]

In the “Blok” subgroup led by Sijmons, the focus was on helping Allied pilots and their crew members, but through a contact with Echt [1.3], French and Walloons were also added.
These people were supplied by Vicar Goossens from Echt and Chaplain Roumen fom Maastricht, among others. [1.4]
About eighty airmen were brought on their way home by the “Blok” group. [1.5]

Because this renewed resistance group initially consisted mainly of people who worked at the tax office or customs in Maastricht, they soon were called the Belasting Groep Maastricht (Tax Group Maastricht, B.G.M.) by the other resistance groups, which for security reasons was not appreciated by the group members themselves. They called their group and its subdivisions “Versleijen,” “Sjeng” or “Blok” for that reason. Therefore, when the L.O. was founded in Maastricht, most of them preferred to remain independent. But they did cooperate, especially in the sense that the L.O. provided the group with distribution coupons, etc.
By the way, Derk van Assen did participate in the establishment of the L.O. in Maastricht. As mentioned, each member worked autonomously.

The resistance activities that Bartels and his people developed from the building of the Rijksbelastingen (tax office) at the Kapoenstraat were quite diverse. Apart from the L.O. and the L.K.P., the B.G.M. was - as far as Limburg was concerned - without doubt the organization with the most connections, both in the Netherlands and abroad. The B.G.M. leadership implemented a certain division of labor, although that division of labor was not sharply defined. The leaders formed small groups that each covered a specific area, so several B.G.M. members did not know of each other that they worked for the same organization. Nor were they aware of what the various branches were doing. It benefited security if the ties between them remained loose, the leadership felt. [1.5]

Although the Versleijen group had a large number of members, as far as is known there were no fatalities except for the above-mentioned Derk van Assen. Henk Lemson, another member of the group and employee of the tax department, also died, but as a member of the KP in Sneek, after going into hiding in Friesland.
Their caution apparently paid off.

Among others, Cammaert mentions these names: G.H. Satijn, G.H. Lemson, the mayor of Borgharen E.H.A.M. Meijer, M.P.R. Meeuwissen, S.W. Hovens, F. Bouwens, H. Bruls, L.E. Backerra and the couriers M. Visser, Jonkman and P. Hennekens. Rationing documents, identity cards, false papers and other administrative requisites were obtained from the municipal officials P.H. Herben, P.M.J. Tilmans, G.L. Nijs and Smitshuijsen. In particular, Tilmans, also working for the L.O., attached to the population department of the Maastricht municipality, was invaluable to the Versleijen group. When he went into hiding on June 26, 1944, Nijs took over his task.
In total, the Versleijen group cared for about three hundred people in hiding. [1.2]

1. Cammaert, A. P. M., Het verborgen front: Geschiedenis van de georganiseerde illegaliteit in de provincie Limburg tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog, Groningen 1994.
   1. Hoofdst. 2, De eerste militair-civiele verzetsformaties, p.97
   2. Hoofdst. 6, De Landelijke Organisatie voor hulp aan onderduikers, p.644
   3. Hoofdst. 3, Hulpverlening aan uit Duitsland ontvluchte (Franstalige) krijgsgevangenen, p.213
   4. Hoofdst. 4, Hulpverlening aan geallieerde piloten en hun bemanningsleden, p.331
   5. Hoofdst. 4, Hulpverlening aan geallieerde piloten en hun bemanningsleden, p.335 ff.: Gr. Blok
2. Persoonsbewijzencentrale, Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch

The fallen resistance people in Limburg Versleijen Group – 4 pers.
Assen, van Derk	∗ 1891-10-09 Hasselt (O) † 1943-09-13 Horst (L)	- Versleijen Group - Underground Press - Aid to People in Hiding L.O. - Aid to Jews - Pilots’ helpers - Maastricht - He was a bailiff at the direct taxes, belonged to LO-Maastricht, married to Berendje Grolleman. [1] They were active in the distribution of underground papers such as Vrij Nederland and … wall: left, row 29-02
Bartels, M.C.M.H. Michel	∗ 1902-03-29 Venlo † 1979-05-10 Maastricht	- Versleijen Group - Initial resistance - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Aid to escaped POW’s - Pilots’ helpers - Intelligence - Survivors - Verzetsherdenkingskruis - Dates of birth and death of Michel Bartels can be found on his In Memoriam card in the Historisch Centrum Limburg. [1] Already in 1940, civil servants and especially former soldiers … t-
Lemson, Hendrik Theodorus Henk	∗ 1924-04-15 Maastricht † 1945-04-07 Makkum	- People in hiding - Initial resistance - Groep Dresen - Versleijen Group - Knokploegen (K.P.) - Maastricht - Henk Lemson was a tax official (direct taxes, Maastricht). [1] He belonged to the Versleijen group, a resistance group of mainly tax officials who continued the work of Group Dresen after it … wall: left, row 32-04
Sijmons, Petrus Johannes Piet “Blok, Daelman”	∗ 1896-02-03 Amsterdam † 1962-04-11 Arnhem	- Versleijen Group - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Aid to escaped POW’s - Pilots’ helpers - Survivors - Maastricht - Petrus Johannes Sijmons married Maria Antonia Adriana Martens on February 5, 1934 in Nijmegen.  [1.1] She was born in Nijmegen  [1.2] and died on April 11, 1962 in Arnhem  [1.3]. … t-