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

Intelligence

Even before the German army invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, people were already busy gathering information. For example, by mapping the positions of German troops on the border, like Edmond Houtappel, or even within Germany, like Ernst Berets, who in Krefeld kept an eye on industry and later, on the German-Belgian border, on rail traffic.
At first, of course, these were mainly Dutch soldiers, even once the occupation had begun. Later, more and more others joined in.
The Allies, of course, tried to take advantage of these initiatives and support them by sending transmitting equipment and trained personnel. A big flop in this regard was the England game. [1]
The British intelligence agency SOE (Special Operations Executive) [2] had set up an operation aimed at dropping agents and transmitters over the Netherlands. This often involved Engelandvaarders. It failed completely because of its clumsy approach. The agents carried badly forged papers, money that was no longer valid, clothes that stood out, and worst of all, arrested agents who were forced by the Germans to continue their work gave a signal arranged for this purpose, but it was not noticed. All agents sent behind were arrested. For example, Kees Droogleever-Fortuyn. The German counter intelligence rightly called this a game: Englandspiel. The Gestapo arrested 59 SOE agents, 54 of whom died. Most of them were shot in the Mauthausen concentration camp. [2]
But by no means all services proceeded so foolishly.

Of particular interest were all transports of war material and troops. This was done mainly by rail. Everywhere in the occupied territories resistance fighters were busy reporting about it to London, for example the loadmaster Alf Dresen or the monk Piet Muhren (Père Étienne). The latter was nicknamed "the amorous monk" by the population because he was so much on the road with his bicycle.
Especially after the Allied landing in Normandy in June 1943, such reports naturally became more and more important. The information gathered by the bomber crews urgently needed to be supplemented by that of the resistance fighters on the ground. These were sometimes so accurate that the Germans were able to determine who was behind them, by the hit locations of the Allied artillery. It was Sylvester Berden.
Cammaert writes in Chapter 12 about Theo Goossen’s intelligence agency ID18:
Thus, in the summer of 1944, the L.O. intelligence agency in the mining region was effortlessly transformed into a military intelligence service, which soon covered large parts of Limburg after the liberation and provided numerous services to the Americans. [3]

1. SOE (Special Operations Executive), Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch • English • Français • Português
2. Englandspiel
   Het Englandspiel: de Duitse list die leidde tot een oorlogsdrama
3. Dr. F. Cammaert, Het Verborgen Front – Geschiedenis van de georganiseerde illegaliteit in de provincie Limburg tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Doctorale scriptie 1994, Groningen
   12. Inlichtingen

Intelligence – 16 pers.   ⇒All the fallen resistance people in Limburg
Arts, Lodewijk Peter Antonius Louis	∗ 1925-08-13 Venray † 1944-10-04 Venlo	- Venray - Forced Labor - Unorganized resistance - Dutch Soldiers - Intelligence - Louis Arts was an apprentice plasterer. He worked as a forced laborer on a farm in Germany and took advantage of that by helping other forced laborers across the nearby border. He did so outside … wall: right, row 31-02
Berden, Sylvester	∗ 1919-09-02 Den Haag † 1944-11-07 Kessel	- Ondergrondse pers - Studenten - People in hiding - Heel-Panheel - Intelligence - Sylvester Willem Jerome Maria Martin Berden was a law student and during the German invasion he was a drafted sergeant at the Grebbeberg. See funeral card [1] and … wall: left, row 13-02
Berets, Ernst David Ernst	∗ 1898-10-16 Krefeld † 1943-01-31 Auschwitz	- Maastricht - Jews in resistance - Initial resistance - Intelligence - Ernst Berets came from a Jewish family with many children. His father was Dutch, his mother German. They had moved to Krefeld after World War I, where they ran a wholesale fruit and vegetable … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Boer, de Willem	∗ 1908-07-16 Amsterdam † 1942-05-11 Oranienburg	- OD trial of Maastricht - Initial resistance - Intelligence - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Willem de Boer was a commercial agent and kept radio contact with England [1]. According to the Dodenboek Oranjehotel (Book of the Dead) [7] he was a member of the O.G.-group Naarden-Bussum, but … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Burger, Wilhelmus Fredericus Wim	∗ 1918-09-28 Amsterdam † 1942-05-11 Oranienburg	- OD trial of Maastricht - Initial resistance - Intelligence - Wim Burger was an office worker. [1]He belonged to the spy group around Hans Zomer and thus fell victim to the Englandspiel (England game). … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Fauchey, Antoine Pierre Marie	∗ 1918-07-15 Rotterdam † 1942-05-11 Oranienburg	- OD trial of Maastricht - Initial resistance - Intelligence - Antoine Fauchey fought at the Grebbeberg in May 1940 as a reserve cavalry sergeant. He was arrested on September 14, 1941 on suspicion of espionage (Book of the Dead Oranjehotel [7]) as a result … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Goffin, Jules G.H.J.	∗ 1897-03-31 Noville-les-Bois † 1943-10-09 Bunnik (Utrecht)	- Initial resistance - Erkens Group - Intelligence - Belgium - He was not a resistance fighter in the Dutch province of Limburg, but was in close contact with them and therefore also appears on this list. He was a general practitioner in … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.02-02
Liedekerke de Pailhe, de Raphael R.E.J.G.	∗ 1903-04-15 Eijsden † 1943-10-09 Fort Rhijnauwen, prov. Utrecht	- Eijsden - Belgium - Initial resistance - Erkens Group - Intelligence - He was one of eleven members of the Dutch resistance group around Nick Erkens executed by the Germans in fort Rhijnauwen near Bunnik, province of … wall: left, row 08-02
Meulensteen, Hendrik A.C.	∗ 1886-03-28 Dinther † 1943-02-05 Neuengamme	- Initial resistance - Groep Dresen - Maastricht - Intelligence - Shipping agent. His sons sailed on a barge. He and his wife ran her parents’ boatmen’s pub at Franschensingel. The regulars’ table or the back room soon became a regular meeting place for the wall: left, row 34-02
Partouns, Joseph Jean Gérard Jef	∗ 1911-01-03 Eijsden † 1945-02-08 Vaihingen	- Eijsden - Initial resistance - Erkens Group - Intelligence - Jef Partouns was a laboratory assistant. Jean Arpots, Jef Partouns, and Jef Reintjens were three young men, one of whom worked for the Dutch railways. The three called themselves the Orange … wall: left, row 08-03
Sickenga, Jaap	∗ 1918-07-14 Haarlem † 1942-05-11 Oranienburg	- OD trial of Maastricht - Initial resistance - Intelligence - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Studenten - Jaap Sickenga was a student of the Dutch language, a poet and a Dutch resistance fighter in the Ordedienst during the Second World War. He and his friend Hans Zomer [1], who had returned … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Smit, Joseph Sef	∗ 1916-09-09 Roermond † 1942-09-17 Amsterdam	- Initial resistance - Group Smit - Police - Heerlen - Intelligence - Sef Smit from Roermond was before the war a professional sergeant in the 13th Infantry Regiment. [1]He chose after demobilization in July 1940 to join the police in Heerlen. He did not … wall: left, row 19-02
Sonneville, Alphonse Fons	∗ 1883-07-23 Maastricht † 1945-02-25 Dachau	- Ondergrondse pers - 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
Tobben, Hendricus Hubertus Harry	∗ 1917-08-24 Heerlen † 1945-03-15 Hameln (D	- Ondergrondse pers - Initial resistance - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Police - Heerlen - Intelligence - Netwerk Bongaerts - - Harry Tobben was a former soldier and after his demobilization by the Germans in 1940 member of the mine police. Was involved, among other things, in acts of sabotage in the Oranje-Nassau Mine I … wall: left, row 19-05
Wolters, Oscar Wilhelmus Laurentius Oscar	∗ 1914-12-20 Venlo † 1944-09-05 Vught	- Studenten - Venlo - Intelligence - The medical student Oscar Wolters was participant in the resistance under the pseudonyms Doctor O. de Blécourt when he had to examine people and Otto Weber as a truck driver when he had to drive … wall: right, row 30-03
Zomer, Johannes J. Hans	∗ 1920-11-06 Probolinggo † 1942-05-11 Oranienburg	- Engelandvaarders - Ordedienst (O.D.) - Studenten - OD trial of Maastricht - Initial resistance - Intelligence - en This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-