Resistance members in you're family?

[Ryan B]

Hey guys i was just thinking about the resistance movements that happened during ww2. My grandpa was in the dutch resistance and delivered all the supplys like bullets, resistance newspapers, and food throughout the resistance houses and meet up places. Does anybody else have family that fought inn the resistance during ww2?
Ryan

[thekid]

Well another story from Holland. My Grandfather being half German when Holland was invaded was forced to work in a German office during the war. While he was working there he would learn about upcoming raids and would warn Jewish families before the Germans came. A few other stores i heard about him is of him running up to truck and convincing jews to jump out, and even harbouring them in a hidden portion in house at sometimes. Wish i knew more but that is it, he was never officially part of the Dutch Resistance but he did his part.

all the best,
Stefan

[stuka f]

My grandfather on fathers side was. Not very clear what he did and never got gratitude for it.
Here is a post related to the subject;
belgian secret army

[stuka f]

And thise one;
Belgian secret army

[matthewsq]

My great uncle was. Originally he was in the desert rats as a seargant, but he was captured at tobruk with the second camerons. He was taken by the germans to a prison camp near Ascoli Piceno. He escaped, and joined up with some italian resistance, where he hid in the walls of a house for 10 months, as well as in a cave. He lead a group of about 60 partisan members, and they did joint attacks on convoys and depots and destroyed german trains and such. He was known to be merciful and friendly, we have a letter from a german soldier written to him in 1948 thanking him for sparing his life and not killing him (as quite a few partisans wanted to) I wish I had asked him to tell me stories about it before he died, but that was like 8 years ago and I was only 7. I think its one of the things I regret most in life.

[matthewsq]

Oh, rbemer you started this post, I think ive shared my great uncles story with you already :P oops!

[WW2Hunter]

My grandmother and her brother were resistance members.
The main task of my grandmother was ammo transports and intel gathering.
Her brother (my grand uncle) was one of the leaders of the resistance in the city of Louvain.(codename: Jan De kleermaker)
He was nown to the Gestapo as "der Schnitter".
He escaped from the gestapo, thanks to a verry brave girl(Hortense Daman).
Hortense became involved in the Belgian Resistance when she was 13 after the Nazis had invaded Belgium in 1940. She began helping her brother François after he returned home after being a prisoner of war with his work with the Resistance and helping British servicemen evade capture. She mainly worked as a Courier which involved carrying messages, explosives and weapons beneath the upper layer in her cycle pannier whilst pretending to be carrying out grocery deliveries for her mother.
On the 14 February 1944 the Gestapo raided the family home after someone had informed on the family's resistance work, Hortense was arrested along with her father and mother and they were taken to a local prison where they suffered interrogation and vicious beatings by the Gestapo and Belgian SS.Her brother and my grand uncle escaped over the rooftops. She was sentenced to death without trial and was moved to the Ravensbrück concentration camp in Germany with her mother. Whilst at Ravensbrück Hortense was subjected to experiments involving infecting her leg with gangrene (The German doctors deciding not to amputate her leg) and sterilisation.
Whilst at Ravensbrück her life was saved by the actions of British secret agent Violette Szabo who was also a prisoner there.
In 1946 Hortense married Sydney Clews who was a Staff Sergeant in the British Army and they eventually settled in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.
There is a book about her experiances during the war. The book is called "Een kind in Oorlog"(dutch title) "A child in war" By Mark Bles.
Where she tells about my grand uncle, but calling him by his codename.(Jan)
He came back to the city when the german troops were withdrawing and got stopped by withdrawing german WH troops near Beauvechin(Bevekom).
They let him go after checking his papers, convinced they were going to shoot him in the back, he continued on his bicycle and wet himself.
His group prevented that the germans blew-up the bridges over the Dijle river in Louvain, 1944, while Brittish and Polish troops were aproaching the city.
I loved listening to his story's about the war, not the heroic stuff you see in the movies, but about ordenary people doing what they tought was the right thing to do.
I dedicate this short story in honor of my grand uncle and Hortense for what they did and what she did for my familly.

Regards,
Steven

[stuka f]

Great story Steven!
Fine to know all those details about your family members!
Wish I knew half!
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[WW2Hunter]

Thanks stuka,
My grandmother, who was a friend of Hortense, is the only one that's still alive, she's 89 now.
And even now she still knows the adresses for the weapons and ammo caches, safe houses for jewish people and allied military personell.
Even after hearing the story's a hundred times over, I still love to hear her talk about it.
I'm considering recording them, even though I do know them like the back of my hand, so they won't get lost.

Regards,
Steven

[stuka f]

You should record these story, when she tells them!
And how does she feels about your avatar?? ;-)
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