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

Raad van Verzet (RVV)

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Most of the information below is taken from the chapter 9, about the RVV (Raad van Verzet = Council of Resistance) in Het verborgen front (The Hidden Front) by Fred Cammaert. [1]

National level
In 1942, PTT official and radio technician J. Thijssen from Bussum began to realize his idea of a national radio network for the resistance. To this end, Thijssen turned to the O.D. or Ordedienst, which already had a national structure at the time. The collaboration did not really go smoothly, as large parts of the OD did not see themselves as a resistance organization, but only wanted to become active during the liberation. Thus, the cooperation with the conservative OD under Pieter Jacob Six failed.
Thijssen increasingly thought of a new umbrella organization for all active resistance organizations. This was to carry out sabotage operations and other forms of resistance in close contact with the Allies. Together with six other resistance people, including the communist D. van der Meer from Amersfoort, Thijssen founded the RVV or “Resistance Council in the Kingdom of the Netherlands” at the end of April 1943. In contrast to the other organizations, they expressly did not want to act on an ideological basis; after all, it was supposed to be an umbrella organization. This did not happen. Cooperation with the OD did not work at all, and the LO and its affiliated combat groups (Knokploegen) saw no point in it, as they were already an umbrella organization themselves.

The only major group left to cooperate with were the communists. The RVV people had little problem with such cooperation. As a result, many others often regarded the RVV as a communist organization, which, however, was not true. But because the RVV was also quite isolated, cooperation was attractive to both sides. Especially after Stalin had announced on June 9, 1943, that the Comintern and thus the strong centralism from Moscow had been abolished and the CPN was given more leeway for cooperation with other organizations. Wagenaar, one of the national foremen of the so-called “Militaire Commissie” (M.C.) of the C.P.N., came to strengthen the ranks of the R.V.V. with his sabotage groups. But they did not take over the R.V.V.. The smaller resistance groups that had joined the RVV also maintained their own identity and by no means lost their independence.
Another alliance arose through the sculptor Gerrit Jan van der Veen, which meant that within the RVV the artists’ resistance was also represented and the RVV had contact with the forgers of the so-called Identity Card Centre (PBC).
The RVV merged into the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (Domestic Forces) from September 5, 1944. Cooperation with the LO/LKP was quite successful, but with the OD it stayed, as ever, very difficult.

Province of Limburg
In contrast to the other resistance groups, the RVV in Limburg had been set up from outside and, with around 100 members at its peak, was also the smallest resistance organization.
The RVV mainly carried out its resistance activities in August and September 1944 and so they soon gained the reputation of being heroes of the last hour.
In the spring and summer of 1944, the most important couriers and contacts of the RVV had fallen into German hands. First, Paul Guermonprez was arrested at Amsterdam Central Station on April 4. A day later, Wiel Creusen from Kerkrade, chief courier of the R.V.V. for the southern Netherlands and contact person between the top and the region, was arrested on a train between Utrecht and Maarssen with a suitcase full of distribution documents. André Gubbels managed to re-establish the broken contact, but he too fell into German hands on August 4. These arrests did not cause any problems to the organization in Limburg. Perhaps no link could be established between those arrested and the RVV, and all three kept silent until the end. None of the three survived the war. Guermonprez was shot on June 10 and Gubbels on August 11, 1944, in Vught in retaliation for an attack on a collaborating Den Bosch policeman. Creusen succumbed to the effects of hardships in German camps on May 31, 1945. (Cammaert IX, p. 947-952)
Read more about the RVV: (Unfortunately without translation. By the way, do you already know the translator Deepl.com?)

1. Fred Cammaert, Het Verborgen Front, Hoofdstuk IX De Raad van Verzet in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
2. RVV, Wikipedia • Nederlands • Deutsch

The fallen resistance people in Limburg Raad van Verzet (RVV) – 10 pers.
Ahout, Ger	∗ 1919-12-18 Deurne † 1945-02-17 Bergen (L)	- Aid to People in Hiding L.O. - Knokploegen (K.P.) - Limburg + - Dutch Soldiers - Zwarte Plak - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Gerardus Wilhelmus Johannes Petrus Ahout was a member of the LO-KP [1] and of the RVV [2] in Deurne. During the liberation of the south of the Netherlands, the This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.03-01
Bruijn, de Fredericus Arnoldus Franciscus Frits	∗ 1920-10-04 Asten † 1944-09-05 America (L)	- Zwarte Plak - Limburg + - Knokploegen (K.P.) - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - The grocer Frits de Bruijn lived in Asten. Son of the grocers Petrus Johannes Gijsbertus de Bruijn and Johanna Maria Sanders. Unmarried. Roman Catholic. Member of resistance, belonging to the … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Creusen, Jan Willem Wiel "oom Kees"	∗ 1893-07-31 Kerkrade † 1945-05-31 Bergen-Belsen	- Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Couriers of the Resistance - Underground Press - Aid to Jews - Kerkrade - According to Cammaert [1], Wiel Creusen was a civil servant at the Distribution Office [2] and former chairman of the local Unie. [3] He was also involved in helping, among … wall: left, row 26-01
Eijnden, van den Martien Ant. Watje, Tinuske	∗ 1917-02-04 Venray † 1944-09-05 Horst-America	- Horst - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Limburg + - Zwarte Plak - Knokploegen (K.P.) - Tinus was a butcher and lived in Zeilberg in the farm Crisishoeve (municipality of Deurne). He was a member of the "Pilotencentrum De Zwarte Plak" near America, on the Limburg side of the … wall: left, row 24-01
Gubbels, André Leon Serra	∗ 1921-05-26 (Bergen (L) † 1944-08-11 Kamp Vught	- Underground Press - Studenten - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Arcen en Velden - André Lambert Henri Marie Gubbels was a student who played an important role in the founding of the Raad van Verzet (Resistance Council) in Limburg. He also participated in resistance … wall: left, row 02-02
Houben, Jacob Guillaume Jacques	∗ 1922-03-01 Born † 1945-05-03 Neuengamme ?	- Raad van Verzet (RVV) - People in hiding - Forced Labor - Geleen - The miner Jacques Houben from Born probably worked in the nearby Staatsmijn Maurits in Geleen. In his file at the OGS he is listed as a tailor. [1#2] It was/is not unusual for people to … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Lansdorp, Loek Charles v.d. Heuvel	∗ 1921-07-15 Semarang † 1944-09-05 Arnhem	- Underground Press - Studenten - Limburg + - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Zwarte Plak - Louis Albert (Luke) Lansdorp had studied at the Economische Hogeschool in Tilburg. He then joined the RVV group in Deurne, presumably because he had refused to sign the declaration of loyalty and … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.03-07
Noordermeer, Cornelis Klaas Cor “Clement”	∗ 1918-04-12 Lochem † 1944-08-11 kamp Vught	- Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Intelligence - Police - Limburg + - Zwarte Plak - The policeman Cor Noordermeer was the local leader of the Raad van Verzet (RVV, Resistance Council) in Deurne. After a raid on a food rationing office, Cor has to go into … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.03-10
Oosterhout, van Nicolaas Cornelis Nico ”van Griensven”	∗ 1918-02-28 Dordrecht † 1944-08-11 Kamp Vught	- Zwarte Plak - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Ambtenaren - Intelligence - Limburg + - Nico van Oosterhout was a customs officer. [1#1] He was son of the bargeman Nicolaas van Oosterhout and Cornelia Antonia Aartsen. At the age of 14 he started working as a … This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.03-17
Zaicsek /Zaiczek, Karl Karel “Koenen”	∗ 1921-07-18 Pecsbanyatelep/Pécs † 1944-09-12 Sittard	- Geleen - Raad van Verzet (RVV) - Couriers of the Resistance - Karl Zaicsek’s parents moved from Hungary to Lindenheuvel in Geleen. It is not known when exactly Karl and his parents came to Geleen. All we know is that Karl’s father died on February 9th, … wall: middel, row 03-02