The fallen resistance people in Limburg

 

Paulus Johannes Peeters (Paul)

∗ 19-03-1920 Maasniel     † 26-09-1944 Maalbroek/Asenray, gem. Maasni (24)
- People in hiding - Roermond - Maasniel -

Paul Peeters was an assistant deliverer at the post company. [1]
This status was apparently not enough to protect him from being conscripted into forced labor in Germany. So Paul went into hiding with the farmer Joseph Smeets.
South Limburg was liberated in the fall of 1944, but the Smeets farm was in the still occupied area of Middle Limburg. In early September, Paul Peeters and another man in hiding found weapons in the Elmpt Forest near the Smeets family’s farm, which had probably been thrown away by fleeing German soldiers. They took some rifles, hand grenades and ammunition back to their hiding place in a straw stack, but Joseph Smeets didn’t like it and said the stuff had to disappear.
They may have been spotted by German soldiers manning anti-aircraft guns nearby. Smeets and Peeters had to dismantle the straw pile and the weapons were revealed. [2]
The security police (Sicherheitspolizei Maastricht) had also fled and were now temporarily in Maasniel, where they continued their murderous activities. For example, they shot three boys from Sittard who were celebrating the liberation somewhat prematurely: Frits Clemens, Frans Schadron and Frans Eijck.
Afterwards, they actually wanted to continue their escape.
Cammaert describes what happened next:
Shortly after the Sipo had left Maasniel, two German soldiers discovered some weapons on the farm of J.H. Smeets that had been hidden in the woods by people in hiding. On Tuesday, September 26, the Sipo arrived on the scene. After an interrogation, J.H. Smeets and P.J. Peeters, who had gone into hiding, were shot near the German border for illegal possession of weapons. [3]
His photo is on the common Im Memoriam card of Joseph and Paul [4]
Paul Peeters is mentioned on the Oorlogsmonument (War Memorial) Roermond [5]
and on the roll call list of gevallenenroermond.nl [6]
Paulus Johannes ( Paul ) Peeters is listed in the Erelijst 1940-1945 (Honor Roll of the Dutch Parliament). [7]

Footnotes

1. Archief Oorlogsgravenstichting (@ Nationaal archief),
   Dossier Paul Peeters #3
2. wo2slachtoffers.nl Smeets, Joseph Hubertus
3. Dr. F. Cammaert, Het Verborgen Front – Geschiedenis van de georganiseerde illegaliteit in de provincie Limburg tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Doctorale scriptie 1994, Groningen
   6. De Landelijke Organisatie voor hulp aan onderduikers, p. 624
4. maasniel.nl In Memoriam Smeets & Peeters
5. Oorlogsmonument Roermond
6. gevallenenroermond.nl Appellijst
7. Erelijst 1940-1945
8. Oorlogsgravenstichting.nl