Witte Brigade (België)
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1940-1945. The resistance in the dutch province of Limburg

White Brigade (Belgium)

The following is a summary of what we can read on Wikipedia about the White Brigade in Belgium. [1]
The group was founded in Antwerp in the summer of 1940, initially under the name De Geuzengroep, later they called themselves De Witte Brigade. They wanted to be a response to the Black Brigade, a group of collaborators who belonged to the fascist Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond. They became so well known that many identified their name with the resistance as a whole. An example of this can also be found on this website in the story about the resistance in Valkenburg, chapter Butter and Eggs. Apparently, this confusion even had an effect in the Netherlands: He hears that N.S.B. manager of the butter factory grumbling as follows: “All of you are dummies. This never would happen to me. I have got 1000 kilos of wehrmacht butter in my cold store, but no so-called white brigade can touch it.” [3]
After the liberation, they therefore preferred to speak of the White Brigade-Fidelio. This was because its founder, primary school teacher Marcel Louette [2], had used Fidelio as his alias. They distributed an anti-German magazine Steeds verenigd - Unis Toujours, collected military information, for example about the port of Antwerp, and brought Allied airmen back to England.
A considerable number of its members were police officers.
Together with other resistance groups, they made a significant contribution to the Allies being able to capture the strategically extremely important port of Antwerp almost intact.

The White Brigade had sections in the cities listed below:
Aalst, Aarschot, Antwerpen, Berchem, Berlaar, Bertem, Beveren-Waas, Boom, Borgerhout, Broechem, Brugge, Brussel, De Panne, Deurne, Duffel, Eupen, Genk, Gent, Gierle, Hemiksem, Herent, Herenthout, Heist-op-den-Berg, Hoboken, Hombeek, Hoogstraten, Kapelle-op-den-Bos, Kessel-Lo, Kontich, Kortenberg, Leopoldsburg (Bourg-Léopold), Lichtervelde, Lier, Lissewege, Leefdaal, Leuven, Lombardsijde, Londerzeel, Luxemburg, Malmedy, Mortsel, Mechelen, Merksem, Muizen, Nieuwpoort, Ninove, Oelegem, Oostduinkerke, Oostende, Puurs, Ressegem, Sint-Amands, Sint-Gillis-Waas, Theux, Tienen, Tongeren, Waasmunster, Zeebrugge.

  1. Witte brigade / brigade blanche, Wikipedia • NederlandsDeutschEnglishFrançais
  2. Marcel Louette Wikipedia • NederlandsEnglishFrançais
  3. Valkenburg, 25-04-1944

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The fallen resistance people in Limburg

White Brigade (Belgium) – 3 pers.

Crapts,
Henricus Nicolaas
Nic
∗ 1913-12-06
Maastricht
† 1944-09-13
Lanaye/Ternaaien
- Maastricht - Belgium - White Brigade (Belgium) -

Nic Crapts was a member of the White Brigade. [1]
While accompanying the first liberators on September 13, 1944, he was shot at from one of the last German machine gun nests from the …

This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.-
Rijnders,
Johannes Hubertus
Jan
∗ 1920-07-12
Valkenswaard
† 1944-10-18
Aachen
- People in hiding - White Brigade (Belgium) - Dutch Soldiers -

Jan Rijnders was a tax consultant and member of the Resistance.
He was from Valkenswaard and is also buried there. During the war he worked with the White Brigade or Secret Army in …

This person is not (yet?) listed on the walls of the chapel.
Schepers,
Henri Hubert
Harry, “De Wit”
∗ 1914-12-21
Elsloo
† 1944-08-18
Meerssen
- Forced Labor - White Brigade (Belgium) - Belgium - Elsloo - Meerssen -

A detailed biographical description of Harry Schepers can be found on stolpersteine.app [1].
There we read the following about the tailor and goalkeeper of the first team of the Marsana …

wall: left, row 07-03