Dutch War Grave Cemetery Kerkbuurt Steenwijkerwold

Kerkbuurt Cemetery in Steenwijkerwold contains one Dutch War Grave from the Second World War.

This is the grave of:
Renze de Ruiter, shot on 02-10-1944.

On 01-10-1944, the only 16-year-old Belgians Florimont Beke and Walther Weinsberghen, members of the Waffen-SS and assigned to the commando in the Johan van den Kornput barracks in Steenwijk, devised a ruse that gave Renze de Ruiter the would cost life.
That evening they reported to De Ruiter's neighbours, pretended to be allied paratroopers, spoke English and made it clear with sign language that they needed different clothing.
Because neighbor Jan Wardenier did not speak English, Renze de Ruiter was picked up, who came in the company of his wife, visitor Jenny de Jong, and Appie Jorna, a hiding person from Leeuwarden.
The Belgians indicated that they had to go to Havelte airfield in preparation for the landing of a number of fellow parachutists, and it was decided that De Jong and Jorna would take the men from Witte Paarden (at the time Achterbuurt) to this location on foot.
During a stop at Hanne Terwisscha's farm, Jorna lost sight of caution, spoke (under the influence of alcohol) about the people in hiding there, after which Walther Weinsberghen left the group after some time.
He immediately returned to his place of employment to inform his superior, the infamous SD Hauptscharführer Fritz Habener, which led to a raid on the Wardenier and De Ruiter families that same night in an attempt to find people in hiding there first.
Renze de Ruiter continued to deny that he was harboring people in hiding, after which he was repeatedly assaulted until unconscious by Fritz Habener, who eventually ordered the Serbian Sturmmann Majores to liquidate the defenseless man.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!