Cycling Route Death Valley De Peel - Knokploeg De Margriet (#6)

Goon squad De Margriet
The Lieshout butcher Piet Swinkels, for whom the Arbeidseinsatz threatened in 1943, went into hiding in the woods of Molenheide between Lieshout and Gerwen. The Bossche goon squad De Margriet also had a hiding place nearby. The leader was Willy Andriessen, just like Swinkels a former Dutch soldier. In Lieshout he ran a shelter for Jews and Allied pilots, as well as a depot for sabotage means.

Swinkels joined De Margriet and thus ended up with one of the most active fighters in Brabant. In August 1944, this unit liquidated the Veghel collaborator and Landwachter P. van Bussel and the Ossche NSB mayor Hermanus Apeldoorn. Moreover, the gang raided the distribution offices of Cuyk and Rosmalen during that period.

The German Sicherheitsdienst carried out a manhunt and arrested on 14 August 1944 on the Lieshoutse bridge the members of the group: Jac. Kruijssen (Eindhoven), Chris Smits (Hintham) and Piet Swinkels (Lieshout). They were on their way to the depot, carrying weapons. A few days later, the Germans in Hintham also picked up goons leader Willy Andriessen. The four resistance fighters were executed that same evening at 9 pm in Camp Vught.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Jeroen Koppes (1, 2), Martin Damen (3, 4)