Memorial Weapon Drop Berkenwoude

Memorial Weapon Drop Berkenwoude

Local members of the resistance had been told the code 'Two roses are red' via Radio Oranje, which meant that in the night of 11 to 12 April 1945, two planes would fly over two British-trained secret agents (Wytze Bisschhop and Hendrik Geysen) and would drop a number of chests of weapons. This had happened dozens of times before in the Krimpenerwaard in the last years of the Second World War and it had always gone well. Without the German soldiers noticing, the weapons were collected and usually taken to Rotterdam.

During that last mission it almost went wrong because one of the planes was shelled by German anti-aircraft fire on its way back and had to make an emergency landing near Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. The crew of six survived the crash of the Short Stirling bomber and were rescued by the local resistance. Some of them were wounded, but the crew survived the war.

On 13 April 2022, Jaap Smit, King's Commissioner in South Holland and Mayor Pieter Paans unveiled a monument at the Zuidbroek roundabout on the provincial road N210 to commemorate the weapon drops in this area. The memorial consists of a model of the Short Stirling that flew over this area during that particular mission. The code 'Two roses are red' has been applied under the model of the aircraft. At some distance from the roundabout are two stones that tell the story of this event. On the left brick is the story of the bomber crash and the weapon drops. On the right stone is a photo with the names of the crew of the Short Stirling.

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Source

• Text: David Izelaar
• Photos: David Izelaar