Cycling route Death Valley De Peel - Harrie van de Burgt (#4)

Harrie van de Burgt

On October 3, 1944, a patrol of the American 7th Armored Division came across a group of SS men at the Breemortel. The Deurne resistance fighter and postal assistant Harrie van de Burgt was also part of this patrol. While the rest of the patrol withdrew to get reinforcements, Harrie and the members of the Belgian 'White Brigade' François Baetens and Juliën Magel stayed behind and fell into the hands of the Germans.

After interrogation by the SD, the infamous German Security Service, the three men were executed a few days later at the airport near Herongen; Fliegerhorst Venlo. The execution took place on the orders of SS-Hauptscharführer Max Ströbel and was carried out by three SS men: Nitsch, Conrad and Fiebig. In July 1946, Nitsch indicated the exact place where van de Burgt, Baetens and Magel were said to have been executed, but unfortunately the remains were never found.

Harrie van de Burgt was also commemorated on a joint prayer card of Zeilberg war victims, his name is mentioned on the war memorial in Zeilberg and on the provincial memorial 'The Brabantse Soldaat' in Waalre.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Martin Damen