Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

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Hayes
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Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#1

Post by Hayes » 22 Oct 2021, 21:30

I've heard stories of foreigners joining the French resistance, so I thought it was worth asking if there were any foreigners who joined local resistance groups in Belgium, the Netherlands, or Luxembourg? I'd discount foreign "advisors" or "liaisons" (like SOE agents), because my question is about people who joined on their own volition.

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#2

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 23 Oct 2021, 11:07

Hello,
Some escaped Russian prisonners(They were employed into the Belgian coalmines by the Germans) of war joined the Belgian Resistance:
https://www.dhnet.be/regions/brabant/un ... 18e349d6ea
https://belgium.mid.ru/nl_NL/-/g-ov-sil ... irect=true
https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/5440 ... dsburg.htm


Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#3

Post by Hayes » 23 Oct 2021, 11:46

Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 11:07
Hello,
Some escaped Russian prisonners(They were employed into the Belgian coalmines by the Germans) of war joined the Belgian Resistance:
https://www.dhnet.be/regions/brabant/un ... 18e349d6ea
https://belgium.mid.ru/nl_NL/-/g-ov-sil ... irect=true
https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/5440 ... dsburg.htm
Hello Prosper. Thanks, that's interesting. I've heard of some escaped Soviet prisoners joining the French resistance, so it doesn't surprise me to find the same thing happened in Belgium. Do you know if this also happened with prisoners of any other nationalities in Belgium?

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#4

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 23 Oct 2021, 18:08

Hayes wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 11:46
Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 11:07
Hello,
Some escaped Russian prisonners(They were employed into the Belgian coalmines by the Germans) of war joined the Belgian Resistance:
https://www.dhnet.be/regions/brabant/un ... 18e349d6ea
https://belgium.mid.ru/nl_NL/-/g-ov-sil ... irect=true
https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/5440 ... dsburg.htm
Hello Prosper. Thanks, that's interesting. I've heard of some escaped Soviet prisoners joining the French resistance, so it doesn't surprise me to find the same thing happened in Belgium. Do you know if this also happened with prisoners of any other nationalities in Belgium?
Sorry but I didn't know, all what I know is that some british french and U.S. Airmen joined the Belgian resistance in june till septembre 1944, because they cannot be exfiltrated anymore to England. This was called "Operation Marathon" I think.
Here below are some links :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation ... ld_War_II)
This page is in English language
And here are two links to my website (but in french language)
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... -de-st.php
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... lgique.php
I am very sorry for my poor English knowledge. I hope you will understand.
Kindly regards
Prosper :wink: :wink:

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#5

Post by Hayes » 23 Oct 2021, 18:12

Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 18:08
Hayes wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 11:46
Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
23 Oct 2021, 11:07
Hello,
Some escaped Russian prisonners(They were employed into the Belgian coalmines by the Germans) of war joined the Belgian Resistance:
https://www.dhnet.be/regions/brabant/un ... 18e349d6ea
https://belgium.mid.ru/nl_NL/-/g-ov-sil ... irect=true
https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/5440 ... dsburg.htm
Hello Prosper. Thanks, that's interesting. I've heard of some escaped Soviet prisoners joining the French resistance, so it doesn't surprise me to find the same thing happened in Belgium. Do you know if this also happened with prisoners of any other nationalities in Belgium?
Sorry but I didn't know, all what I know is that some british french and U.S. Airmen joined the Belgian resistance in june till septembre 1944, because they cannot be exfiltrated anymore to England. This was called "Operation Marathon" I think.
Here below are some links :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation ... ld_War_II)
This page is in English language
And here are two links to my website (but in french language)
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... -de-st.php
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... lgique.php
I am very sorry for my poor English knowledge. I hope you will understand.
Kindly regards
Prosper :wink: :wink:
No problem Prosper, it's me who should be apologising for my lack of French (or Flemish, or Dutch...) knowledge, since I'm the one asking about that part of the world. I will at least have a look at the English-language link you provided, thanks for sharing it.

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#6

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 24 Oct 2021, 17:10

Hello Hayes,
I'm back with an other link (sorry it's in French language but there are some images also):
http://www.revuemethode.org/m042030.html
This website relates the live of somme Russians who fought with the Belgian Resistance against the German Army in WWII
I know the region of Rebecq and Hoves very well.
I was prenet at the remembrance of Vladimir Tolda in Rebecq
Have a look and enjoy
Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink: :wink:

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#7

Post by Hayes » 24 Oct 2021, 17:15

Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
24 Oct 2021, 17:10
Hello Hayes,
I'm back with an other link (sorry it's in French language but there are some images also):
http://www.revuemethode.org/m042030.html
This website relates the live of somme Russians who fought with the Belgian Resistance against the German Army in WWII
I know the region of Rebecq and Hoves very well.
I was prenet at the remembrance of Vladimir Tolda in Rebecq
Have a look and enjoy
Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink: :wink:
Thank you Prosper! I'll try to plug some of the text into Google Translate, might not be perfect but at least I could get some idea of what's being said.

Would you happen to know whether these Russians who joined the Belgian resistance were grouped together into any cell/unit, or were they fairly dispersed among different resistance groups?

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#8

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 24 Oct 2021, 22:57

Hayes wrote:
24 Oct 2021, 17:15
Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
24 Oct 2021, 17:10
Hello Hayes,
I'm back with an other link (sorry it's in French language but there are some images also):
http://www.revuemethode.org/m042030.html
This website relates the live of somme Russians who fought with the Belgian Resistance against the German Army in WWII
I know the region of Rebecq and Hoves very well.
I was prenet at the remembrance of Vladimir Tolda in Rebecq
Have a look and enjoy
Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink: :wink:
Thank you Prosper! I'll try to plug some of the text into Google Translate, might not be perfect but at least I could get some idea of what's being said.

Would you happen to know whether these Russians who joined the Belgian resistance were grouped together into any cell/unit, or were they fairly dispersed among different resistance groups?
They were not grouped, but the most of them were members of the P.A.(Partisan Armés)(Armed Partisans) of the FI (Front de l'Indépendance) (Independance Front) of the Belgian Resistance.
Kindly regards
Prosper :wink: :wink:
N.B. Vladimir Talda belonged to the P.A. (Section Rebecq-Braine le Comte)

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#9

Post by Hayes » 26 Oct 2021, 18:34

Did any BeNeLux resistance groups accept foreign Jews into their ranks? I've heard of Jews from eastern-Europe working in/with the French resistance.

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#10

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 26 Oct 2021, 22:56

Hello Hayes,
Yes there were Jews into the Belgian Resistance (P.A and also into the "Comité de défense des Juifs" (CDJ)Those resitance groups belonged to the F.I.
On my website you will found 2 articles but in french language:
This one tell the story of Bernard Fenerberg:
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... ouvent.php
and this one tells the story of the 20th railtransport convoy which was stopped by Georges “Youra” Livchitz and two of his comrades:
https://www.freebelgians.be/articles/ar ... convoi.php
Kindly regards from Belgium
Prosper :wink: :wink:

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#11

Post by Hayes » 26 Oct 2021, 23:19

Thanks Prosper. Just before I start plugging those articles into google-translate, were the Jews you mentioned Belgian citizens, or did they come from someplace else?

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#12

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 27 Oct 2021, 11:25

Hello Hayes,
Those Jews were born outside Belgium but became the belgian nationality, I think.
Thus it were belgian citizens in WWII
Kindly regards
Prosper :wink: :wink:

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#13

Post by Hayes » 27 Oct 2021, 11:57

Ah alright, thanks Prosper for clarifying. Would they have lost their Belgian nationality under Nazi occupation, like many German Jews did?

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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#14

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 27 Oct 2021, 15:05

Hayes wrote:
27 Oct 2021, 11:57
Ah alright, thanks Prosper for clarifying. Would they have lost their Belgian nationality under Nazi occupation, like many German Jews did?
Hello hayes,
I did'nt know but I don't think so. Many Jews, (civilians) belgian citizens or not were deported and assassinated.
Georges "Youra" Livchitz was executed in Belgium after being jailed because he belongs to the Belgian resistance.
Bernard Fenerberg (still a belgian citizen) was hiding by the Belgian Resistance.

Hayes
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Re: Did any foreigners join BeNeLux resistance groups?

#15

Post by Hayes » 27 Oct 2021, 17:10

Prosper Vandenbroucke wrote:
27 Oct 2021, 15:05
Hayes wrote:
27 Oct 2021, 11:57
Ah alright, thanks Prosper for clarifying. Would they have lost their Belgian nationality under Nazi occupation, like many German Jews did?
Hello hayes,
I did'nt know but I don't think so. Many Jews, (civilians) belgian citizens or not were deported and assassinated.
Georges "Youra" Livchitz was executed in Belgium after being jailed because he belongs to the Belgian resistance.
Bernard Fenerberg (still a belgian citizen) was hiding by the Belgian Resistance.
I see.

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