Below are the posts written up to now related to the quest for Jan van Boeckel. They are presented in the order in which they were written, and the order in which I gained insight into the events in his life. If you are searching for the posts in the chronological order of Jan’s life they can be found on Jan van Boeckel’s Timeline. Continue reading Posts in the Quest for Jan van Boeckel
A moon shines brightly on the wintry hills in the Geuldal. Shadows on snow, shadows and silent footsteps. Carrying trade ware. Cigarettes or other goods that can be used or resold. Over the Dutch-Belgian border. German guards and dogs patrolling in the dark. Careful. Run. Silence. Walk, walk, walk. Through the night. Keep to the trees, careful with the moonlight. Shhhh, I hear something. Keep in the shadows. Wait. Run. Walk. Continue reading Dames, Chaplains and Smugglers
For several years there is no evidence of any further action in the search for Jan. And then suddenly there is a whirlwind of activity, starting at the end of 1965 Continue reading Reflections
The blogs I wrote jump in time, as they are based on the information that was uncovered at that moment in time. Leaving Haarlem he can be followed from the North and East of Holland to Brabant, Limburg, Liege, Ardennes, Cologne, Bayreuth, Ebrach, Nürnberg, Flossenbürg, Saal an der Donau to Dachau. Continue reading A guide to the quest for Jan van Boeckel
Greetings in German and French rang out as they were introduced to an international maquis group, a group of Partisans Armés, armed resistance fighters. Continue reading Joining the Maquisards in the Ardennes
What Jan really experienced we will never know, and we never will know the thoughts he had and the choices he had to make. But armed with both Arthur ‘s accounts and the witness reports by villagers, labourers and prisoners I am able to clear some of the fog created by the Nazi regime ever so slightly. Continue reading Being a Number: KZ Saal an der Donau, Ring-Me
That first evening, the 10th of January, was spent with the daughters Janssen and a few members of the Oisterwijk resistance group, including “ a lean, bespectacled man named Jantje Brunnekreef who could play wonderful jazz on the piano”. As Jan himself improvised with jazz he must have enjoyed that tremendously. The young people danced and laughed all night. Continue reading Oisterwijk: the southern marshes
mogromo 