The Forest Partisans of Baarlo
At the beginning of September 1944, the Limburg knuckle squad and the Maas and Waal knuckle squad were ordered into action. They were to support the Allied advance wherever possible by committing sabotage. However, the promised drops of weapons and explosives failed to materialise. Reason enough for the national sabotage commander, Frank van Bijnen, to send a cry for help to Prince Bernhard. But that too came to nothing. Wanting to carry out the assignment anyway, Van Bijnen ordered the commando squads gathered between Roermond and Venlo to capture weapons and ammunition themselves. This could be done, Van Bijnen suggested, by ambushing and disarming groups of German soldiers on the retreat.
Four German prisoners of war
Energetically, the commando squads began their task. Starting on 10 September 1944, they crossed the river Meuse at Venlo and soon captured four German soldiers in the vicinity of Helden and Baarlo. In the vast forests south of Baarlo, they set up a camp where they housed their prisoners of war. There ended up being several dozen of them.
The inhabitants of Baarlo help
Because liberation took longer than expected, surveillance and care demanded more and more attention. A solid logistical organisation was needed to keep everything on track. This came about thanks to the cooperation of residents of Baarlo and the local resistance organisation. Although some Germans were reconciled to their fate, others found their imprisonment by a bunch of partisans a downright disgrace. They were forging escape plans on the go. Through the inattention of a guard, one of them managed to escape in late October.
Escape with major consequences
There was nothing for it but to evacuate the camp in pouring rain. After a long search, an abandoned sheepfold was found near Neer. Meanwhile, in the Baarlo woods, hard work was being done to build an underground hideout. On 7 November, the KP members were able to move in with their prisoners. Exciting days dawned. The British approached and the area around the camp was teeming with German soldiers. Some were less than ten metres from the camp. On 19 November 1944, men from the 154th British Infantry Brigade appeared at the camp and the prisoners of war could be handed over. Their commander J.A. Oliver afterwards expressed his gratitude for the help of the Baarlo forest partisans.