Mauthausen
After the "Anschluss" from Austria in 1938, the Germans build also there a concentration camp. KLM. The quarry was used in the beginning by mostly political prisoners. They were housed in sheds. The photograph left is made after the liberation and taken in 1947.
The secret agents were brought into the camp on September 6, in 1944. After the killing in the following days, their bodies were cremated. Close to the crematorium, some other prisoners were busy with work in the ground. They have with respect for the agents, seen what they had to suffer, and with risk for their own lives, they had buried the container with the ashes on that place.
In 1968 on that place is unveiled a plaque on the ground. On the wall one is located with the names of the 47 agents. The names of 40 Dutch, 6 British and 1 French agent.
In 1982 there was a new initiative from a number of ex-prisoners and relatives to erect a Dutch monument in Mauthausen. It took time until the erection of the "Stichting Vriendenkring Mauthausen" that the initiative was converted into the order to the sculpture artist Appie Drielsma on May 9, in 1986 the monument was unveiled.
The names of nearly 1500 persons of Dutch nationality are memorised on the bronze plates mounted on the inside of the vertical columns.
Back to the agents.
Why are those agents brought to Mauthausen and killed there? This special because they first were captured in Haaren and because of the escape from several agents from Haaren, they were transported to Assen. After the first of April 1944, Giskes (Abwehr) and Schreieder (SD) didn't need them anymore and the agents were transported to Rawicz.
May be Schreieder had the intention to release them after the end of the war. It went different.
April 1, 1944. Fooling day, Schreieder send a not coded message to London. It is the end of the Englandspiel.
In the middle of April 1944 the agents are transported to Rawicz. Only a few (6) stay in Haaren.
June 6, 1944. D-Day.
June 22, 1944. The Russian Army attacks the German Army; after 3 weeks, 27 divisions are destroyed.
July 20, 1944. Attack on hitler.
August 6, 1944. Most of the offenders of the attack are killed.
September 3 and 4, 1944, the agents are written out in Rawicz and one group transported to Mauthausen. From the other group it is unknown were they were brought.
