Geuzenveld-Slotermeer in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Zij brachten voor de vrijheid het grootste offer/ They made the greatest sacrifice for freedom

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 6, 2022

1. Zij brachten voor de vrijheid het grootste offer/ They made the greatest sacrifice for freedom Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Op 15 december 1944 werden drie mannen op de trambaan van de Haarlemmerweg doodgeschoten. Matthijs 'Pa' Verkuijl (1895) was bedrijfsleider bij grasdrogerij Veevita in Badhoevedorp. Hij hielp onderduikers, regelde opslag van voedsel en wapens en werd lokaal de 'ziel van het verzet' genoemd. Zoon Henk (1922) stak banden van Duitse voertuigen lek en woningen van foute Nederlanders in brand. Politierechercheur Pieter Elias (1907) bespioneerde als lid van de Knokploeg Amsterdam de Sicherheitspolizei, om zo andere verzetsstrijders te waarschuwen voor aanstaande arrestaties, en regelde liquidaties van verraders. De drie mannen, die nog veel meer verzetsdaden pleegden, werden in november 1944 na verraad gearresteerd. Op de lijst van Todeskandidaten geplaatst, werden zij uiteindelijk door de bezetter als vergelding gefusilleerd. Na een provisorisch graf in de duinen bij Overveen kregen Pieter Elias, Matthijs Verkuijl en Henk Verkuijl een laatste rustplaats op de Eerebegraafplaats in Bloemendaal.

(English translation:)

On December 15, 1944, three men were shot dead on the Haarlemmerweg tram track.

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Matthijs 'Pa' Verkuijl (1895) was manager of the Veevita grass drying plant in Badhoevedorp. He helped people in hiding, arranged the storage of food and weapons and was locally referred to as the 'soul of the resistance'. Son Henk (1922) punctured the tires of German vehicles and set fire to the homes of the wrong Dutch people. As a member of the Knokploeg (“Militia”) Amsterdam, police detective Pieter Elias (1907) spied on the Sicherheitspolizei in order to warn other resistance fighters about imminent arrests, and arranged for traitors to be liquidated. The three men, who committed many more acts of resistance, were arrested in November 1944 after betrayal. Placed on the list of Todeskandidaten (“candidates for death”) they were eventually shot by the occupying forces in retaliation. After a provisional grave in the dunes near Overveen, Pieter Elias, Matthijs Verkuijl and Henk Verkuijl were given a final resting place at the Bloemendaal memorial cemetery.

Erected 2022 by Geef Straten Een Gezicht.

Topics and series. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Give Streets a Face / Geef Straten Een Gezicht, and the Heroes of the Dutch Resistance (GSEG) series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is December 15, 1944.

Location. 52° 23.07′ N, 4°

They made the greatest sacrifice for freedom Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 6, 2022

2. They made the greatest sacrifice for freedom Marker

The memorial site actually is comprised of two separate memorials - this one, and the three-pillared cross by Saskia Bongers, from 2019.

49.936′ E. Marker is in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland (North Holland). It is in Geuzenveld-Slotermeer. Memorial is on Haarlemmerweg west of Radarweg, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland 1063 EP, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Herdenkingsmonument Elias, Verkuijl, Verkuijl (here, next to this marker); Hendrikus Rempe (within shouting distance of this marker); Johan Doorn (within shouting distance of this marker); Franciscus Claessen (within shouting distance of this marker); Jan Verleun (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Louis Vervooren (about 150 meters away); Joop IJisberg (about 150 meters away); Jan Janzen (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amsterdam.

More about this marker. The memorial site is located on the south side of Haarlemmerweg, adjacent to the pedestrian and bicycle paths.

Also see . . . Nederlanders geëxecuteerd tijdens de Duitse bezetting (Wikisage, in Dutch). The article (translation of the title = Dutch persons executed during the German occupation), provides an overview of the German use of capital punishment against the Dutch population.

Overview: During the Second World War, several thousand people were executed in the Netherlands by or on
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behalf of the Germans. The exact number can only be determined approximately. Also, as of January 2012, there were still several dozen thought to be missing because of German executions. Dr. Loe de Jong stated in 'The Kingdom of the Netherlands in World War II' that 2000 people were executed; and that another 570 people died in concentration camps; this number includes people who were executed there, but also people who died of other causes. These cases can be distinguished from victims of the persecution of the Jews… The victims were almost always resistance fighters. Sometimes, however, they were not participants in the active resistance, but persons accused of an anti-German attitude, people in hiding, or people who had not responded to calls for forced labor, or had not obeyed orders.

(Submitted on February 25, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 31, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 25, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 119 times since then and 54 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 25, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.