Unfriendly Ypres locals?

Discussion in '1940' started by CROONAERT, Sep 15, 2008.

  1. CROONAERT

    CROONAERT Ipsissimus

    After reading through the War Diaries of the units that held the town of Ypres between the 27th and 29th May 1940 (plus several other accounts - factual, fictional and "factional"), there appears (to me) to have been an unnaturally high amount of harrasment by 5th columnists here which has made several questions for me...

    1 ... I know that Flemish nationalism ran high in the general area and, I believe that there was much (usually passive) support of the Verdinaso and VNB in the area (which, I suppose at that time,would not have been discouraged by the Germans), but would this have been the reason for such a high percentage of 5th column activity during the British defence?

    2 ... The people of Ypres have generally been regarded as pretty much pro-British but, in this case, do you think it possible that quite a number saw the arrival of a Germanic speaking people as a potential move forward for Flemish identity and, therefore, as potential "liberators" rather than invaders?

    3 ... If the identity of these 5th Columnists was known (in Ypres), does anyone know what became of them between 1940 and 1944 (and post 1944)?

    4 ... none of my sources refer to any casualties caused by these 5th columnists - they all just seem to mention harrasment ,near misses and general mischief. Is it possible that their general "pro-Britishness" made them unwilling to cause much death and injury to the British (who, it was pretty obvious, would be leaving within the next 48 hours or so anyway)?

    5 ... most sources appear to give the impression that, even though they were a nuisance, no - one returned fire even if they knew the location of a sniper (or whatever)...why?


    Cheers.

    Dave.
     
  2. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

  3. CROONAERT

    CROONAERT Ipsissimus

    Not sure if you've seen this thread Dave?

    Fifth Columnists and Sabotage in 1940 France from Various Sources

    Not all in Belgium or Ypres area but it may help.


    thanks Andy.

    I had actually seen the thread but its specific links between the Belgian 5th Columnists and the Flemish Movement(s) I was trying to find at the time I posted that topic.

    Its quite odd really , when speaking to elderly residents, how many in the area were (seemingly) actually actively anti-German during the occupation years yet no-one knows anyone who was pro-German ... 'Mr.W on ***straat' was leader of an active resistance cell, 'Mr.X on ***laan' used to sabotage German trucks he was employed to repair, 'Mr.Y on ***straat' was sent to a work-camp in Germany but returned due to ill health and was an active member of the resistance, 'Mrs.Z on ****laan' used to run a safe house and stored weapons for the resistance...etc etc.... no-one knows, though, who it was who was shooting at the Artillery OP on the Menin Gate or who dropped a grenade through the front door of the house on Bollingstraat where a group of British officers were sheltering, etc. - nor would I ever expect to find out.

    That said however, upon tracking 'Mr.Y' down, a slightly different story emerged (once it was realised that I held no prejudice whatsoever and would never name names - even his 'in Belgium' persona has been slightly altered in this post)... he didn't go to a work camp in Germany at all - he was a devout anti-Bolshevik and pro-Flemish Nationalist ...and a very willing volunteer into the SS Freiw.Standarte Nordwest (later theFreiw.Verband (then Freiw.Legion) Flandern ... the precursor of the Langemarck Sturmbrigade). He was wounded near Lake Ladoga (?) in September(ish) 1942 and, eventually, invalided out. He returned to his home town as the tide was turning in the west... and became remembered to this day as 'a member of the resistance'. Unfortunately, he didn't mention much about the events of May 1940 ('spent in a cellar' !) nor his feelings at this particular time... though I think I can guess at these (and also those of many people like him... not all of whom would have been hiding in cellars!)

    Dave
     
  4. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I'm inclined to suspect that with all the refugee chaos, the Germans had become quite clever at infiltrating.

    There was certainly a lot of pro-German feeling among the Flemish but I've not detected any suggestion that they were on the point of armed rebellion against the Belgian state or prepared to start fighting for it at that stage.

    I've come across a number of apologists in some areas of East Flanders who will claim that the advancing / retreating British in 1940 shot at anything that moved such as farmers in fields and destroyed property wantonly whereas the occupying Germans were almost without exception well behaved.

    This contrasts rather strongly with BEF accounts of France at least where they seem to have been at pains to 'win hearts and minds'

    It's still possible to get into quite serious arguments in some of the 'blacker' parts of Flanders when talking about 1940 - 45. The older residents will complain about the allies jettisoning bombs but rarely put the blame on German forces.
     
  5. Tab

    Tab Senior Member

    If you lived there and both sides are smashing up your home and your living then you are going to get a p ssed off with them all and would just hope that they would all go away
     

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