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The fallen resistance people in Limburg
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Photo from Mijn oorlog en bevrijding (My War and Liberation) p.34. [1]
Leo was one of the Valkenburgers who either had German citizenship or were stateless and therefore had to fight as conscripts in the German army. His father was originally German, but lost his German citizenship as a child when he moved with his parents from Stolberg (D) to Meerssen (NL). [3]
Lei’s parents lived in Broekhem (which originally belonged to Houthem) and ran a pub called De Bokkerijder in Valkenburg at Gosewijnstraat 18. His father was also a miner.
During the war, there was an increasing shortage of men in the German troops and Leo and his older brother Jo were called up for military service as so-called Volksdeutsche [2]. Jo deserted and managed to reach Valkenburg shortly before the liberation. [1]
Lei was assigned to an armored unit and was shot by Soviet soldiers when he tried to surrender. [1][3]
The Germans named the Polish village Kryniczno where this happened and where he was buried: Kapsdorf.
The Volksbund für Kriegsgräberfürsorge (War Graves Foundation) is still trying to locate the grave and transfer him to a military cemetery.. [4][5]
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Footnotes