"In Mechelen, children as young as 15 or 16 were sent straight to concentration camps"

VUB alumni An Rydant and Geert Clerbout both studied History at VUB, but until recently, they didn't know each other. “We’re from different generations,” says An. “I graduated in 1988, and Geert in 2007.” An conducted research on resistance movements in seven central cities during World War II for the Study and Documentation Centre for War and Contemporary Society (CegeSoma). “Our paths crossed when I wanted to broaden my research, and someone pointed me to the work Geert was doing on Mechelen during WWII.” Together, they wrote Mechelen 1940-1945: Biography of a City at War. The book is only published in Dutch.

Why did you choose Mechelen as your focus?

Geert: "I’m from Mechelen and wrote a book in 2012 about Mechelen during World War I. That was essentially an extension of my thesis, which described daily life in Mechelen and the surrounding countryside during that period. This new book is a logical continuation of that work."

What made resistance in Mechelen different from other central cities?

An: "There were significant casualties within the Independent Front and the Partisans (the resistance movements I focused on). In Mechelen alone, not counting the surrounding municipalities, 28 members lost their lives. In total, nearly 100 political prisoners were executed in Mechelen."

Was resistance in Mechelen significantly larger than in other cities?

An: "The resistance was very active and mobilised early on. But the repression by the Germans and Flemish nationalists was also much harsher. To illustrate: in Kortrijk, several students and a teacher at the Royal Atheneum were arrested for singing The Internationale and scribbling slogans on the walls. They were given six months to a year in prison. In Mechelen, similar incidents occurred, but there, the students were sent straight to concentration camps. I’m talking about children aged 15 or 16."

"The so-called post-war 'repression' that black Flanders still complains about to this day is a myth."

Did your research uncover anything that was new to you?

An: "We found quite a few errors in previous research — mainly assumptions that had never been questioned. We also gathered information from a wide range of sources, including interviews with the last surviving witnesses."

Geert: "In August 1944, a leader of the collaborating Black Brigade was assassinated in Meensel-Kiezegem, prompting German soldiers and collaborators to launch a retaliatory raid on the village. The outcome was horrific: four people were murdered on the spot, and 63 residents were sent to the Neuengamme concentration camp, where they died. We discovered that at least 30 to 40 people from Mechelen actively participated in that raid. Many Mechelen locals were also actively involved in the persecution of Jews. We were able to reconstruct these events using contemporary sources like documents, letters, and diaries."

Who were the resistance fighters?

An: "It’s a misconception that resistance members were mostly young and reckless. The majority were in their forties and had families. We also identified so-called 'September resistance fighters' — people who only joined the resistance just before or during the liberation. We were able to map this out, although not everyone was pleased with the results."

We can understand the motives of resistance members. But what about the collaborators?

Geert: "Financial gain, jobs, better food, networks, status… the most obvious reasons, really."

An: "From the post-war criminal files, we identified several informers who got away with very light sentences. The so-called post-war 'repression' that black Flemings still complain about to this day is a myth. We were able to confirm that once again."

Geert: "In Mechelen, there was also a form of ideological collaboration. Convinced National Socialists, often with a certain status in the broader cultural elite, were inspired by radical wartime mayor Camiel Baeck. He aimed to turn Mechelen into the first National Socialist city in Flanders. The Flemish Nationalist League also chose Mechelen as the cultural capital of the Low Countries, which led to numerous parades, events, and cultural days being held in the city."

What lessons can people today learn from your book?

An: "We’re currently seeing a large anti-democratic reflex in the Western world, just as in the 1930s. There are definitely lessons to be learned from that period. One of them is the importance of developing a critical mind. Many lessons from WWI weren’t learned, like establishing information networks and assembly points for when the government has to flee. Those things were built up in WWI, but they had to start from scratch in WWII. There were no radio transmitters or spies left behind — everyone had fled to France. Ultimately, people always fight the previous war. Just as in WWI, the population fled to southwestern Flanders, and the government went to the same spot in France."

Geert: "The final chapter is about memory — the period from 1945 to the present, during which the war was etched into people’s minds and later used and misused to serve certain agendas. It’s especially interesting that we’re now at a point where all the witnesses have passed away, except for those who were children at the time. By returning to the facts and reconstructing them, you can expose timeless dynamics and processes. I think readers will unconsciously pick up on that. We did a lot of research into official sources. But thanks to a call-out in newspapers and online, we also obtained 17 personal diaries from people living at the time. The combination of diverse source types makes the book so compelling and deeply human."

Would you have joined the resistance yourselves?

Geert: "I find it odd when people today claim they would 'definitely' have joined the resistance. You can never be sure of that."

An: "Rationally speaking, you’d have to be crazy to join the resistance. Many people who joined at the start had no idea what the consequences would be. The repression was ruthless — almost all active members were captured. We’ve identified nearly 1,000 resistance members, almost half of whom ended up behind bars, and 97 died in captivity or shortly after. People who returned from the camps often stayed silent about the horrors they endured. Many people only learned of these stories through our book or interviews."