By Mary Dodge Allen
Throughout the Nazi occupation of Europe, SS officials used the railways in their systematic extermination of Jews. But in the summer of 1944 - as Allied troops advanced, liberating towns and cities in northern Europe - Nazi SS officials began releasing political prisoners and Allied POWs from prison before the Allies could liberate them, in order to transport them in overcrowded trains to concentration camps.
Train Number: 1.682.508, scheduled to leave Brussels on September 2, 1944 at 8:30 am.
Purpose: Transport 1,370 Saint-Gilles political prisoners and 41 Allied POWs to death camps.
Belgian railway workers and Resistance members knew the Allies were quickly advancing, and they were determined to prevent this trainload of prisoners from leaving Belgium. Read the story of their brave actions.
Saint-Gilles Prison, Brussels in 1944, as described in the book, Child at War, by Mark Bles:
"It had five huge wings, three stories high, radiating from the central hub... Apart from the run-of-the-mill criminal population, the prison was overcrowded with political prisoners, the victims of German oppression... men and women who had been in the resistance, others suspected of resistance work, hostages (imprisoned for relatives)... who had not been caught, (citizens) who had done nothing at all, and Allied servicemen who were held for weeks before finally being shipped off to POW camps in Germany.
"Prisoners would be taken into the courtyard and the massive timber gates would be closed behind them. They lived in small cells like bare stone caves standing off narrow cast-iron galleries rising in tiers above the hard tiled floor."
Saturday, September 2, 1944, 1:30 am – 4:00 am:
Saint-Gilles prisoners were awakened and assembled in the prison’s central courtyard. Those who had hoped the fast-approaching Allies would liberate them, feared all hope was gone. They were then herded into trucks. One prisoner, M. Ponty, described his experience:
"Next is our exit from the jail between two walls of machine guns. The vehicle which was taking me away was joined... at the entrance of the station, by the first truckload of women. Invisible under the filthy tarp, they were singing La Brabanconne (Belgian national anthem). A shot explodes: it’s a furious SS (guard)."
During the truck ride to the Brussels-South train station, prisoners tossed out scraps of paper, messages for families and friends. Citizens picked up these notes and promised to deliver them.
Soon, the crowded boxcars became filled with a smothering heat. Duverger, the assistant train manager, ignored the protests and threats of the armed SS guards and opened the ventilation slots in each boxcar to allow fresh air inside.
Negotiations with the Nazi SS General:
Because the Allies were quickly approaching Belgium, Red Cross and Belgian officials took this opportunity to begin negotiating with Nazi SS General Jungclaus, for the release of all Belgian political prisoners. One of the negotiators, Dr. Van Dooren, knows his wife is one of the prisoners on the train.
Sabotage, Diversions and Delay Tactics:
Burssels-South train station manager, Leon Petit, met with railway employees and Resistance members. They decided to do whatever sabotage they could to stop the prisoner train from leaving the city. But they ruled out any violent action, fearing the SS guards might retaliate against the prisoners.
The foreman of the Brussels-South railyard, named Masquelier, described general sabotage techniques:
"During the whole war we tried each in our job to impede as much as possible the functioning of the German railroad... I could divert at least 2,000 hours of work a month hiding the absences of machinists. The sabotage would consist of taking apart the distribution connecting-rods or the screws on the safety valves of the boilers."
On September 2, 1944, German officials requested locomotive #3302, the only working locomotive in the yard, to transport the prisoners and POWs. Masquelier said, “(We) sabotaged it by damaging the grease pipes."
After locomotive #1202 was found, the engineer left, claiming his shift was over. A second engineer simply ‘disappeared’ from the depot. Vanderveken, another replacement engineer, dragged his feet as long as he could while getting the locomotive ready. Then shortly after 3:00 pm, he deliberately ‘fell’ from the locomotive and faked injuries that prevented him from working.
The frustrated Germans finally located engineers Louis Verheggen and Leon Pochet. They were ordered, at gunpoint, to drive the locomotive. Three SS guards entered the cab and stood behind the two engineers, with guns aimed at their backs. The guards remained there for the next 18 hours, while Verheggen and Pochet continued sabotaging the locomotive’s progress.
After locomotive #1202 was attached to the boxcars holding the prisoners, Verheggen delayed leaving the station by performing needless brake tests. He finally drove out of the station at 4:50 pm. (The prisoner train had been scheduled to leave at 8:30 am that morning.)
Verheggen then took the wrong track, which added to the delay. At the next station, the station manager (a Resistance member) deliberately sidetracked the prisoner train. It was forced to sit on a dead end sidetrack while a slow-moving 72-car German supply train passed through.
When the prisoner train resumed its journey, Verheggen drove as slowly as he could, while Pochet kept the vapor release valve open, even during stops. This caused an extreme water loss. As the steam locomotive entered the Mechelen station, they informed the SS guards that it needed a resupply of water, (knowing the water tanks at this train yard had been recently destroyed by Allied bombing).
The prisoner train was then diverted to the water tanks at the Muizen train station, miles away.
On Saturday night at 11:30 pm, the train finally reached Muizen. But it was delayed for hours before entering the train station because of faulty track signals, which had also been damaged by recent bombing.
Sunday, September 3, 1944, 5:30 am:
The prisoner train finally left Muizen station. But on its way back to Mechelen, the locomotive wheels malfunctioned and slipped off-track on a sharp curve. Verheggen had to go to a nearby telephone and request another locomotive to pull his locomotive back on the track. While they waited, Verheggen was ordered by the SS guards to move the anti-aircraft gun car from directly behind the locomotive (which was always a prime Allied bombing target) to the end of the train.
With the help of the second locomotive, Verheggen moved the anti-aircraft gun car to the rear of the train, but then he neglected to attach it. When the prisoner train resumed its journey, the gun car was left behind, stranded.
Sunday, 10:15 am:
The prisoner train arrived at La Petite Ile station in Brussels, where there was a scene of panic and confusion, because the Allies were getting closer. Verheggen took this opportunity to ‘disappear’ and Pochet allowed the locomotive boiler fire to go out, effectively stranding the train until the boiler fire could be re-stoked.
One of the Belgian railyard workers noticed that the boxcar occupied by the SS guards had been left unguarded. He stole a wooden chest from inside the boxcar and discovered it was filled with jewelry that had been taken from the prisoners. He brought it to the nearest police station.
Sunday, 10:45 am:
Red Cross and Belgian Delegates who had been negotiating with Nazi SS General Jungclaus arrived at La Petite Ile station. They informed the German railway commander that the SS General had agreed to free the political prisoners.
The German railway commander was reluctant to believe them, but he finally allowed the release of the prisoners in return for the use of all remaining locomotives at the station to transport a Red Cross troop train of German officers and soldiers, retreating to Germany.
Sunday, 12:15 pm:
The SS guards were ordered to release the 1,370 Saint-Gilles prisoners from the boxcars. Belgian rail workers and Resistance members brought out the station’s first aid kits and cared for those prisoners who were sick and injured.
However, the German railway commander refused to release the 41 Allied POWs.
The boxcar of POWs was attached to the Red Cross troop train headed back to Germany. But they didn’t get far. An Allied POW named Muir described what happened:
"We remained on the train, which left Brussels at 14.00 hours (2:00 pm)... The train... then returned to Schaerbeek on the outskirts of Brussels, where it was derailed at 01:00 hours (1:00 am) on September 4. The German guards then disappeared. At 04.00 hours (4:00 am)... I left the train and walked into Brussels."
Monday, September 4, 1944:
In the early morning hours, the Allied POWs left the boxcar in small groups, under the cover of darkness. Later that day, British tanks arrived in Brussels, ending the German occupation of the city.
The heroic actions of the Belgian railway workers and Resistance members (actions taken while at gunpoint or under the stern watch of armed SS guards) saved the lives of 1,370 Belgian political prisoners and 41 Allied POWs. Some historians have suggested the name 'Miracle Train' is more appropriate. What do you think?
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Mary Dodge Allen is currently finishing her sequel to Hunt for a Hometown Killer. She's won a Christian Indie Award, an Angel Book Award, and two Royal Palm Literary Awards (Florida Writer's Association). She and her husband live in Central Florida. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Faith Hope and Love Christian Writers.
Thank you for telling of this amazing effort on behalf of the prisoners.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring story about some very brave people!
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