Todeszug

Aretz, Hubertina (actually Anna H.) (Horbach, August 22, 1893 - Berlaar, February 14, 1973). She was born in Aachen into a family of Dutch-Limburg descent. After completing her secondary education in Germany, Aretz obtained her nursing diploma in the Netherlands. Anna Maria Hubertina Aretz was arrested on February 5, 1943, and taken to the prison in Anvers. She was detained by the Gestapo and registered at the Ravensbrück concentration camp on June 19, 1944 (prisoner number 42616). On August 7, 1944, she was politically transferred to Beendorf-Bartensleben (a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp) (prisoner number 6149) and was liberated by the Swedish Red Cross. She arrived in Sweden on May 3, 1945, with the destination being the Malmö tennis stadium.

Could one be German during World War II and still help Jewish Antwerp residents? And then allow oneself to be co-opted by Christian-Flemish nationalism and advocate for an amnesty? "I was affected by the great suffering of the Jews. They were worth less than a dog. Only good for the gas chamber. I completely sacrificed myself for them. My activities have nothing to do with any 'whatever' homeland. My only thought was: to save and help people." "With my deepest feelings for fairness, my disgust for injustice, and my never-ending love for the oppressed, I could not help but empathize with all those who had honestly suffered and fought for Flanders."

She came into conflict with the Nazi government and was sentenced to death in absentia in 1935 for supporting German Catholics and Jews. Through marriage, she acquired Belgian citizenship. In 1966, she co-founded the Association of Flemish National Resistance and Political Prisoners.