| De Geuzengroep (1940-1944) Witte Brigade-Fidelio (1944) | |
|---|---|
 Insignia of the Witte Brigade-Fidelio, displaying both the group's initials, but also aV for Victory | |
| Leaders | Marcel LouetteEdward Gierek |
| Dates of operation | 1940-September 1944 |
| Active regions | Focused onAntwerp region,Belgium |
| Opponents |  German Occupying Forces |
TheWhite Brigade (Dutch:Witte Brigade,French:Brigade blanche) was aBelgian resistance group founded on 23 July 1940[1] inAntwerp byMarcel Louette,[2] who was nicknamed "Fidelio". The group was originally known as "De Geuzengroep" and changed its name again after theLiberation of Belgium toWitte Brigade-Fidelio[3] as the term "white brigade" had emerged as a generic term to describe the resistance.
The name was chosen in opposition to the "Black Brigade",[4][5] a collaborator group led by SS-UntersturmführerReimond Tollenaere, who was responsible for the propaganda of pro-GermanFlemish National League. The Witte Brigade was based inAntwerp[3] but had smaller branches inGent,Lier,Aalst,Brussels,Waasland,Wallonia and in the coastal region.
During the Second World War Belgium was occupied by Germany. While the fascist group known as the Black Brigade were collaborators with the Germans, they were opposed by the undergroundWitte Brigade.[4] Important activities of theWitte Brigade were distributing anti-German propaganda, the creation of lists of collaborators and organizing patriotic demonstrations on key Belgian holidays, such as 21 July (National Day) and 11 November (Anniversary of the German surrender in theFirst World War). The resistance group published its own propaganda newspaper calledSteeds Verenigd-Unis Toujours (lit. 'Always United') which published some 80 editions and became one of the largest underground publications in Flanders. In addition, the group was concerned with obtaining military information about thePort of Antwerp and thepossible German invasion of Britain. TheWitte Brigade also aided theComet line, helping shot-down Allied pilots to return to Britain, helping the Allies replace valuable flight crews. They protested an anti-Jewish pogrom while stressing, they are not "pro-Jewish."[6] The Brigade protected Jewish families,[4] using their network of informants and saboteurs to evade the German occupiers. TheWitte Brigade had connections with various intelligence networks, code-namedLuc,Bravery andGroup Zero. It was also the only resistance group early in the War with contact with theBelgian government in exile, along with the British.
Many members of theWitte Brigade were military veterans[5] and policemen. Members of theDeurne police were particularly represented. During Nazi Germany's repression of Belgium in 1943-1944, 700 members of the resistance were arrested. This, in addition to other losses, reduced the group's strength to where it played a minor role in the later liberation of Belgium.[7] When a prominent member was captured in possession of a list of other members, 58 members were arrested and sent to German camps. In Deurne in a raid in January 1944, 62 members were arrested and, on May 9 of that same year, the founderMarcel Louette was arrested and deported toSachsenhausen concentration camp. Louette would eventually return from Germany and died in Antwerp in 1978.[2] In total, theWitte Brigade suffered 400 losses of the 3,750 recognized members.[8]
Additionally, around 300 men fromLuxembourg (which was annexed to Germany), many of whom had refused to serve in, or who had deserted from the German Wehrmacht, left their country to fight in the Ardennes section of the Witte Brigade, where they formed the so-calledRed Lion Brigade.[9]
Jews were also active in the organization. Many of them were arrested because they were already known as Jews.[10]
Despite their heavy losses, theWitte Brigade, along with theArmée secrète, theFront de l'Indépendance, theMouvement National Royaliste andGroupe G, helped allied forces capture theport of Antwerp intact in 1944. TheWitte Brigade prevented the Germans, who had attached explosives to docks and cranes, from scuttling the facilities’ infrastructure, allowing the port to be opened once the Scheldt was cleared of sea mines. Additionally, theWitte Brigade acted as a scouting and intelligence network for the Canadian 4th, 5th and 6th brigades in September 1944. TheWitte Brigade provided reports on the Germans' strength, defences, and numbers. Additionally, resistance members pinpointed the location of German minefields.[11] The influence of theWitte Brigade was considerable. The organization had been known popularly as the "White Brigade" so, after liberation, the group changed its name, adding the word "Fidelio", the pseudonym of Louette.
| Resistance groups |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Underground press | ||
| Escape lines | ||
| Intelligence networks | ||
1 Formerly: the Belgian Legion, Reconstructed Belgian Army, and Army of Belgium | ||