Een spion over de grens: Johann van Houdt en de Limburgse inlichtingennetwerken tegen nazi-Duitsland

Samenvatting

The border province of Limburg was directly affected by the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. On the one hand, it faced growing Nazi aggression across its territory; on the other hand, it provided a refuge for German exiles resisting the regime. For foreign intelligence services, Limburg once again—after the First World War—became a crucial observation post. As Nazi Germany’s expansionist ambitions became increasingly apparent, intelligence networks recruited local residents to gather information across the border. But who exactly was recruited? To what extent was the Gestapo aware of these espionage activities and the support of anti-fascist German exiles? Although the Wehrmacht only occupied Limburg on 10 May 1940, the province had already been drawn into the shadow of war years earlier. This article examines these questions through the biography of Johann van Houdt, a businessman from Sittard. It further considers whether his contributions were formally acknowledged, financially or otherwise, in the postwar period.