"Mother, What Did the Gestapo Do?" – A Detailed Report on the Crimes of the Gestapo in Belgian Cities. Belgium ...

"Mother, What Did the Gestapo Do?" – A Detailed Report on the Crimes of the Gestapo in Belgian Cities. Belgium, 1945 – First Edition

Moder, Wat Deed de Gestap?... "Mother, What Did the Gestapo Do?" – A Rare and Early Report Providing a Detailed Account of Gestapo Crimes in No Fewer Than 160 Locations and Cities Across Belgium, Based on Eyewitness Testimonies and Official Sources (Such as Municipal Authorities) from Those Areas. By Alfons Ryserhove, published by Gaston Scherrens, Belgium, 1945. First Edition. Dutch.

An important publication documenting the Gestapo's takeover of Belgian cities – capture, arrest, and torture during the German occupation – harrowing transcripts of Gestapo interrogations with regime opponents, records of home invasions in Belgian cities during the occupation, in which brutal nighttime arrests were carried out – testimonies listing the names of dozens of resistance fighters who were arrested, the shocking way they were captured and separated from their families, the torture they endured, and the camps to which they were deported. The report provides a detailed account of Gestapo raids conducted in dozens of Belgian cities, organized by date and location, specifying the names of the families targeted, who was arrested, how many were taken, and what happened to them. This is the earliest and most detailed known documentation of Gestapo crimes in Belgium. The title of the book, "Mother, What Did the Gestapo Do?", originates from the event described at the beginning, where a mother waits for her son after the war, and after losing hope, he finally returns from the horrors of war, trying to understand what the Gestapo did in Belgian cities during the occupation. Accompanied by photographs from Breendonk Camp, arrested resistance fighters, and more.

"This book simply seeks to be a compassionate monument to the suffering of the years of occupation, a respectful tribute to the resistance of all righteous Belgians, a silent homage to all our fallen, and an indictment against the demonic Nazi regime... May it inspire every reader to detest even more the most despicable dictatorship of all time, to be people of goodwill in action, and to love their oppressed homeland even more. Long live Belgium!" (From the introduction).

During the Nazi occupation of Belgium (May 1940 – September 1944), the Gestapo operated relentlessly to suppress all resistance and implement Nazi policies against various populations, primarily Jews and members of resistance movements. The Gestapo mercilessly pursued Belgian underground fighters who resisted the occupation. Thousands of activists were arrested, tortured, and deported to concentration and extermination camps. They collaborated with Belgian informants, including local fascist movements such as Rexism, to betray resistance fighters. Prisons like Saint-Gilles in Brussels became centers for interrogation and torture. Before the war, approximately 66,000 Jews lived in Belgium. In coordination with the Belgian police, mass arrests were conducted, leading to the deportation of approximately 25,000 Jews, primarily to Auschwitz. The main transit camp was Mechelen (Kazerne Dossin), from which death trains departed. The Gestapo operated an extensive intelligence network, relying on informants and local spies. Suspected resistance members were brutally tortured using methods such as whipping, suffocation, and prolonged standing to extract information about underground networks or hidden Jews. On the night of September 3, 1942, the Gestapo raided Jewish neighborhoods in Antwerp, arresting hundreds of men, women, and children and deporting them to extermination camps. In addition, private massacres were conducted—public executions of resistance members and Jews in rural areas. Village destruction – Similar to policies in other occupied territories, the Gestapo carried out collective punishment, such as burning villages that had aided resistance fighters. 

With the liberation of Belgium in September 1944, many Gestapo officers fled to Germany, but some were captured and brought to justice. Certain Belgian collaborators were executed, while others received lengthy prison sentences.

Extremely rare. Not listed in the WorldCat global library catalog.

255 pages. Stains and wear on the cover. Spine reinforced with adhesive tape. Good condition.