Residence of resistance North Drenthe - Assen

It is 10 December 1944 when in the parental home of brother and sister Jan and Marie Bulthuis, 12 members of Knokploeg Noord-Drenthe meet once more to discuss their plans for the next day. They have been forging plans for some time to free their comrades from the knokploeg, who were detained in the House of Detention and on the occupier's execution list. The 12 also call themselves the Gideon Gang, after the biblical Gideon, who with a small but determined group of fighters defeated a much larger enemy by acting strategically and courageously.

The contacts in London consider the proposed plans too dangerous and forbid the members from carrying them out. But they could never forgive themselves if they did not even try to free their comrades, so the plans go ahead. The KPs have a contact in the prison: guard Hendrik Geerts. He manages to tell the group that every morning there is a moment of about 14 minutes when the Dutch guards have just changed shift and no German guards are present yet. He also offers the possibility of having the key to the prison counterfeited. Still not entirely convinced of Geerts' good intentions, Marie Bulthuis goes on the lookout several mornings to check the story and it is true.

By now it is 11 December quarter past seven in the morning, hurry, the executions are scheduled for the next day. Marie is again on the lookout. When the German guards have left, Marie (resistance name Greet) collects the KP men who have been waiting at her house all this time. The men wait for the new Dutch guard to enter and jump in after him. Armed with hand grenades and Colt ‘45s, they enter the prison looking for the 31 prisoners on the execution list, with the aim of freeing them. When it remains quiet for five minutes Marie cycles to the church on Zuidersingel, here 2 cars are waiting with KP men in German uniforms. On Marie's signal, the cars drive to the prison to collect the prisoners who have come out. While doing so, they shout German slogans so as not to be noticed.

The raid was successful and all 31 released prisoners were accommodated at hiding addresses. The following days remained quiet in Assen. But in surrounding villages in Drenthe, the Sicherheitsdienst and the Norg Blood Group struck hard with unrelenting raids. In a short time, the House of Detention was once again filled with 71 resistance fighters who had been arrested in the process. A few, especially the women, were released after a few months. The men were taken to Neuegamme concentration camp on 16 January 1945. None of them survived the war.

The brave KP men who committed the raid console themselves with the thought that the arrested resistance fighters would also have been arrested if they had not committed the raid. After all, their names were already known. There were then no reprisals to the extent that no random outsiders were picked off the street and arrested. As Jan Bulthuis (resistance name Henk) said years later, ‘He who wins is right, and that night we won.’ The key to the House of Detention remained in the possession of resistance fighter Jo Bastiaansen (resistance name Freek) and his family for many years. Since autumn 2023, the key has been on display at the Drents Museum. (Nearby here at Brink 1).