A statue to honour three Belgian resistance fighters
The Brussels parliament has decided to erect a statue in tribute to three Belgian resistance fighters from the Second World War, aged between 22 and 25 at the time: Robert Maistreau, Youra Livchitz and Jean Franklemon, who succeeded in stopping a train bound from the Dossin barracks in Mechelen to Auschwitz on 19 April 1943. On board were 1,631 Jewish men, women and children who were destined for the dreadful fate we are all aware of.
After managing to stop the convoy, the three men opened the doors of one of the carriages, freeing 17 prisoners. Other deportees managed to escape, taking advantage of the slow speed of the train when it started up again. A total of 233 people got off the train; 89 were recaptured and 26 killed, but 118 of the escapees managed to stay free and escape their planned death.
The three heroes had very different fates after this event. Youra was sentenced to death by the Nazis and shot at the Tir National (National Shooting Range). Robert did not give up the Resistance; however, he was arrested and sent to a concentration camp, but survived, and later left for the Congo as a planter. He passed away in 2008. Jean, a Communist, moved to East Germany after the war and became a musician in an orchestra; he died in 1977.
This monument, whose location has not yet been determined, is also a tribute to the 20,000 Belgians who sacrificed their lives out of love for their country and freedom. This figure corresponds to the estimate of Professor Henri Bernard in his book "La Résistance 1940-1945".