#Monument
Monument for the Twentol tragedy
In Deventer, at Twentolplein, stands a memorial wall commemorating the resistance fighters who died in the Twentol Tragedy. It marks the place where they were executed in 1945.
During the Twentol Tragedy on April 10, 1945, which took place at the Twentol factory, five young members of the resistance were captured. An unidentified German officer then ordered their execution in a nearby playground on Snipperlingsdijk. Eyewitnesses reported that the German soldier Ernest Gräwe refused to carry out the execution order. He was immediately executed on the spot by his commanding officer.
After that, the five young men were executed one by one by another soldier from the firing squad. Immediately after the shootings, the German troops fled the scene in advance of the approaching Canadian forces. Resistance fighter Harry Engels was severely wounded and brought to the hospital, but died upon arrival.
In the days that followed, the bodies were laid out in the Lebuïnus Church. On Saturday, April 14, 1945, the city of Deventer escorted the fallen to their final resting place. A procession of thousands accompanied the coffins to the cemetery, paying final tribute to the young men.
In 1948, the memorial was unveiled at the site of the execution. The inscription recounts the tragedy and lists the names of the fallen resistance fighters, as well as the name of Ernest Gräwe.