(Aalten, 1910)

Member of the 1st Company DNB

Great deeds as a secret agent

Gerrit Hendrik (Gerrit) Klein Entink was a key figure in the resistance during the Second World War. Born on 26 May 1910 in Aalten, he ran a grocery shop on Hogestraat. When he refused to assist the German occupier with the census of the labour force, he joined the resistance. His shop was closed, and he went into hiding; from then on, he was always on the move, invariably recognisable by his beret and black plimsolls.

Together with Herman Lichtenberg, Gerrit founded a military resistance group in Barlo and Lintelo, which was later expanded to IJzerlo. As a secret agent under the alias ‘Willie’, he maintained contacts between various resistance fighters and provided weapons instruction. Additionally, he played a crucial role within the Albrecht espionage group. He gathered valuable intelligence on German troop movements and sabotage routes, which he quickly passed on to the Military Authority and the Allies. He was also closely involved in the dangerous weapon drops in Aalten; he would guard the site with a drawn Luger, ready to intervene immediately if danger arose.

In the final months of the war, he worked day and night alongside espionage leader ‘Ko’. In March 1945, he even ventured across the border into Germany using false papers. Immediately after the liberation of the Achterhoek, Gerrit joined the Dutch National Battalion as a sergeant and assisted in the further liberation of the Netherlands.

After the war, he remained silent about his heroic deeds, refused decorations, and ignored reunions. It was only in 1984, at his wife’s insistence, that he attended a DNB meeting just once. Gerrit Klein Entink passed away on 18 January 1994. His resistance work remains an invaluable contribution to the freedom of the Netherlands.

Gerrit Klein Entink