Anton Winterink
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Anton Winterink (5 November 1914 in
Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
, 5 July 1944 in
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
) was a Dutch Communist. and a member of the
Communist Party of the Netherlands The Communist Party of the Netherlands (, , CPN) was a communist party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1909 as the Social Democratic Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and merged with the Pacifist Socialist Party, the ...
. Winterink was a core member of an anti-Nazi Soviet espionage group in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
that came to be known as the Red Orchestra by the Abwehr. He worked as a radio operator for the Soviet espionage group's that was associated with the Soviet GRU officer, Konstantin Jeffremov, in 1940. Winterink used the alias Tino to disguise his identity. In late 1940, Winterink established an espionage organisation based in Amsterdam, that became known as ''Group Hilda'' that operated until early 1943. Winterink was arrested on 18 August 1942 by the
Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle was a German special commission that was created by German High Command in November 1942, in response to the capture of two leading members of a Soviet espionage group that operated in Europe, that was called the Red ...
in Amsterdam. After being interrogated and involved in an attempt at ''
Funkspiel ''Funkspiel'' () was a German term most used referring to counter-intelligence operations in France against the Special Operations Executive during World War II. SOE was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and recon ...
'', he was shot four months later at the ''
Tir national The National Shooting Range (; ) was a firing range and military training complex of situated in the municipality of Schaerbeek in Brussels, Belgium. Opened in 1889, it was intended as a place where the '' Garde Civique'' and the army could co ...
'' military firing-range in Brussels.


Life

Around 1938, Winterink met the artist Riek de Raat, at the home of De Raat's friend, Rita Storck. Two years later, in 1940, the couple became life partner's. After the
General strike A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
of 1941, Riek de Raat and Winterink moved in together, hiding at their house at 8 Oude Looierstraat.


Career

In 1933, Winterink was one of three officials that ran the Netherlands branch of the
International Red Aid International Red Aid (also commonly known by its Russian acronym MOPR) was an international social-service organization. MOPR was founded in 1922 by the Communist International to function as an "international political Red Cross", providing ma ...
, a social organisation that helped displaced communists with food and accommodation. At the time, Winterink and many others members of the CPN were involved in raising aid money to buy food and clothing for communist refugees from Germany. In the 1930s, Winterink was an important functionary of
Rote Hilfe The Rote Hilfe ("Red Aid") was the German affiliate of the International Red Aid. The Rote Hilfe was affiliated with the Communist Party of Germany and existed between 1924 and 1936. Its purpose was to provide help to those Communists who had bee ...
in the Netherlands. In late 1936 or early 1937 (sources vary), Soviet
GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...
agent Johann Wenzel moved to the Netherlands, where he made contact with
Daniël Goulooze Daniël "Daan" Goulooze (28 April 1901 – 10 September 1965) was a Dutch Jewish construction worker who was a committed communist and resistance fighter. In 1925, he became a member of the Communist Party of the Netherlands (CPN) and by 1930 h ...
and they discussed plans for the construction of a radio network in the Netherlands. Goulooze was director of the
Communist Party of the Netherlands The Communist Party of the Netherlands (, , CPN) was a communist party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1909 as the Social Democratic Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and merged with the Pacifist Socialist Party, the ...
(CPN) and who acted as the main liaison officer between the CPN and the
Communist International The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internationa ...
(Comintern) in Moscow. In late 1938, Wenzel again visited Goulooze to recruit potential candidates for work in Belgium. Goulooze recommended Winterink, who was taken to Brussels where he was trained by Wenzel in Soviet
wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is the transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimenta ...
procedures and ciphers. Winterink was recruited to work in the Jeffremov group in Belgium and worked for the group for most of 1940. During that period Winterink made frequent trips back to the Netherlands where he established another espionage group. In later 1940, he was ordered to return the Netherlands and take charge of the network that operated under the name of ''Group Hilda''. The most important members of the group were
Maurice Peper Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...
who was the main courier between Winterink in Amsterdam and Jeffremov in Brussels, Adam Nagel and Wilhelm Voegeler who were radio operators along with Jakob Hillbolling, an agent who organised safehouse and accommodation and Hendrika Smith, the liaison to the
Communist Party of the Netherlands The Communist Party of the Netherlands (, , CPN) was a communist party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1909 as the Social Democratic Party (Netherlands), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and merged with the Pacifist Socialist Party, the ...
. During the whole period of its existence, ''Group Hilda'' was controlled by Jeffremov in Brussels. From late 1940 to mid-1942, ''Group Hilda'' supported a two-way radio link with Moscow via the Soviet embassy in London with the help three radios.


Arrest

On 18 or 19 August 1942 (sources vary), Winterink was arrested by the Gestapo from the
Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle Sonderkommando Rote Kapelle was a German special commission that was created by German High Command in November 1942, in response to the capture of two leading members of a Soviet espionage group that operated in Europe, that was called the Red ...
, at a cafe in Amsterdam. Nine members of the group with two remaining radio transmitters were never discovered and continued to work. A total of 17 people from Winterink's group were arrested. Winterink was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp (Kriegs Wehrmacht prison) in Brussels, before being sent to
Fort Breendonk Fort Breendonk (, ) is a former military installation at Breendonk, near Mechelen, Belgium, which served as a Nazi prison camp (''Auffanglager'') during the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Originally constructed between 1906 ...
. He was interrogated and tortured for two weeks by the Sonderkommando in Brussels, after which he agreed to work for the Abwehr. Winterink took part in a
Funkspiel ''Funkspiel'' () was a German term most used referring to counter-intelligence operations in France against the Special Operations Executive during World War II. SOE was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and recon ...
operation. His radio station, that was known as ''Beam Tanne'', began transmitting in September 1943. In March 1944, Winterink's Funkspiel operation was abandoned. The German funkspiel operation was largely a failure. Four months later on the 5 July 1944, Winterink was shot at the ''
Tir national The National Shooting Range (; ) was a firing range and military training complex of situated in the municipality of Schaerbeek in Brussels, Belgium. Opened in 1889, it was intended as a place where the '' Garde Civique'' and the army could co ...
'' firing-range in Brussels. where he was buried anonymously. The grave site is single grave 312 in row II.


Bibliography

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References


Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winterink, Anton 1914 births 1944 deaths People from Arnhem Executed Red Orchestra members Dutch people executed by Nazi Germany People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad Dutch communists Communists executed by Nazi Germany