Overview: On April 19, 1943, three young Belgian resistance members stopped the Twentieth Convoy, a train transport carrying Jewish deportees from the Dossin Barracks to Auschwitz, allowing hundreds to escape.
A Daring Rescue Mission
The attack on the Twentieth Convoy is one of the most remarkable acts of resistance during World War II. On the night of April 19, 1943, the transport train left the Dossin Barracks transit camp in Mechelen carrying 1,631 Jewish men, women, and children bound for the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.
Three young members of the Belgian resistance—Youra Livschitz, Jean Franklemon, and Robert Maistriau—armed with only a single pistol, a red lantern, and wire cutters, intercepted the train near Boortmeerbeek. By placing a red lantern on the tracks, they forced the train driver to halt, believing there was danger ahead. Under cover of darkness, Maistriau opened the door of one of the cattle cars, allowing the first group of prisoners to escape, while Livschitz fired at the German guards.
Escape and Survival
Although the German guards quickly opened fire on the escaping prisoners, the confusion allowed a total of 233 people to jump from the train. Some were killed or recaptured, but 118 successfully evaded capture and survived the war. This event stands out as the only recorded instance in occupied Europe where a transport train bound for Auschwitz was stopped by force to rescue deportees, symbolizing the courage of the Belgian resistance and the desperate fight for survival.