Witte-Brigade Fidelio was founded in Antwerp by Marcel Louette, a veteran of both 1914-18 and 1940. Louette’s group was particularly active during the occupation, involving itself in both passive and active resistance. Witte Brigade-Fidelio disseminated anti-German propaganda, hid Jews, and other vulnerable people, maintained a list of collaborators, gathered intelligence about German Flak defenses and troop movements, and conducted several high-profile acts of sabotage and vandalism. It was the only major resistance movement headquartered in Flanders and it was particularly active in the Flemish region, though it also had a limited presence in Wallonia.
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| Witte Brigade-Fidelio members |
In May 1944, the Gestapo arrested most of the Antwerp
membership, including Louette, and Witte Brigade-Fidelio was decapitated. Once
among the most significant resistance groups in Antwerp, Witte Brigade-Fidelio
could muster just twenty men to participate in the battle for the liberation of
the city, all of whom were placed under the command of local FI/OF and PA
leader Edouard Pilaet. Though the national organization was crippled, and the
Witte Brigade had been largely rooted out of Antwerp, some local chapters
continued to thrive.
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