Petronella Antonetta Martens

This memorial page is dedicated to Petronella Antonetta Martens, one of more than 725 war victims connected to the municipality of Deurne documented by Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers. The municipality of Deurne and the surrounding villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Helenaveen, Neerkant and Zeilberg were liberated in the autumn of 1944 during heavy fighting. Victims fell on all sides: Allied soldiers from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, and German soldiers.

But the archive covers more than just the combat victims on Deurne soil. Residents of Deurne who lost their lives elsewhere are also commemorated: civilians who were murdered in concentration camps, forced labourers who died in Germany, people who were executed or succumbed to the effects of persecution and oppression. In addition, residents of Deurne who entered German military service and were killed elsewhere are also included.

Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers has been documenting the story of all these people since 1995, without distinction of nationality, side or background. The goal is to give every person a name and a face, and to keep their memory alive.

Additional information

Daughter of Peter Martens and Francina van Helmond.

Petronella Antonetta Martens and Francina van Helmond died as a result of an unknown projectile exploding on Maasbreesestraat in Blerick.

According to a police report drawn up by the chief constable of the Venlo police force, the projectile struck at approximately 8.05 pm; at that time, no aircraft were visible in the sky and no air-raid siren sounded (until a few minutes after the impact). According to eyewitnesses, the projectile approached Maasbreesestraat on a level trajectory, making a loud rattling sound and trailing a ‘fiery’ tail; furthermore, thin-walled metal fragments and pieces of wood were found by German soldiers and local residents. Based on these witness statements and the ‘silent witnesses’ found at the scene, it was soon suspected to be an experimental German V-1 (a flying bomb, which also incorporated wood). However, the Germans did not yet have any operational V-1s at that time, and given that the V-1 project was top secret, experts consider a test of such a weapon over occupied enemy territory with Allied air traffic to be virtually impossible. Given that Allied bombing raids on Germany were also being carried out that same evening, the unidentified projectile could also have come from an Allied aircraft which, in accordance with regulations, was required to fly at high speed in a low trajectory in clear weather whilst leaving its targets. It cannot be ruled out that one of the aircraft was attacked or hit on its return journey and was forced to jettison an undropped bomb. This would explain the low, level trajectory of the projectile, whilst the flaming tail could be attributed to the burning parachute, which was often attached to bombs inside a wooden cylinder. Further investigation by experts should therefore determine which explanation is correct. What is certain, however, is that when the bomb struck, house numbers 112–120 on Maasbreesestraat were (largely) destroyed, and where, in addition to Petronella Antonetta Martens and Francina van Helmond, a further 15 fatalities were mourned (see joint memorial card below),

In Memoriam

Memorial card

Joint memorial card (Evert de Bruijn – aged 23 – was Protestant; his name therefore does not appear on this card)

Maasbreesestraat after the blast

Death register

View all persons in the category: Residents of Deurne who died outside Deurne