In the spring of 1944, three large groups were smuggled across the Kléngelbaach stream into Belgium, marking an event that took place exactly 80 years ago.
On 30 August 1942, the German occupiers ordered the forced conscription of Luxembourgish men born between 1920 and 1924, later extending this to those born up to 1927. Many of the conscripted men went into hiding to avoid military service, seeking refuge on farms and in the forests around Troisvierges in northern Luxembourg. As these hiding places became overcrowded, escape routes were sought.
To commemorate these events, the Sentier des passeurs ("Smugglers' Path") was established in 2006. Recently, our colleagues from RTL Télé participated in a visit to this historic trail.
In ideal hiking weather, about 15 participants set off from the Troisvierges train station at 10am. The tour spans approximately eight kilometres, following part of the exact route taken by the smugglers 80 years ago. This significant chapter of Luxembourg's history remained largely unspoken for many years.
Local historian Jean Stephany highlighted that while the term Ons Jongen ("Our Boys") became widely used in post-WWII Luxembourg, it overlooked the fact that some young women were also conscripted. Stephany attributed this omission to a "very political decision" by the government at the time.
Today, the memory of the smugglers remains alive, even though the last eyewitness passed away a few years ago. The first large group of refugees was smuggled across the border on the night of 19-20 April 1944.
Guide Germaine Kieffer noted that 20 April was Hitler's birthday. The office of the German customs officers in Biwisch was right next to a bar. On that evening, German soldiers and border police were likely preoccupied with celebrating the Führer's birthday, making them "perhaps not as attentive or punctual as they should have been," according to Kieffer. This lack of vigilance was why the smugglers chose that date.
For the participants, the explanations and the hike were impactful.
"I learned a lot. I was really very happy with the guide and everything I have seen so far," said one visitor.
"I thought about how they were here in the dark, in the cold, possibly with snow. They were just 17 years old and took on these hardships to help others. It gave me goosebumps," remarked another.
In Biwisch, there are also memorials dedicated to the Kremer family members who paid with their lives for the bravery of smuggler Aloyse Kremer. The Our Nature Park organises guided hikes on the Sentier des passeurs over the next three Sundays. Tickets are available on the park's website.
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish)
