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{{Infobox military person
{{Infobox military person
| name         = Antonie Ronald Paap
| name = Antonie Ronald Paap
| image        =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1921|2|3|df=yes}}
| caption      =
| birth_place = [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1921|2|3|df=yes}}
| death_date = 28 November 2025 (aged 104)
| birth_place   = [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
| death_place = [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
| death_date   = 28 November 2025 (aged 104)
| allegiance = [[Germany (Nazi Germany)|Germany]]
| death_place   = [[Rotterdam]], [[Netherlands]]
| branch = [[Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany)|Luftwaffe]]
| allegiance   = [[Germany (Nazi Germany)|Germany]]
| serviceyears = 1939–1945
| branch       = [[Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany)|Luftwaffe]]
| rank = Obergefreiter
| serviceyears = 1939–1945
| unit = [[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]]
| rank         = Obergefreiter
| battles = {{hlist|[[Battle of Rotterdam]]|[[Battle of Crete]]|[[Battle of Monte Cassino]]}}
| unit         = [[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]]
| relations = {{hlist|[[Bartholomäus Paap]] (brother)|[[Arend Paap]] (brother)|[[Jan Paap]] (cousin)|[[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]] (cousin)}}
| battles       = * [[Battle of Rotterdam]]
* [[Battle of Crete]]
* [[Battle of Monte Cassino]]
| relations     = [[Bartholomäus Paap]] (brother)<br>[[Arend Paap]] (brother)<br>[[Jan Paap]] (cousin)<br>[[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]] (cousin)
}}
}}


'''Antonie Ronald Paap''' (3 February 1921 – 28 November 2025), was a Dutch-born German soldier and member of the [[Paap family]]. He served as a [[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]] during the [[Second World War]]. In 1943 he was assaulted by his cousin [[Jan Paap]] during the recapture of an airfield on the Eastern Front. In later life he lived in a homeless camp on the outskirts of [[Rotterdam]].
'''Antonie Ronald Paap''' (3 February 1921 – 28 November 2025) was a Dutch-born German soldier and member of the [[Paap family]]. He served as a [[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]] during the [[Second World War]]. In 1943, his cousin [[Jan Paap]] assaulted him during the recapture of an airfield on the Eastern Front. Paap later lived in a homeless camp on the outskirts of [[Rotterdam]] before a petition led to his transfer into supervised care in 2023.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
Paap was born in [[Rotterdam]] on 3 February 1921. During childhood he moved with his parents to [[Zyfflich]], a village in the German municipality of [[Kranenburg]] near the Dutch border. His brothers were [[Bartholomäus Paap]] and [[Arend Paap]].


He attended a local primary school in Zyfflich before continuing his education at a secondary school in nearby [[Kleve]]. During his teenage years he joined German youth training programs connected to physical education and military preparation.
Paap was born in Rotterdam on 3 February 1921. During his childhood, he moved with his parents to [[Zyfflich]], a village in the German municipality of [[Kranenburg]] near the Dutch border. He attended primary school in Zyfflich before continuing his education at a secondary school in nearby [[Kleve]]. As a teenager, he joined German youth training programmes that provided physical education and preparation for military service.


In 1938 Paap entered military training in [[Cologne]], where he received infantry instruction before later transferring into airborne training under the [[Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany)|Luftwaffe]]. He completed parachute and combat training at a Fallschirmjäger training school in Germany shortly before the outbreak of the [[Second World War]].
In 1938, Paap entered military training in [[Cologne]]. He initially received infantry instruction before transferring to airborne training under the [[Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany)|Luftwaffe]]. He completed parachute and combat training at a Fallschirmjäger training school shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.


== Military service ==
== Military service ==
Paap entered German military service in September 1939 shortly after the outbreak of the [[Second World War]]. Following infantry instruction and parachute qualification training, he was assigned to a [[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]] formation under the [[Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany)|Luftwaffe]].


During May 1940 he participated in the German invasion of the Netherlands. His unit operated near Rotterdam and surrounding airfields during the opening days of the campaign. Paap took part in urban fighting and close-range combat during German attempts to secure transport routes and defensive positions around the city.
Paap entered German military service in September 1939. After completing his infantry and parachute qualifications, he was assigned to a Fallschirmjäger formation under the Luftwaffe. In May 1940, he participated in the German invasion of the Netherlands. His unit operated near Rotterdam and the airfields outside the city. Paap fought in urban areas while German forces attempted to secure transport routes and defended positions.


In April 1941 his unit was transferred south in preparation for operations in the Balkans. In May 1941 Paap fought during the [[Battle of Crete]], where German airborne forces carried out large-scale parachute landings around Maleme and nearby airfields. During the fighting he was involved in assaults on defended positions and later served in ground combat after heavy German casualties reduced airborne operations on the island.
In April 1941, his unit was transferred south in preparation for operations in the Balkans. The following month, Paap fought in the [[Battle of Crete]]. German airborne forces carried out parachute landings around Maleme and its airfield. Paap participated in attacks on defended positions and continued fighting on the ground after German casualties reduced the use of airborne operations on the island.


Following Crete, Paap remained attached to Fallschirmjäger ground formations rather than further parachute deployments. Between late 1941 and 1942 he served in occupied territories and later on the Eastern Front, where German airborne troops were increasingly used as elite infantry units.
After Crete, Paap remained attached to Fallschirmjäger ground formations rather than participating in further parachute deployments. Between late 1941 and 1942, he served in occupied territories before being sent to the Eastern Front. German airborne formations were increasingly being used there as elite infantry.


By early 1943 Paap was stationed on the Eastern Front during operations connected to the recapture of a damaged airfield. During the fighting he encountered his cousin [[Jan Paap]], who was serving in the [[Wehrmacht (Nazi Germany)|Wehrmacht]]. An argument between the two escalated into a physical confrontation in which Jan knocked out several of Antonie's teeth before officers separated them. Both men were reassigned afterward.
By early 1943, Paap was participating in the recapture of a damaged airfield on the Eastern Front. During the fighting, he encountered his cousin Jan Paap, who was serving in the [[Wehrmacht (Nazi Germany)|Wehrmacht]]. An argument developed into a physical fight. Jan knocked out several of Antonie's teeth before officers separated the two men, after which both were reassigned.<ref name="jan-military"/>


In early 1944 Paap was transferred to Italy as German forces attempted to slow the Allied advance northward. Between January and May 1944 he fought during the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]], where Fallschirmjäger units defended fortified positions around the monastery and surrounding hills. Paap served in defensive trench systems and close-range engagements against Allied infantry attacks and artillery bombardments.
Paap was transferred to Italy in early 1944 as German forces attempted to delay the Allied advance northward. Between January and May, he fought in the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]]. Fallschirmjäger units defended fortified positions around the monastery and the nearby hills. Paap served in defensive trench systems and fought against Allied infantry attacks under artillery bombardment.


He remained in military service until the collapse of German forces in 1945. After Germany surrendered, Paap was captured by Allied forces in northern Italy and transferred through several prisoner-of-war camps before being released in 1947. Dutch authorities later questioned him about his wartime service in the Luftwaffe and his participation in German military operations during the occupation of the Netherlands. He was prosecuted in a regional court for collaboration with German forces and temporarily barred from holding public employment after the war. Following the proceedings, he returned to civilian life near the Dutch-German border.
Paap remained in military service until the collapse of German forces in 1945. Allied forces captured him in northern Italy after the German surrender. He was transferred between prisoner-of-war camps and released in 1947. Dutch authorities subsequently questioned him about his Luftwaffe service and his participation in German military operations during the occupation of the Netherlands. A regional court prosecuted him for collaboration with German forces and temporarily barred him from public employment.


== Middenvader Era ==
== Post-war life ==
After 1945 Paap returned to civilian life in Zyfflich, where he lived for several years after the war. During the [[Middenvader Era]], he later moved back to the Netherlands and settled in Rotterdam.


Paap had no stable post-war position. He worked irregularly and depended on relatives for housing during parts of this period. His wartime injury from the 1943 fight with Jan Paap remained part of the family record.
After his release and prosecution, Paap returned to Zyfflich and lived there for several years. He moved back to the Netherlands during the [[Middenvader Era]] and settled in Rotterdam. Paap did not obtain stable employment after the war. He worked irregularly and sometimes depended on relatives for accommodation. The dental injuries caused by his 1943 fight with Jan Paap remained recorded within the family.


By the 1970s Paap had become involved in the Dutch rock concert scene in Rotterdam, Amsterdam and The Hague. He spent much of his time attending concerts and festivals, where he developed a long-term addiction to drugs. To support himself, he began dealing small quantities of narcotics at concerts and informal gatherings.
By the 1970s, Paap regularly attended rock concerts and festivals in Rotterdam. He also travelled to events in Amsterdam and The Hague. During this period, he developed a long-term drug addiction. He began selling small quantities of narcotics at concerts and informal gatherings to support himself.


Paap remained connected to the underground music and drug scene for decades. His income was unstable and he never built up a pension or long-term savings. During the 1990s and 2000s he lived in a small caravan house at [[Camping De Maasvlakte]], a low-cost camping area near Rotterdam where long-term residents often struggled financially.
Paap remained part of the underground music and drug scene for decades. His income remained unstable, and he did not accumulate a pension or long-term savings. During the 1990s and 2000s, he lived in a small caravan house at [[Camping De Maasvlakte]]. The low-cost camping area near Rotterdam housed long-term residents who often had financial difficulties. Rising fees and declining health eventually made it difficult for Paap to continue living independently. By the early 2010s, he was largely isolated and depended on temporary assistance from acquaintances.


Although he managed to remain there for several years, rising costs and declining health made it increasingly difficult for him to continue living independently. By the early 2010s he was largely isolated and dependent on temporary support from acquaintances.
== Homeless camp ==


== Later life ==
In 2015, Paap left Camping De Maasvlakte because he could no longer afford the site fees. His age also prevented him from continuing to sell drugs. Without a pension or stable income, he moved into a homeless camp on the outskirts of Rotterdam.
In 2015 Paap left Camping De Maasvlakte after he became too old to continue dealing drugs and could no longer afford the site fees. Without a pension or stable income, he eventually ended up in a homeless camp on the outskirts of [[Rotterdam]].


At the camp he lived alongside [[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]], who had already been staying there since 2017. The camp was run by [[Angelo Paap]], the son of Martin Paap.
Paap lived at the camp with his cousin [[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]], who had been staying there since 2017. The camp was run by Martin's son, [[Angelo Paap]]. [[Maltin Paap]] also later stayed at the site.<ref name="maltin-camp"/>


In later years [[Maltin Paap]] also stayed at the site. Angelo controlled the camp and restricted the movement of people living there. Antonie Paap, Martin Paap and Maltin Paap received little food and were kept inside the camp for long periods. People connected to the site called Angelo a concentration camp general because of the way he controlled the residents.
Angelo restricted the movement of the camp's residents. Antonie Paap, Martin Paap and Maltin Paap received little food and were kept inside the camp for long periods. People familiar with the site called Angelo a concentration camp general because of his control over the residents.


== Petition and death ==
== Petition and death ==
In 2023 [[Walter Noord]] started a petition to move Antonie Paap, [[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]] and [[Maltin Paap]] into a proper care home. The petition was aimed at ending their confinement in the camp and placing them under formal care.


The petition succeeded in August 2023, and Antonie Paap, Martin Paap, were transferred into a supervised care home in the Rotterdam area while Maltin Paap was sent to a rehab center. Following public attention surrounding the camp, [[Angelo Paap]] became the subject of investigations into corruption, abuse and unethical treatment of vulnerable residents connected to the site.
In 2023, [[Walter Noord]] started a petition seeking the removal of Antonie Paap, Martin Paap and Maltin Paap from the camp. The petition called for their confinement to end and for the three men to be placed under formal care.


[[Walter Noord]] personally contributed to the long-term care expenses of Antonie Paap and [[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]] for the remainder of their lives. Other [[Paap family]] members credited Noord with helping the two secure  stable living conditions after their removal from the camp.
The petition succeeded in August 2023. Antonie Paap and Martin Paap were transferred to a supervised care home in the Rotterdam area. Maltin Paap was sent to a rehabilitation centre.<ref name="maltin-petition"/> Following public attention concerning conditions at the camp, Angelo Paap became the subject of investigations into alleged corruption and abuse. The investigations also examined the treatment of vulnerable residents.


Antonie Paap died in [[Rotterdam]] on 28 November 2025. He was 104 years old.
Walter Noord personally contributed to the long-term care expenses of Antonie and Martin for the remainder of their lives. Members of the Paap family credited Noord with helping them obtain stable accommodation after their removal from the camp.
 
Antonie Paap died in Rotterdam on 28 November 2025, at the age of 104.


== Family ==
== Family ==
Paap was a brother of [[Bartholomäus Paap]] and [[Arend Paap]]. His cousin was [[Jan Paap]], who assaulted him in 1943 during the recapture of an Eastern Front airfield.


He was also a cousin of [[Martin Paap (father)|Martin Paap]]. In later life he lived with Martin and [[Maltin Paap]] in the Rotterdam homeless camp run by [[Angelo Paap]].
Paap was the brother of [[Bartholomäus Paap]] and [[Arend Paap]]. His cousins included Jan Paap and Martin Paap. Jan assaulted him during their 1943 confrontation on the Eastern Front. In later life, Antonie lived with Martin and Maltin Paap in the homeless camp controlled by Angelo Paap.


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Paap family]]
* [[Paap family]]
* [[Paap family members]]
* [[Paap family members]]
Line 88: Line 79:
* [[Middenvader Era]]
* [[Middenvader Era]]
* [[Vriend Era]]
* [[Vriend Era]]
== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="jan-military">"[[Jan Paap#Military service and departure from Europe|Military service and departure from Europe]]". ''Jan Paap''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="maltin-camp">"[[Maltin Paap#Homeless camp|Homeless camp]]". ''Maltin Paap''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="maltin-petition">"[[Maltin Paap#Petition and rehabilitation|Petition and rehabilitation]]". ''Maltin Paap''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
}}
[[Category:People]]


[[Category:Paap family]]
[[Category:Paap family]]
[[Category:Vriend Era]]
 
[[Category:Paap family members]]
 
[[Category:1921 births]]
 
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
 
[[Category:Vader Era]]
[[Category:Vader Era]]
[[Category:Middenvader Era]]
[[Category:Middenvader Era]]
[[Category:1921 births]]
 
[[Category:2025 deaths]]
[[Category:Vriend Era]]
[[Category:People]]
[[Category:Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
[[Category:Paap family members]]

Latest revision as of 10:06, 4 July 2026

Antonie Ronald Paap
Born(1921-02-03)3 February 1921
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died28 November 2025 (aged 104)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
AllegianceGermany
BranchLuftwaffe
Service years1939–1945
RankObergefreiter
UnitFallschirmjäger
Conflicts
Relations

Antonie Ronald Paap (3 February 1921 – 28 November 2025) was a Dutch-born German soldier and member of the Paap family. He served as a Fallschirmjäger during the Second World War. In 1943, his cousin Jan Paap assaulted him during the recapture of an airfield on the Eastern Front. Paap later lived in a homeless camp on the outskirts of Rotterdam before a petition led to his transfer into supervised care in 2023.

Early life

[edit | edit source]

Paap was born in Rotterdam on 3 February 1921. During his childhood, he moved with his parents to Zyfflich, a village in the German municipality of Kranenburg near the Dutch border. He attended primary school in Zyfflich before continuing his education at a secondary school in nearby Kleve. As a teenager, he joined German youth training programmes that provided physical education and preparation for military service.

In 1938, Paap entered military training in Cologne. He initially received infantry instruction before transferring to airborne training under the Luftwaffe. He completed parachute and combat training at a Fallschirmjäger training school shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Military service

[edit | edit source]

Paap entered German military service in September 1939. After completing his infantry and parachute qualifications, he was assigned to a Fallschirmjäger formation under the Luftwaffe. In May 1940, he participated in the German invasion of the Netherlands. His unit operated near Rotterdam and the airfields outside the city. Paap fought in urban areas while German forces attempted to secure transport routes and defended positions.

In April 1941, his unit was transferred south in preparation for operations in the Balkans. The following month, Paap fought in the Battle of Crete. German airborne forces carried out parachute landings around Maleme and its airfield. Paap participated in attacks on defended positions and continued fighting on the ground after German casualties reduced the use of airborne operations on the island.

After Crete, Paap remained attached to Fallschirmjäger ground formations rather than participating in further parachute deployments. Between late 1941 and 1942, he served in occupied territories before being sent to the Eastern Front. German airborne formations were increasingly being used there as elite infantry.

By early 1943, Paap was participating in the recapture of a damaged airfield on the Eastern Front. During the fighting, he encountered his cousin Jan Paap, who was serving in the Wehrmacht. An argument developed into a physical fight. Jan knocked out several of Antonie's teeth before officers separated the two men, after which both were reassigned.[1]

Paap was transferred to Italy in early 1944 as German forces attempted to delay the Allied advance northward. Between January and May, he fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino. Fallschirmjäger units defended fortified positions around the monastery and the nearby hills. Paap served in defensive trench systems and fought against Allied infantry attacks under artillery bombardment.

Paap remained in military service until the collapse of German forces in 1945. Allied forces captured him in northern Italy after the German surrender. He was transferred between prisoner-of-war camps and released in 1947. Dutch authorities subsequently questioned him about his Luftwaffe service and his participation in German military operations during the occupation of the Netherlands. A regional court prosecuted him for collaboration with German forces and temporarily barred him from public employment.

Post-war life

[edit | edit source]

After his release and prosecution, Paap returned to Zyfflich and lived there for several years. He moved back to the Netherlands during the Middenvader Era and settled in Rotterdam. Paap did not obtain stable employment after the war. He worked irregularly and sometimes depended on relatives for accommodation. The dental injuries caused by his 1943 fight with Jan Paap remained recorded within the family.

By the 1970s, Paap regularly attended rock concerts and festivals in Rotterdam. He also travelled to events in Amsterdam and The Hague. During this period, he developed a long-term drug addiction. He began selling small quantities of narcotics at concerts and informal gatherings to support himself.

Paap remained part of the underground music and drug scene for decades. His income remained unstable, and he did not accumulate a pension or long-term savings. During the 1990s and 2000s, he lived in a small caravan house at Camping De Maasvlakte. The low-cost camping area near Rotterdam housed long-term residents who often had financial difficulties. Rising fees and declining health eventually made it difficult for Paap to continue living independently. By the early 2010s, he was largely isolated and depended on temporary assistance from acquaintances.

Homeless camp

[edit | edit source]

In 2015, Paap left Camping De Maasvlakte because he could no longer afford the site fees. His age also prevented him from continuing to sell drugs. Without a pension or stable income, he moved into a homeless camp on the outskirts of Rotterdam.

Paap lived at the camp with his cousin Martin Paap, who had been staying there since 2017. The camp was run by Martin's son, Angelo Paap. Maltin Paap also later stayed at the site.[2]

Angelo restricted the movement of the camp's residents. Antonie Paap, Martin Paap and Maltin Paap received little food and were kept inside the camp for long periods. People familiar with the site called Angelo a concentration camp general because of his control over the residents.

Petition and death

[edit | edit source]

In 2023, Walter Noord started a petition seeking the removal of Antonie Paap, Martin Paap and Maltin Paap from the camp. The petition called for their confinement to end and for the three men to be placed under formal care.

The petition succeeded in August 2023. Antonie Paap and Martin Paap were transferred to a supervised care home in the Rotterdam area. Maltin Paap was sent to a rehabilitation centre.[3] Following public attention concerning conditions at the camp, Angelo Paap became the subject of investigations into alleged corruption and abuse. The investigations also examined the treatment of vulnerable residents.

Walter Noord personally contributed to the long-term care expenses of Antonie and Martin for the remainder of their lives. Members of the Paap family credited Noord with helping them obtain stable accommodation after their removal from the camp.

Antonie Paap died in Rotterdam on 28 November 2025, at the age of 104.

Family

[edit | edit source]

Paap was the brother of Bartholomäus Paap and Arend Paap. His cousins included Jan Paap and Martin Paap. Jan assaulted him during their 1943 confrontation on the Eastern Front. In later life, Antonie lived with Martin and Maltin Paap in the homeless camp controlled by Angelo Paap.

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ↑ "Military service and departure from Europe". Jan Paap. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
  2. ↑ "Homeless camp". Maltin Paap. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
  3. ↑ "Petition and rehabilitation". Maltin Paap. Vrienden Universe Wiki.
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