Angelo van Noord

Angelo van Noord
Angelo van Noord
Born	Angelo van Noord I (1905-01-29) 29 January 1905 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Other names	De Grote Tering
Occupation	Military officer
Years active	1934–1945
Era	Vader Era Middenvader Era Vriend Era
Known for	Wehrmacht service and advisory role for Mark Hugerinus Paap
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Spouse	Eva Isolde-Noord
Children	Martin Noord Angelo Noord Angela Noord Evert Angedrik Noord
Father	Julien van Noord
Family	Noord family

Angelo van Noord I (born 29 January 1905) is a Dutch-born former military officer who served in German formations during the Second World War. He commanded the 4th Company of Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 during the German invasion of the Netherlands and later held battalion and regimental commands in the Brandenburg formations. He reached the rank of Oberstleutnant before the end of his military service in 1945.

After the war, van Noord was detained and investigated by Dutch authorities over the bridge operations of 10 May 1940. The public prosecutor ended the case without a full criminal trial in March 1950. In later life, van Noord gave informal advice to Mark Hugerinus Paap. He is a member of the Noord family and the father of Martin Noord, Angelo Noord, Angela Noord, and Evert Angedrik Noord.

Early life

Angelo van Noord was born in Rotterdam on 29 January 1905. He was the son of Julien van Noord. He spent extended periods in Rotterdam and developed a strong personal preference for Germany.

Military career

Van Noord served from 1934 until the German surrender in May 1945. He began in motorized reconnaissance units before transferring to the Abwehr in March 1940. He subsequently commanded units of the Brandenburg formation and briefly served with the SS-Jagdverbände during the final months of the war.

Early service and invasion of Poland

On 1 November 1934, van Noord entered the Wehrmacht and began training with Kraftfahr-Abteilung Cannstadt. He served in its Kradschützen-Kompanie under Hauptmann Erdmann until 30 October 1935. The unit was redesignated Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 in November 1935, and van Noord remained with it until 30 May 1936.

While stationed in Kornwestheim, van Noord progressed through the ranks of Gefreiter, Unteroffizier, and Feldwebel. He also worked as an Ausbilder, responsible for training other soldiers. He continued in training and leadership assignments until the autumn of 1938, when he was promoted to Leutnant.

By March 1940, the unit had become Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5 of the 2. Panzer-Division. Van Noord served as a Zugführer, later commanded a company, and held staff assignments within the battalion. He participated in the invasion of Poland with this formation.

Abwehr service and the Netherlands

At the end of March 1940, van Noord left his reconnaissance unit while it was positioned in the Eifel and transferred to the Abwehr. He arrived at a secret training camp near Asperden on 29 March and received command of 4./Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800.

The company consisted of three large platoons. Its assignment was to seize Dutch bridges over the Maas and the Maas–Waal Canal before Dutch forces could demolish them. The platoons were divided into groups of approximately eight German soldiers accompanied by Dutch volunteers. Some groups approached their targets while disguised as civilians or railway workers, while others wore forged Dutch military uniforms. The volunteers had often lived or worked in Germany and were recruited through the NSB-linked organization known as Sport en Spel.

During the early hours of 10 May 1940, the groups crossed the Dutch border and moved toward bridges in North Brabant and Limburg. Van Noord personally led the assault on the railway bridge at Gennep. Martin Paap I served as an Unteroffizier in the same company.

Van Noord received the Iron Cross 2nd Class and Iron Cross 1st Class for the operation. On 24 June 1940, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He sustained a head injury during the fighting and was briefly treated at a hospital in Bedburg-Hau, near Kleve.

Brandenburg formation and Eastern Front

Following the Western campaign, Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 was expanded into Lehr-Regiment "Brandenburg" z.b.V. 800, which consisted of three battalions. Van Noord had been promoted to Hauptmann by this period. Until 30 November 1941, he temporarily commanded the 2nd Battalion during its formation and also worked as a liaison officer and company commander.

On 30 November 1941, van Noord became commander of the regiment's 1st Battalion. He remained in this position until March 1943 and was promoted to Major. Records place his battalion near Kursk and Voronezh. It also operated along the Don and in the Caucasus before deployments to Crimea and the Mius sector.

Balkans, Romania and final posting

The Brandenburg regiment was expanded into Division Brandenburg during the period preceding 13 October 1944. Van Noord held Regimentsführer appointments in the 3rd and 1st Regiment "Brandenburg". He was promoted to Oberstleutnant and appointed Regimentskommandeur.

In Greece, his formation operated around Thebes and Lamia before deployments to Leros, Samos, and Aliartos. In Yugoslavia, it operated around Šibenik and Zadar, followed by Grahovo and Skradin. Van Noord later fought near Betschkerek in Romania, where an injury ended his service with the Brandenburg formation.

Van Noord remained under hospital care until March 1945. His treatment included a period in Salzburg, after which he stayed in Jugenheim. From March until 8 May 1945, he served as a staff chief with the SS-Jagdverbände under SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny.

On 8 May 1945, van Noord destroyed his military identification book and obtained a forged Soldbuch under the name Uwe Tering. He later stated that he had done this to conceal his connection to the SS unit. While travelling toward his family in Jugenheim, he was injured in a car accident and remained in a hospital in Traunstein until July 1945. American authorities subsequently released him under the Uwe Tering identity.

Postwar prosecution

From July 1945 until June 1946, van Noord lived under false names, including Emiel van Benda. He was arrested in Annaberg, Austria, in June 1946 by the Counter Intelligence Corps office at Hallein. On 1 February 1947, he was imprisoned in Dachau while the authorities investigated his wartime service.

The Netherlands requested his arrest and extradition over alleged violations of the laws of war during the Maas bridge operations of 10 May 1940. Yugoslavia submitted a separate request based on his command in the Brandenburg formation. Yugoslav correspondence described him as a lieutenant colonel and commander of the formation referred to as the Panduren des Balkan.

Van Noord was extradited to the Netherlands in October 1947. Extradition to Yugoslavia was also considered, but the Dutch proceedings took priority. In November 1947, van Noord prepared a detailed written account of the actions of 4./Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 during the invasion.

Investigators found no traceable record of van Noord having been a member of the NSDAP or another Nazi Party organization. In his written account, he stated that he had acted under orders but accepted responsibility for the conduct of the soldiers under his command.

Van Noord requested either his release or a prompt trial. His submissions referred to his lasting war injuries and the financial condition of his family. The proceedings did not produce a full criminal trial, although he appeared as a witness in cases involving the Dutch collaborators Julius Herdtman and Auke Damhof.

On 4 March 1950, the public prosecutor decided not to pursue the case. The decision stated that any likely sentence would not exceed the period van Noord had already spent in pre-trial detention. On 17 May, he was escorted to Venlo and sent into Germany with a one-way train ticket.

Later life

Later records again associate van Noord with Rotterdam. He gave informal military advice to Mark Hugerinus Paap, a role also recorded in accounts concerning former Waffen-SS soldier Otto Hoos.

Awards and decorations

Van Noord received the following awards during the Second World War:

• Eisernes Kreuz 1939, 2nd Class (1940)
• Eisernes Kreuz 1939, 1st Class (1940)
• Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 (1940)
• Infanterie-Sturmabzeichen in Silver (1943)
• Verwundetenabzeichen in Silver (1944)

Personal life

Van Noord is married to Eva Isolde-Noord. Their children are Martin Noord, Angelo Noord, and Angela Noord. He is also the father of Evert Angedrik Noord, who is identified as the half-brother of Angelo and Angela Noord.

Van Noord prefers beer and spending time in cafés. He enjoys competitive activities and dislikes losing. Biographical records also note his dislike of ammunition shortages and situations in which he is unable to wear a hat.

His favourite food is pizza, and his preferred car manufacturer is Opel. He frequently uses the word "Tering" in conversation and is also known by the name De Grote Tering.

See also

• Noord family
• Martin Noord
• Angelo Noord
• Angela Noord
• Evert Angedrik Noord
• Eva Isolde-Noord
• Martin Paap (father)
• Baulehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800
• Brandenburgers
• German invasion of the Netherlands
• Second World War
• Otto Hoos
• Mark Hugerinus Paap
• De Vrienden