Commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the surrender without a fight

It was thanks to Dr Paul Rosenbaum and Rudolf Dunker that Beckum was handed over to the advancing superior forces without any fighting on the Easter weekend of 1945, shortly before the planned attack by American troops. This was despite the fact that the Gauleitung had ordered defence "to the last man".

Before the surrender without a fight, the situation had escalated dramatically, as can be seen from telephone conversations between the two commanders in Ahlen and Beckum. Dr Rosenbaum persuaded Dunker intensively, who finally gave in. At the memorial service, which was attended by many children, two pupils from the Friedrich-von-Bodelschwingh School read extracts from the correspondence between the two that had been preserved.

The 28-year-old Rudolf Dunker was ordered by the Gauleitung to defend Beckum "to the last man". So on Good Friday, 30 March 1945, he began to prepare resistance against the Allied forces that were close by. On Holy Saturday, the Americans peacefully took the town of Ahlen and set up their armoured vehicles and artillery pieces on the eastern edge of Beckum in order to advance towards Beckum on Easter Sunday.

That evening, contrary to his original intentions, he made the momentous decision to refuse to obey the orders of the soldiers and surrender the town of Beckum without a fight in view of the hopeless situation. In doing so, he prevented the destruction of Beckum and the deaths of countless people. At the time, there were around 15,000 people in the town. This decision should be valued all the more highly as he was aware that he could have been sentenced to death for his actions.

And what had happened beforehand in Ahlen and between the two commanders? Dr Paul Rosenbaum, a 50-year-old senior doctor based in Ahlen, undertook a daring rescue operation in the neighbouring town and shortly afterwards convinced Major Dunker in Beckum to do the same. On Holy Saturday, Rosenbaum travelled with the white flag of the Red Cross to meet the Americans, who had set up their command post at the Walstedder Mühle. Negotiations were held with the Allies and then the Beckum commander was persuaded in lengthy telephone conversations. In it, Rosenbaum described the hopeless situation in surrounded Beckum, which was on the verge of being "shot at from all angles", as the story goes. He warns the Beckumer of the certain doom of the civilian population out of what he describes as an "ethical and moral obligation". And Dunker finally makes what he describes as the "most difficult decision of his life".

Beckum was thus spared from bombing and shelling. At the memorial service in front of the historic town hall, Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich emphasised this:

Even today, 1 April 1945 is a reminder against war, atrocities, suffering and destruction. At least as far as this specific decision by the two men is concerned, it symbolises humanity and conscientious action. Sometimes it comes down to individuals taking responsibility and having the courage to stand up for decisions of conscience.

Unfortunately, this is highly topical again today. In times of fake news, where facts often no longer count, of megalomania and lust for power à la Trump and Musk, the strengthening of autocracies, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. These are very challenging times and we would do well to defend our liberal democratic values with good arguments and with all our strength, and to talk about positive perspectives for our future and actively shape them."

Following the speeches and pieces of music, pupils from several schools in Beckum put together a dove of peace as a puzzle. They lovingly designed the individual pieces beforehand. The peace symbol is to be permanently installed in the auditorium of the adult education centre.

Singer Pia Saatmann and keyboardist Maximilian Buchberger provided the musical accompaniment for the event and gave it an atmospheric setting.

Special exhibition in the city museum

Excerpts from the correspondence between Dr Paul Rosenbaum and Rudolf Dunker can be read from today until 25 April in a special exhibition in the old classroom of the town museum. A BBC documentary film entitled "A little German town", which was shot in Beckum in 1985, can also be seen there. The film uses the example of a small German town to show everyday life and the nature of National Socialism. The exhibition is accessible during the normal opening hours of the town museum.
Stadtmuseum

Memorial stele on forced labour handed over

On Sunday, the Heimat- und Geschichtsverein Beckum presented the town of Beckum with a memorial stele designed by Paul Tönnißen at Weststraße , which commemorates the forced labourers in our town. Probably the largest camp was once located here. In total, there were more than 1,200 forced labourers in Beckum, as well as around 950 prisoners of war who also had to perform forced labour here. 29 forced labour camps were identified throughout the town.

The artwork symbolises our moral and ethical obligation to remember the victims with humility and is also a warning for the future never to allow racism, contempt for humanity and exploitation to happen again. The words depicted are like spikes in the sky, under which all people are equal. They encourage passers-by to engage with the issue," said Mayor Michael Gerdhenrich at the handover ceremony.

"Today is a hopeful day, because with this stele we are setting an example together against injustice that has happened and against the right," he added, thanking everyone involved.