Jan Verleun: The Priest Who Became a Nazi Killer
Faith Under Fire: Clergy in WWII
•
12m
Born into a devout Catholic family, Jan Verleun dreamed of becoming a priest. When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands, his faith was tested by war. Wounded in battle, he vowed to dedicate his life to freeing his country from occupation.
Joining the underground resistance group CS-6, Verleun used forged identities, carried out sabotage, and targeted Nazi collaborators. Guided by conscience and courage, he turned from theology to armed struggle, fighting for justice in a nation under terror.
His story captures the inner conflict of a man who sought to serve God—yet found his destiny on the battlefield of freedom.
Up Next in Faith Under Fire: Clergy in WWII
-
Slovak President, Priest & Nazi War C...
He wore a priest’s robe and spoke of faith—but his actions told a different story. As president of Nazi-aligned Slovakia, Jozef Tiso helped orchestrate mass deportations and violence. When women and children were murdered, Tiso—Catholic priest and head of state—called it a “restoration of order.”...
-
From Priest Who Defied Hitler to Guil...
Carl Lampert, an Austrian Catholic priest, stood fearlessly against Nazi persecution of the Church. Refusing to betray his faith or remain silent, he endured arrest, torture, and three trials before his execution by guillotine in 1944. This documentary reveals his courageous defiance, the Gestapo...
-
Nazi Priest Killer of Dachau: Fritz B...
Fritz Becher, a prisoner-turned-Kapo at Dachau, became infamous for his brutality toward priests, especially Poles, forcing them into deadly “sport exercises” and beating many to death. He also abused Soviet prisoners of war under his control. After Dachau’s liberation in 1945, Becher faced a US ...