Conscript private Johannes Hendrik Lorenz Philip Mann

Conscript Soldier Johannes Hendrik Lorenz Philip Mann was born on October 20, 1909 in Rotterdam. He served with the Volunteer Landstorm Corps 1st Ferry Group

• Ferry 2C. This unit was located in the port of Moerdijk and operated the ferry service between Moerdijk and Willemsdorp. The unit also carried out surveillance tasks on the water. On May 10, 1940, German paratroopers landed in the vicinity of Moerdijk, leading to the military personnel of the Ferry Group becoming involved in combat. Captain Janssen, the commander of the Ferry Group, instructed seven Pontonniers ( Army Maritime Engineers ) to defend the harbor so that the ships and crew could escape. The Pontonniers who remained behind were the soldiers: Van der Hooft, Mann, Vlot, Brondsema, Van Houdt, Ruissen, and Van der Plas. Van der Hooft, Mann, and Vlot were killed in action while defending the harbor. The remaining soldiers were captured. They were all posthumously decorated. Soldier Mann was awarded the Bronze Cross by Royal Decree on March 17, 1947:

“He distinguished himself by courageous actions against the enemy, as in the early morning of May 10, belonging to a small detachment of the Ferry Group 2C [sic], which, as a result of the sudden attack by landed enemy paratroopers, was tasked with defending the immediate vicinity of the harbor at Moerdijk to cover the crossing of this ferry group to Willemsdorp, fearlessly holding his ground despite receiving intense enemy fire from various directions at close range, until he ultimately fell in combat.”¹

Conscript Soldier Mann is buried in the Field of Honor at the General Cemetery in Dordrecht, in row 5, grave 3.

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