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Christianus Franciscus Johannes (Christiaan) Boers (The Hague24 October 1889 – Oranienburg3 may 1942) was a Dutch professional soldier. Baker was Captain in the Royal Dutch army. During theGerman attack on the Netherlands in 1940 , he was commander of the State-of-the-art Up Kornwerderzand. This was the one of the few places in Western Europe where the German forces during the Blitzkrieg didn't know to break through.

Baker commanded ca. 250 man who were accommodated in various heavy concrete Casemates . The complex had countless bunkers with machine-guns and light guns. It was prepared for a long isolated siege. The defense of the open dike and the maritime proximity zone was the only task of the detachment where Boers commanded claimed. The first war days the Germans were trying to move the Afsluitdijk. Then they explored the preparedness of the defense at Kornwerderzand.

On 13 may 1940 German troops opened fire on the argument. The Germans then sins explorers and shock troops on cycling on the Afsluitdijk . Baker waited quietly until the Germans approximately 800 metres and left when fire back from casemate VI. Then were the fleeing Germans from casemate II under fire. After an hour and a half was the fight over; no further German attacks followed more. Baker was so euphoric about it successfully knock off the German attack that he presented on 14 may to launch a counter attack to Friesland to wipe clean. [1a day later, however, the Dutch forces capitulated.

After the capitulation went Baker at the resistance. He was a member of the order service (OD). This organization was almost entirely led by (former) officers. In the spring and summer 1941 followed an already arrests within the OD, following a successful German penetration into the organization. There followed after some time of interrogation and German research a mass process, which colloquially as the "1st order service process" is known for. In total, 79 man sentenced to death. All were transferred to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. There were Baker and 71 other OD-members on 3 May 1942, executed in the Kommando Oraniënburg. Baker is up there with the other executed people buried in a mass grave.

Honors[Edit][]

On 9 may 1946 was awarded the bronze cross Boers posthumously for his service as Commander of fort Kornwerderzand.

In the neighborhood of the casemate is a monument for Boers and Lieutenant Captain G.J. Ham. [2]

On 28 June 2005 was the viaduct Kornwerderzand renamed Captain Boers Viaduct. The nameplate was unveiled by Boers ' son Dick Baker and his grandson Guus Boers.

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