| Attack on the Twentieth Convoy to Auschwitz | |
|---|---|
 Memorial to the attack | |
| Location | Between Boortmeerbeek and Haacht, Belgium |
| Date | 19 April 1943 |
| Incident type | Sabotage, mass prisoner escape |
| Perpetrators | Belgian Resistance |
| Survivors | 118 escapees,[1] 153 Auschwitz survivors[1] |
| Memorials | Yes |
On 19 April 1943, members of the Belgian Resistance stopped a Holocaust train and freed a number of Jews who were being transported to Auschwitz concentration camp from Mechelen transit camp in Belgium, on the twentieth convoy from the camp. In the aftermath of the attack, a number of other captives were able to jump from the train as well. In all, 233 people managed to escape, of whom 118 ultimately survived. The remainder were either killed during the escape or were recaptured soon afterwards. The attack was unusual as an attempt by the resistance to free Jewish deportees and marks the only mass breakout by deportees on a Holocaust train.