Machiel van den Heuvel

Machiel van den Heuvel
Nickname(s)Vandy
Born(1900-05-07)7 May 1900
Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
Died29 June 1946(1946-06-29) (aged 46)
Padalarang, near Bandung, Java
Allegiance Netherlands
BranchRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army
Rank Major
Battles / wars
AwardsBronze Cross

Machiel van den Heuvel (7 May 1900, Haarlemmermeer 29 June 1946, near Bandung) was a Dutch army officer. As a prisoner-of-war in Oflag IV-C at Colditz Castle, Germany, during World War II, he served as Escape Officer for the Dutch POWs, a role also held by Captain Pat Reid, the author of The Colditz Story, for the British. Van den Heuvel played a key role in most Dutch officer escapes (such as Hans Larive, Francis Steinmetz and Anthony Luteyn) during the war.