From the end of August 1943 to mid-May 1944, between 150 and 200 prisoners from Vught concentration camp worked at Gilze-Rijen airfield every week. They were part of the so-called Buitencommando Breda of Camp Vught. Their job was to build out the airfield, but after bombings they also had to fill craters and defuse unexploded bombs.
Such outside commandos were also employed at other German military airfields, such as Venlo and Eindhoven.
The prisoners initially stayed in a hangar at the airport and later in a barrack they built themselves in the 'Het Blok' area, which was part of the airport at the time.
The prisoners were guarded by men from the airfield and one or two guards from Kamp Vught.
The outside command was disbanded in May 1944, because the Germans thought that there were too many escapes. On 24 February, for example, several prisoners managed to escape in their striped suits during a bombing raid. Most, however, were soon captured again. It is certain that one prisoner managed to escape with civilian clothes.
Source: https://www.tijdmachinegilzerijen.nl/detailview.aspx?id=6761 (Dutch language only)