Generally known that during World War II, the Netherlands was in the Allies to defeat the Nazi German hegemony that seeks to dominate the world . But the glorious history was tainted by the fact that thousands of young country windmill that was also struggling under the swastika flags flutter to enforce the Thousand Year of Hitler's Reich . Here's their story :
Adolf Hitler envisioned the establishment of an empire which he called Jermania . According to the plan , the supranational state would not only be occupied by the Germans , but also will include what the Nazis called the Nordic - Germanic peoples . Among the groups of people who get the privilege to rule the world with the Germans it was the Dutch . However , to prove that they are indeed valuable to these ideals , Hitler gave an opportunity for the Dutch to fight alongside the army elite , the Waffen SS ( Armed SS ) .
The Waffen SS was the military branch of the dreaded SS ranks . SS leader Heinrich Himmler saw them as the core of a State Protection Corps , which will maintain a Germanic empire in Europe . But their presence is seen as a threat to the military 's monopoly held by the German regular army . To curb their growth , the Wehrmacht ( German Armed Forces ) limits the allocation of human resources for the Himmler's private army .
Himmler The machinations forced to find additional people beyond the borders of Germany . One potential source is open to the SS recruiters are the ones who bleed Germanic Europe . The appeal of this group not only lies in the fact that they are outside the jurisdiction of the Wehrmacht but also because they meet the standards of Nazi racial . Among the countries occupied by Nazi Germanic , Dutch contingent of volunteers contributed to the Waffen SS LARGEST .
Actually , the whole Dutch people are not happy to join the Waffen SS . The Netherlands itself was officially still in a state of war with Germany as the legitimate government still functioning in London after the fall of the country in May 1940 . Therefore joined the enemy army is considered as an act of treason . Even this view is shared by the main Dutch collaborator , Anton Mussert , who is the leader of the NSB ( Nationaal Socialitische Beweging , or the Dutch Nazi Party ) .
However Mussert feel devastated when Himmler made clear that the Dutch will eventually be combined with the German Reich Kingdom . That of course means that the Netherlands is not only going to lose its national sovereignty but also all the autonomy that still holds. To expedite the integration , Himmler ordered the establishment of a body of Dutch SS . This organization will help the Dutch menazifikasikan and make them ready to be integrated into the Reich .
Himmler 's statement raises a dilemma for Mussert : in collaboration with the Dutch SS volunteers and recruit the same meaning for those collaborating with the enemy . But on the other hand , against the SS could lead to bad consequences for the NSB . Confusion increased when SS Mussert threatened to replace them with other NSB figures more pro Nazi when he refused to follow their will .
Finally , the desire to stay in power make Mussert succumb to the pressure of the SS . On 11 September 1940 Mussert form Nederlandsche SS ( Dutch SS ) . A clone of this SS is officially part of the NSB . As a leader appointed Henk Feldmeijer , a radical figure NSB . Although the actual Mussert Nederlandsche SS wants to control it , NSB radical leaders like Feldmeijer Dutch SS organization considers it as a national socialist shock troops to achieve the ideals of Germanic Kingdom .
Hitler to attack Russia on June 22, 1941 aroused great support for Germany of many anti- communist Europe . In the Netherlands , many people who are ready to help German military campaign to "save" Europe from hordes of savage and godless people of the East . The Germans support this trend because they are thus not only get additional HR but can also indicate that the Germanic Europe not only support their policies , but also ready to fight on their side .
The Germans appointed a retired general of the Netherlands named HA Seyffardt to lead the Dutch volunteer legion . They also grant permission to all the volunteers to wear their national symbol on his uniform . For example , ' prinsevlag ' ( orange - white - flag emblem of the Dutch royal blue ) embroidered on the sleeve of their uniforms . After that, the soldiers swore allegiance to the Fuehrer and ' prinsevlag ' . Atmosphere ' Dutch ' this makes a lot of volunteers thought they were joining a combat unit of the Dutch national who will assist the Germans in Russia .
But the reality is not so . Long before the establishment of a Dutch volunteer unit , Hitler had decided that the person in charge of all volunteers is Waffen SS Germanic . SS Party claimed that the Dutch volunteers should join them to develop an elite corps Jermaniknya Himmler . As a result , when the recruits arrive at the SS barracks , many of them became angry because they feel cheated . Some of them expressed strong protest and ultimately allowed to resign . The others decided to stay even though they 've been duped by a ' friend ' their German .
During World War II , about 50,000 people serving in the Netherlands recorded the Waffen SS . The volunteers were joined for various reasons . The largest group to join because they want adventure or because they do not have a job . They are followed by people who have an ideology that wants Germany to win the war and believes that by volunteering they can ensure that the party and the country they will get a special place in Hitler 's New Order . Some people joined because they were anti - communist . Towards the last 18 months of war , quite a lot of people who join the labor or to avoid lawsuits .
Because the background is diverse , Dutch volunteers feel shocked when they have to face the harsh and rigid coaches typical German . Soon complaints arose that the instructor SS foreign volunteers treated with a very cavalier attitude . This in itself is not surprising as most coaches do not understand the SS not only the habits and perspectives of other nations , but also assume that the task of training the volunteers instead of Germany is a lowly job !
German super training methods has led to fierce resistance from the Dutch volunteers . Even Himmler himself was also angry at the way his men to treat the volunteers Jermaniknya . To remedy the situation , the SS leader threatened to lower the rank or dismissal of SS officers and NCOs whose attitude could threaten future Jermanisme aspired Nazis . Eventually things got better . Slowly arises a bond between the German and Dutch SS cadres as a comrade in arms , something very important when they have to face the enemy on the front lines .
Dutch volunteers were sent to the Eastern Front in various formations SS . The first contingent plunge into battle as part of the SS Regiment Westland , where they are combined with the brothers Flemish ( Dutch-speaking Belgians ) them .
Dutch military formations larger and are solid - Freiwilligen Legion Niederlande SS ( Dutch SS volunteer legion ) . This unit was sent to Russia in January 1942 and is set on the outskirts of Leningrad (St. Petersburg ) . Russia's former imperial capital and the birthplace of the Communist Revolution in 1917, it is an industrial center and an important infrastructure of the Soviet Union . Thus , the Germans are very concerned to seize the city while the Russians are trying desperately to maintain it . This gave birth to one of the tragic events during the heroic World War II: The siege of Leningrad during the 900 days over .
During the first months of 1942 was , Niederlande involved in a number of successful military operations against the Red Army . In June , they participated in an operation that destroyed a Russian elite forces near Lake Fuhovga . Dutch troops not only rob large amounts of military equipment opponents but also captured the 3,500 Russian troops , including the famous General Vlassov . Their performance was excellent not only get praise from commanders , but also led to Hitler's Germany presented a bravery medal Iron Cross Class I and II to the 190 members of the legion !
However, the circumstances turn out to be hard for them after the defeat of the German Army at Stalingrad in early 1943 . Victory was made the spirit of the Red Army to liberate his homeland flared . In January 1943 , the Red Army launched a massive offensive to break through the German blockade of Leningrad . Together other German forces , Niederlande desperately trying to hold back the advance of Russian tanks and infantry . Anti-tank cannons legion proved extremely effective in the German defense . SS - Sturmann ( corporal ) Gerard Mooyman awarded Germany's highest military medal , the Cross Knight , for its success in destroying thirteen Russian tanks in one day !
In April 1943, the legion was withdrawn exhausted from Leningrad to rest and increased strength to the size of the brigade . The new brigade , 5,000 -strong Dutch , consisting of two regiments , General Regiment Seyffardt ( in honor of former legion commander who was killed by insurgents Netherlands ) and De Ruyter . They were then sent to Zagreb , Croatia , where they receive additional training and be involved in a number of operations against the Yugoslav leader Tito's partisans .
While the Eastern Front again heating up . Having won at Kursk in the summer of 1943 , the Red Army moved forward across the front . This situation led to Niederlande sent back to Leningrad on Christmas Day of 1943, although the brigade leader SS - Brigadeführer Jürgen Wagner was not completed his training . Although there is resistance senngit of German forces , this time the Red Army managed to break free from the Leningrad siege which claimed one million Russians for nearly three years . To avoid destruction , Niederlande retreated to Narva in Estonia .
But the Red Army continued to pursue them . On July 24, 1944 , Soviet forces launched a massive offensive to Narva and forcing Niederlande retreat continues to Lithuania . In this withdrawal , the Regiment General Seyffardt stuck in a swampy forest area and attacked it out of the ground and air by opposing forces . Most of its members perish while those who survived were hunted for days in swampy areas . Only a few of them made it back to the German lines .
In the summer of 1944 the Germans retreat on all fronts , in which Allied pincer move them in a gigantic movement of the east and west after the landings in Normandy . In the midst of the disaster , a shocking incident occurred . On July 20 , an officer of the anti - Nazi German who tried to kill Hitler but failed . When the news broke on the front , many German soldiers , including Dutch volunteers , became angry over what they call it treason . A Dutch soldier wrote to Hitler as follows : " ... May the faith of millions of people and thousands of volunteers German Germanic remain with you in a fanatical love and fidelity do not recede . "
Fanaticism and fighting spirit Niederlande was not only getting praise from Himmler's SS leader but also makes it intends to enlarge the power of the Dutch SS . The result was the establishment of SS Division Nederland Landstorm . Formed in 1943 , the unit was intended to defend the Dutch from the advancing Allies . Ironically , in September 1944 , Landstorm Netherlands participated in the effort to thwart the Allied paratroopers to liberate their country .
While the state of the Dutch soldiers on the Eastern Front is getting worse . Besieged in Kurland , Lithuania , Niederlande evacuated by sea . In the evacuation brigade members were lost when the Soviet Navy sank the passenger Moira . But the backbone of the brigade managed to arrive safely at Stettin , in eastern Germany .
On February 10, 1945 , the brigade upgraded to a division . But the name is only on paper alone due to the fact that the division was magnitude thousand people. Though a division usually 12,000 !
Meanwhile the Red Army advanced quickly to the heart of Germany , Berlin . In a final attempt to stem the attack , Niederlande - SS units together German , Belgian and Scandinavian - assigned to defend the Oder River , in the area of Stettin and Neustadt . If the defensive line is breached , then there is no obstacle that can resist the Red Army .
Soviet attack began on 16 April 1945 was the biggest attack of all time . Started by bombing from 41,000 cannon , then Stalin mobilized three million soldiers backed by over 6,000 tanks and 6,500 aircraft . To deal with them , Germany only has less than a million soldiers with cannons , tanks and aircraft that amount is less than one-third owned by the opponent . Worse yet , the German ammunition and fuel shortages .
The end result of the war was predictable . Although the German army to survive with bold , everywhere they breached the defensive line . Red Army swept like a flood towards Berlin . In the midst of the disaster , Niederlande tried to retreat to the west to avoid the revenge of the Red Army . Once again , General Seyffardt Regiment ( which was revived after the disaster at Narva ) suffered bad luck . At Hammerstein , the regiment was surrounded and destroyed by the Red Army that much greater. Most of its members were killed , while the surrender promptly executed by Russian soldiers .
De Ruyter regiment itself was almost destroyed by a Soviet tank forces in the north near the village of Parchim in Berlin on May 3, 1945 . However when they heard the roar of tanks approaching from the west , their spirit was revived . Why ? Because the sound is immediately shown to belong to American tank units . After fighting it out and destroy the last Russian tanks , De Ruyter soldiers surrendered to American forces so that spared from the atrocities of the Red Army . Four days later Germany surrendered . Together with their German counterparts , the remaining Dutch SS soldiers laid down their arms and move into places of detention in military formation to the bitter end .
In 1946 , the Waffen - SS as part of the SS - accused of being a criminal organization in front of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg . In connection with the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity inflicted upon the Waffen SS , the Dutch former SS members also have to bear the burden of such errors . During the war , a number of Dutch SS soldiers and units participating in the executions of combatants and civilians . For example , a Dutch SS soldiers who had served in Croatia testified that " When the partisans caught ... they can be suspended in the top of a tall tree . " For these crimes , the SS - Brigadeführer Jürgen Wagner - Niederlande former commander - extradited by the Western Allies to Yugoslavia , where he was tried and executed for war crimes committed unit.
However, the main burden to be borne by the Dutch former SS members were not related to their war crimes charges but by the betrayal of their homeland . The Dutch are particularly hard to treat ' collaborators ' military and imprisoned them in the former Nazi concentration camp in Vught and prisons in Veluuwe . Many of them had just been released in the late 1940s while the number of officers detained until the mid 1950s .
When finally the issue of these volunteers emerged after the war , they always talked about the attitude as insulting as criminals or mercenaries . Such enormous problems regarding the ' volunteer ' is that the Dutch government censorship on the issue , which in many cases applicable to this day . While the Waffen SS veterans Netherlands , most of them trying to cover up their past . It was not surprising because some former members of the Dutch SS who later became entrepreneurs and influential politician was prone to extortion . Past they seem to remain a stain that must be borne by the rest of their lives .