Gerardus Mooyman

Gerardus Leonardus Mooyman ( born September 23, 1923 in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, † June 21, 1987 at Anloo ) was a Dutch volunteer in the service of the Waffen- SS.

Life and career

He was born in Apeldoorn as a child of a Catholic middle class family. The father was a merchant and joined during the Great Depression of the Nationaal - Socialistische Beweging.

Gerardus first learned locksmith, but was then working as an assistant pharmacist. In April 1942, he volunteered for the SS Volunteer Standarte "Northwest ", then changed to SS Volunteer Legion " Nederland ". On the Volkhov front, he experienced his first front line in January 1943. As a man in the storm 14./SS-Freiw.-Legion " Nederland " he earned the Iron Cross first and second class. On February 13, 1943, he destroyed on Lake Ladoga 13 Soviet tanks after the actual gunner had fallen. For this was the only 19 -year-old on 20 February 1943 as the first European volunteers the Knight's Cross.

From then on it was used for Nazi propaganda and traveled through the Netherlands, also should be named in Netherlands towns streets after him, in his own words, he refused to do so, however. Some magazines reported on his actions.

As of August 1943, he was trained in a SS - Junker school officer. In the spring of 1944 he returned to the Eastern Front. Meanwhile, promoted to second lieutenant, he fell on 4 May 1945 in American captivity. In 1946 Mooyman was condemned as a collaborator to six years in prison, in August 1949 he was dismissed. As inconspicuous entrepreneur and family man he lived after his release in Groningen. In 1967 he joined again in evidence, as he gave the magazine " Revu " an interview. In this article, he condemned Nazi crimes and admitted his guilt. "I made a mistake ," Mooyman said. His Knight's Cross he was a collector.

Due to a traffic accident at Anloo he was killed.