Nederlandsche SS

The Dutch SS (Dutch Nederlandsche SS) was formally established on 11 September 1940 by Anton Mussert. For commanders Johannes Hendrik Feldmeijer was appointed distinguished himself by great fanaticism. Formally, the Dutch SS was a subsidiary of the Dutch National Socialists NSB, in reality, they formed the Dutch part of the " Greater Germanic " SS and was largely the reach of the party revoked. Reichsführer- SS Heinrich Himmler assumed Feldmeijer express his leadership, the establishment of the Dutch SS this should be done with the help and under the guidelines of the German occupying forces.

The ideological competition with the NSB came soon to light, in contrast to the moderate fascism Mussertschen stamping the Dutch SS turned radical, and ministered to the Higher SS and Police Leader ( HSSPF ) Hanns Albin Rauter and Himmler as an instrument, the effect of SS in the Netherlands to significantly expand. However, this was not to be equated with the fact that the Dutch SS found great popularity among the population. Also, the creation of a new, additional form of membership, with the Dutchman " Supporting Members ", but could apart from substantive financial support remain inactive, did not change this. End of August 1944, almost 4,000 such supporting members and about as many active members were organized in the Dutch SS. However, it was with their help a far greater number of Dutch people for other parts of the SS and for the military in general be won, it succeeded to bis 1945 22.000 25,000 new members for the Waffen-SS to recruit.

Was out of consideration for Mussert, considers its role in the formation of a legion of volunteers for use against the Soviet Union as very important, it initially did not come to an intended for the July 1941 swearing-in of parts of the Dutch SS Adolf Hitler. However Mussert position was the fact that Germany was not willing to stand up from diplomatic consideration to Japan for the NSB members in the occupied Dutch East Indies, significantly weakened. So he had then but in the matter of swearing, which was reiterated by Rauter and Feldmeijer, relent. This was completed by him in the presence of Himmler on May 17, 1942, to approximately 600 members of the Dutch SS, the latter was renamed " Germanic SS in the Netherlands" and Rauter assumed in the following month.

The Dolle Dinsdag ended on September 5, 1944 in fact organized fascism in the Netherlands and thus on the whole the effect possibilities of NSB, parts of the country were still occupied until the surrender of the Wehrmacht on May 5, 1945. Feldmeijer died in February 1945 during an allied fighter attack on his official car.

Used literature

• Gerhard Hirschfeld: foreign rule and collaboration - The Netherlands under German occupation 1940-1945, German publishing house, Stuttgart 1984 ( = Studies on Contemporary History, 25 ), ISBN 3-421-06192-0

Online

• Biographical Woordenboek van Nederland: Veldmeijer, Johannes Hendrik (1910-1945) ( Dutch)