Militaire collaboratie in België tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog

Abstract

Military collaboration in Belgium during World War II, Bruno de WeverFinding concrete information about military collaboration in the countries occupied by Germany during WWII is not easy because of the masses of apologetic and purely military literature. Good quality, scholarly publications are not available. This article presents a survey of Belgium. The country had 42,000 military collaborators, but there was no 'Belgian' military collaboration as such because, for political reasons only, Walloon and Flemish (para) military organizations were formed. The Walloon military collaboration served the ambitions of the Rex-leader, Léon Degrelle. He pushed the Walloon Legion into the Waffen-SS and made the Rexist paramilitary organizations part of the SS-complex. In Flanders, military collaboration was dominated by the rivalry between the Flemish-nationalist Flemish National League (VNV) and the GreaterGermanic and SS-orientated German-Flemish Labour organization. After the incorporation of the Flemish Legion into the Waffen-SS, the VNV gambled on the paramilitary organizations under its supposed political control. It lost its influence with the integration of these organizations into the German Army and the Waffen-SS.