Flemish Legion

Another interest of mine is the Flemish Lion VS the Russian bear.

The Flemish Legion served on the Eastern front with distinction amongst other volunteers like the Dutch and Spanish Blue Division.
Many good Flemish men died in Russia, for example in Krasny-Bor to Narva.

Will expand on this later, but I want to clear this now, many Flemings serving on the Eastern Front, were not nazi's.
They fought for their homeland, for their Flemish rights.
This goes back to the middle-ages,where French oppression deep rooted Flemish nationalism, a will to be recognized as a seperate culture and seperate people.
For instance battle of the golden Spurs, 11 july 1302, where the Flemish peasant army defeated the mighty French army in Kortrijk.
Ever since then, they have been opressed and treated like third class people in their own realm.
Even today, in present Belgium, Flemish are still not taken seriously and dare I say it, opressed by the French (walloons) Belgians.

What did they hope to gather out of co-operation with Germany ?

Recognition.

Some were part of collabrating parties like the VNV (Flemish National Alliance) who wanted Flanders to rejoin with their Northern Dutch neighbours.
Other were part of DeVLaG (German-Flemish workers association) who wanted a Flemish state in th German Reich.
Some without party affiliation, just wanting a better future then what they had back then.

Many did see the Germans as a welcomed "liberator"

The Flemings produced a Knights Cross holder, Remy Schrijnen (good book about him is called : the last Knight of Flanders by Allan Brandt)

If any interest I will post more about the Flemish Legion.

Why am I interested in them ?

Because I am Flemish

Regards

Herr

 

This is an interesting post. I learned something new. I knew there were differences between the Flemish and Walloons but did not know the details. Thanks for the education. Many of the foreign volunteers were also not 'Nazis' but were fighting against communism. Others were fighting to gain 'perceived' independence for their people like the Ukrainians and Cossacks.

 

Hi Herr,
I partly have to disagree here. This cultural oppresion was partly true only from the period that ranged between 1830 and 1940. Flemish Nationalism rose strongly after WWI because WWI Officers were often Walloons and the Flemish soldiers did not want to die because officers could not explain orders to them in their own language (which is understandable to say the least) . They had lost the privileges they had under Dutch rules from 1815 to 1830. Also Dutch was not allowed at certain administrations and Universities, but that was a long time ago and your postings make Belgium appear as some kind of Walloon dictatorship, whereas in fact the Walloons are economically weak and politically fragile in a country that is mainly held together by King Albert II.
Before that period Flanders had many different rulers including Charles V who despite being an adopted Spanish king was of Flemish blood, then Austria, France and the Netherlands have occupied Flanders (and even the Germans during WWI and WWII.

The Germans were well aware of this and smartly played the nationalistic card. This is how they enlisted minorites from many countries. By the way they played the same card with the Walloons and their Wallonien Legion. They even got an independent Bretagne puppet government (Frei Bretagne Regierung) in Berlin for the Celts from Bretagne in France

 

Skipper,

I tend to disagree, yes the Walloons are the minority and are economically weak, thats why the Flemings pay billions to keep them running.
Also when something is proposed in parliament, which would be beneficial to Flanders and its people, we get blocked.
Non is often said by Elio dirupo of the Parti Socialiste.
Our Flemish politicians are spineless though.

Plus add on to that they disregard the bilangual law in many towns,and that we even got called peasants by many Walloon politicians.

Wallonia will be screwed if we go independant and they know it.

Flemish Nationalism is getting bigger each day because of reasons like this.

That Bretagne governement is new, do you have a link or something for more info ?

Regards

Herr

 

If you have interest in the Breton nationalists during WWII, I have started a thread about them here:http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-general/27...nverbande-der-ss-bezen-perrot.html#post335460







As to the Flemish you are mentionning modern politics. I was trying to evoke the situation that led volunteers to join the Flemish legion in WWII. I have a picture of their recruiting office in Brussels , if you are interested I can send it to you.

 

One of their recruiting posters

 

the unit was absorbed into one of the Infantrie Regiments of the SS volunteer 5th Pz Grenadier Division Wiking .......... correct ? all along the Ost front if I am not mistaken

 

Ostfront is correct along with some other elements like the "Legion Nederland"

 

ok Skip the data is buried long ago in some old almost defunct W-SS data base but did not these two legions fight themselves nearly out and what survivors then constitute 2 of the 3 pz-Grenadier rgt's of Wiking cadre ? I've been in the Luftwaffe direction far too long

 

Hello Skipper

yes sorry, I get carried away a bit there.

Sure post all Flemish related items here ?

Will update later

cheers

Herr

 

I'm glad you are having the 'Flemish-Wallonian' debate in much the same way we have 'friction' between the Scots, Welsh, Cornish and the 'English.' For a while I thought it was just us

 

I never knew how much friction there was in Belgium until I went to the 'Peace Tower' or IJzertoren at Dixmude back in October 2006.
It was meant to be a Memorial to the fighting in WW1 but parts of it were full of Flemish Nationalist sentiment.
ijzertoren



How were the Belgians who fought for Germany treated after the war.
I don't suppose they were too popular?

 

A Belgian friend of the family recently discovered his Grandfather went off to fight with the SS, he never mentioned it after the war, always claiming he had been a forced labourer. He never returned to his home town though for various reasons.

 

IJzeren toren is indeed a flemish nationalist mekka, each year there is a "bedevaart" as we call it or a pilgramige to it.

Many volunteers were arrested, thrown in jail, stripped of citizenship, some even executed on the spot.
Remy Schrijnen was arrested, released after a few years, then arrested again for wearing his Knights Cross.
He was one stubborn fellow.
Then he had enough and moved to Germany where he died over a year ago

Odd you mention that Stefan,
I had a relative in the Flemish SS and then discovered my grandfather had some things to hide aswell, saying he was a forced laborer but somthing more was going on.
Everytime my grandmother saw Hitler, she would comment to him ; look it is your old friend.
a few days before he died he told me I can ask him anything about his warpast and he will answer.Then he went to toilet and I got told not to by my grandmother.
So I didnt, and I kick myself everytime I think of it for not doing it.
Contacted the Flemish vet organisation, but no data is found on him.

When time allows I will put some more info here, on my break from mowing the lawns at the moment which are knee high

Cheers

Herr

 

Here is something that you might not know it existed and proves things are not always as you may expect. It is a relic from my private collection. I cherish it a lot. It is a 1915 "Flanders Day" pin which was sold in France to support Flemish allies during the war. It was like buying war bunds. By wearing this you would show your support.

 

Understandable really, traitors to their country.
I wonder what the Belgian soldiers who fought against the Germans in 1940 thought of them.
I read that about 100 000 Belgains fought for the Allies from 1940 to 1945.
How many fought for Nazi Germany?

 

I remember the quote of an old Resistant lady who said that she was less severe with men who had chosen the wrong camp but did not have the blood of their fellow countrymen on their conscience, unlike collaborators who denounced their neigbours for pay.

 

Skipper,

That lion to me has not much to do with Flanders, the Belgian army used the flemish rampant lion (was on tunic buttons etc) and even the Dutch used it aswell at some point.
I have several belgian army tunics and badges with the same lion.
Can you state the source that this was indeed to support Flemish troops ?
Am most curious if this was the case.

Back to the legion and some men of it (short and one thread per person) :

Julius "Juul" Geurts
------------------
He was born in a flamish nationalist family at Waterschei on 24th of february 1923.
Juul was the fourth of 7 children.
His parents ran a mill in East Flanders.
When Germany conquered Flanders he soon felt connected to the black brigade (Dietse Brigade) “Diets from Dietsland stands for the idea of Flemish ,Dutch and Northern France region to form one new state in the German empire called Dietsland. So the Dietsmen had their own political party and supplied men for the Flemish SS legion”
On 6th of August 1941 he is one of the first ones to volounteer for the Flemish Legion.
He was put in the 2nd company , Breymann’s famous unit.
He received the EK II on 20th of march 1942 as a runner for the compagniechef.
Juul was a simple, down to earth kinda guy who didn’t brag and just followed orders.
You could trust him doing his job and Raymond Tollenaere knew that aswell when Juul was his Zugmelder.

On the 2nd of july 1942 he was considered for the EK I and Sturmabzeichen and he received it in a ceremony on the 5th of july 1942 at Raglitza. This was the HQ of the 18th army where General-Oberst Lindemann pinned Juul's EK I on his tunic.

Because of an accident, Juul would never see his Flanders again.
He stepped on a mine while covering German Pioniere Truppen who re-laid the mines earlier... .
His lasts words were : "I am thirsty .... it is over for me"

----

Added some items relating to him of my own personal collection, mainly a recruitment card with Geurts and Flemish DRK nurse on it, received from Geurts' sister.

His deathcard and also in pic is another Flemish SS propaganda card but it is not Geurts.





cheers

Herr

 

This is the Flemish lion Herr and the pin is genuine 1915 vintage. It is not the rampant lion used in the army , but the Heraldry one used in the crests (the same which is used in the modern Flanders flag) There were several support days for other allies too. Here is another example from 1916 for the Serbs. The Germans had similar ones for their own allies and territories. This Regional symbol was chosen because the Flander's Battlefields affected both Belgian and French Flanders and this lion is also used there (as well as in Holland as you stated earlier).



Thanks for posting details about Geursts. I recently found another deathcard from a Flemish fighter on another forum. I forgot the link though but I remember the name: Van den Eckhaut if I am correct.

 

and here is belgian army lion





For whoever it was made, belgians or flemings, it is a nice thought of the french to do.

Cheers

Herr