The Flemish Guard () was a

collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th ...

paramilitary formation which served as an

auxiliary police Auxiliary police, also called volunteer police, reserve police, assistant police, civil guards, or special police, are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police servic ...

in parts of German-occupied Belgium during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It existed between 1941 and 1944. The Flemish Guard was founded as an independent formation in May 1941 at the initiative of the (''Verbond van Vlaamsche Oudstrijders'', VOS) and the

Flemish National League The (, "Flemish National Union" or "Flemish National League"), widely known by its acronym VNV, was a Flemish nationalist political party active in Belgium between 1933 and 1945.

(''Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond'', VNV). Both associated with the pre-war

Flemish Movement The Flemish Movement (, ) is an umbrella term which encompasses various political groups in the Belgium, Belgian region of Flanders and, less commonly, in French Flanders. Ideologically, it encompasses groups which have sought to promote Flemis ...

, the VNV soon emerged as the largest collaborationist faction in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

during the occupation. In propaganda, the Flemish Guard was depicted as the police force of a future independent Flanders. It was distinct from the

Flemish Legion The Flemish Legion (, ) was a collaborationist military formation recruited among Dutch-speaking volunteers from German-occupied Belgium, notably from Flanders, during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German invasion of th ...

, formed by the VNV in July 1941, to participate in the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

as a formation attached to the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

. The Flemish Guard was finally brought under exclusive German control in July 1944 following the Allied landings in Normandy. By the time of the

Liberation of Belgium The Liberation of Belgium from German occupation began on 2 September 1944 when Allied forces entered the province of Hainaut and was completed on 4 February 1945 with the liberation of the village of Krewinkel. The liberation came after fou ...

in September 1944, the Flemish Guard was withdrawn into Germany and its remaining personnel were brought in to increase the strength of the newly created 27th SS Volunteer Grenadier Division Langemarck.

References

Bibliography

*{{cite encyclopedia , ref=NEVB Online, last1=Meyers , first1=Willem C.M., last2=de Wever, first2=Bruno, encyclopedia= Nieuwe Encyclopedie van de Vlaamse Beweging (NEVB) Online , title= Vlaamsche Wacht , url= https://nevb.be/wiki/Vlaamsche_Wacht , access-date= 19 December 2020, language= nl , publisher= Lannoo 1941 establishments in Belgium 1944 disestablishments in Belgium Auxiliary police units of Nazi Germany Belgian collaboration during World War II Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Flemish Movement Foreign units of Nazi Germany

See also

References

Bibliography