The Flemish Guard ( nl, Vlaamsche Wacht) was a

collaborationist Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime, and in the words of historian Gerhard Hirschfeld, "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to t ...

paramilitary formation which served as an

auxiliary police Auxiliary police, also called special police, are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be armed or unarmed. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are affiliated. The p ...

in parts of German-occupied Belgium during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. It was founded as an independent formation in May 1941 at the initiative of the (''Verbond van Vlaamsche Oudstrijders'', VOS) and the Flemish National League (''Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond'', VNV). Both associated with the pre-war

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

, the VNV soon emerged as the largest collaborationist faction in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-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 cultu ...

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 ( nl, Vlaams Legioen) 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 ...

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

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...

. 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 was completed on 4 February 1945 when the entire country was reportedly free of German troops with the liberation of the village of Krewinkel. The operation began when Allied forces entered on 2 ...

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.

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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

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Bibliography