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Johannes Hendrik Feldmeijer (30 November 1910 – 22 February 1945) was a Dutch
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
politician and a member of the NSB. He was the commander of the ''Sonderkommando-Feldmeijer'' death squad during
Operation Silbertanne Operation Silbertanne ( silver fir) was the codename of a series of executions that were committed between September 1943 and September 1944 during the German occupation of the Netherlands. The executions were carried out by a death squad composed ...
.


Early years

He was born in
Assen Assen () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands, and is the capital (politics), capital of the province of Drenthe. It received City rights in ...
on 30 November 1910 as Johannes Hendrik Veldmeijer. In 1915, his family's name was changed to Feldmeijer. He used only his middle name, making him Henk Feldmeijer. He graduated from high school in 1928 with top grades in every subject, and started studying mathematics and physics. He interrupted his education to perform national service in 1931. During this period he met a leader of the recently established Stormtroopers of the National Socialist Movement ( NSB). He was inspired by the ideas of this movement to become member number 479 in 1932. As one of the first 1,000 members, he had direct access to the movement's leader
Anton Mussert Anton Adriaan Mussert (; 11 May 1894 – 7 May 1946) was a Dutch politician who co-founded the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) in 1931 and served as its leader until the party was banned in 1945. As such, he was the most pro ...
. He made many speeches in and around
Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
about the need of a strong leader (Mussert) and against democracy. His speaking talents were quickly recognized, and he got a paid position in the propaganda department. He made many journeys to Nazi Germany, during which he had meetings with SS members; he also visited Scandinavia and Mussolini's Italy. After failing his exams in 1935, he broke off his education and became a full-time employee of the NSB stationed in Utrecht. Because of his membership in the NSB he was fired as a reserve-officer of the army in 1935.


Ideological development

Feldmeijer belonged to the ''völkisch'' group in the NSB, just like
Meinoud Rost van Tonningen Meinoud Marinus Rost van Tonningen (19 February 1894 – 6 June 1945) was a Dutch politician of the National Socialist Movement (NSB). During the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II, he collaborated extensively with the Germa ...
. This group tried to cultivate the Germanic part of Dutch history, and promoted a racist and anti-semitic view. Feldmeijer had many secret contacts in German SS circles, of which his NSB superiors were not aware. The ''Völkisch'' group in the NSB caused a radicalisation of the party's viewpoints. They idealised the lives of the ''Germanic'' forefathers of the Dutch people, and the proponents of these theories performed much research on these ideas. In 1937, Feldmeijer became an important member of the organisation ''Der Vaderen Erfdeel'' (Heritage of our forefathers), renamed ''Volksche Werkgemeenschap'' (''Volkisch'' working community) in 1940; This group performed the research for the völkisch group in the NSB. The Dutch people had to learn to realise that their culture was a ''Germanic'' culture; an important step in the direction of the SS way of thinking. Feldmeijer was strongly attracted to the SS ideology, but had to keep his ties with this organisation a secret as the NSB did not fully appreciate this. In the autumn of 1937, he was forced to leave the headquarters of the NSB in Utrecht because of a conflict with the NSB leader Anton Mussert, and was made the district leader of
Salland Salland (; Low Saxon: ''Sallaand'') is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. Nowadays Salland is usually used to indicate a region corresponding to the part of the former dominion more or less to ...
. In August 1939 Rost van Tonningen appointed him as commander of the Mussert guards. Feldmeijer based the organisation of this paramilitary group of several hundred men on the SS organisation in Germany. In 1939 he made several trips to Berlin to advise the Germans on the Dutch language transmissions of Radio-Bremen. On 3 May 1940 the Dutch government imprisoned him in Fort Ooltgensplaat, where he shared a cell with Rost van Tonningen. He was later transported to France via Belgium, and on 30 May 1940 he was liberated by German troops in
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
. On 2 June 1940 Feldmeijer and Rost van Tonningen arrived back in
Den Haag The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. That same night Rost van Tonningen was invited to a meeting with
Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
and Artur Seyss-Inquart to discuss the nazification of the Netherlands and the establishment of a Dutch SS. A few days later, Rost van Tonningen introduced Feldmeijer to
Hanns Albin Rauter Johann Baptist Albin Rauter (4 February 1895 – 24 March 1949) was a high-ranking Austrian-born SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. He was the Higher SS and Police Leader in the occupied Netherlands and therefore the leading ...
, the German head of the Dutch occupied territories police, who was impressed with the vigour and charisma of the young Dutchman.


Dutch SS

Feldmeijer was tasked with establishing and commanding the
Nederlandsche SS The Germanic SS () was the collective name given to paramilitary and political organisations established in parts of German-occupied Europe between 1939 and 1945 under the auspices of the ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS). The units were modeled on the ''A ...
. Mussert had opposed the creation of the SS in the Netherlands, but German pressure had made him agree to its establishment. De Nederlandsche SS had a maximum membership of 4,000 on 1 November 1942. It always had a double standard, as it was seen as part of the NSB and at the same time part of the German SS. In theory, it was under the leadership of Anton Mussert but in reality Feldmeijer reported to Himmler and his representative in the Netherlands, Hanns Albin Rauter. Feldmeijer stimulated his members to contribute actively to the German war effort: he himself served at the front twice: April–May 1941 as a gunner in the
Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler The 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler or SS Division Leibstandarte, abbreviated as LSSAH (), began as Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard unit, responsible for guarding the Führer's person, offices, and residences. Initially th ...
in Yugoslavia and Greece, and June 1942 – March 1943 as Flak commander in SS-Division Wiking at the Eastern Front in Southern Russia. In March 1943 he was promoted to
Standartenführer __NOTOC__ ''Standartenführer'' (short: ''Staf'', , ) was a Nazi Party (NSDAP) paramilitary rank that was used in several NSDAP organizations, such as the SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK. First founded as a title in 1925, in 1928 it became one of ...
in the
Allgemeine SS The ''Allgemeine SS'' (; "General SS") was a major branch of the '' Schutzstaffel'' (SS) paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany; it was managed by the SS Main Office (''SS-Hauptamt''). The ''Allgemeine SS'' was officially established in the autu ...
and in March 1944, after completion of an officer training course, he was promoted to Hauptsturmführer in 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 ...
. He was decorated with the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
2nd Class, the Sturmabzeichen and the
Verwundetenabzeichen The Wound Badge () was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between the world wars, it was awarded ...
in black.


Conflicts within the NSB

Feldmeijer had many conflicts with other members of the NSB because of his strong dedication to the SS. The SS wanted a complete integration of the Netherlands in the Greater German ''Reich''. On the other hand, Mussert wanted a German ''League of Nations'', with Germany as a leading member of the ''European union of states''. The German occupation authorities saw in Feldmeijer a willing tool to keep Mussert's ambitions in check. The conflict between the SS and the NSB came to the boil in May 1943, and while Feldmeijer and Mussert made a public appearance together to show their good relations, in practice all ties between the NSB and the German SS were severed.


War crimes and death

Feldmeijer supported the retaliatory measures taken against the resistance actions against NSB members. He was the commander of the ''Sonderkommando-Feldmeijer'' between September 1943 and September 1944, and executed at least 20 people for resistance activities in an operation named '' Silbertanne Aktion''. Other prominent members of the commando were
Heinrich Boere Heinrich Boere (27 September 1921 – 1 December 2013) was a convicted German- Dutch war criminal and former member of the Waffen-SS. He was on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of most wanted Nazi war criminals. Early life Heinrich Boere w ...
, and
Klaas Carel Faber Klaas Carel Faber (20 January 1922 – 24 May 2012) was a convicted Dutch- German war criminal. He was the son of Pieter and Carolina Josephine Henriëtte (née Bakker) Faber, and the brother of Pieter Johan Faber, who was executed for war crime ...
and his brother. In February 1945 he was appointed to command a battalion of the Landstorm Nederland. While driving to his position at the front, his car was
strafe Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...
d by an Allied fighter plane and Feldmeijer was killed. He was buried in Haren several days later. Himmler sent Rauter a telegram after hearing of the death of Feldmeijer: ''I am very sad over the death of Feldmeijer. Please convey my condolences to his wife. Feldmeijer was the future of Holland in my eyes. Don't bother to offer my condolences to Mister Mussert, as he never knew what kind of man he had in Feldmeijer.''


References


External links

*
University of Groningen biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldmeijer, Henk 1910 births 1945 deaths Dutch mass murderers Dutch war criminals Dutch Waffen-SS personnel killed in action Politicians from Assen National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands politicians Deaths by airstrike during World War II Nazi war criminals