Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, 1931-1945 (The Netherlands)

Last modified: 1999-10-01 by mark sensen
Keywords: nsb | netherlands | nazi | wolf hook | rune | wa | sa | ss |
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• The party
• Flags of the party
• Standard of the Leader
• Storm Detachments
• Dutch SS / Germanic SS in the Netherlands
• National flag according to the Dutch nazi's

See also:

• Nationaal-Socialistische Nederlandsche Arbeiderspartij, 1931-1941
• (Neo-)nazi flags
• The werewolf symbol
• Germany - Nazi Era Flags (Third Reich)
• Germany - Nazi Party Flags 4 (SS)
• The Netherlands
• The Netherlands - Index of all pages

The Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB, National Socialist Movement) was the most important nazi party from 1931 till 1945. After December 1941, when other Dutch nazi parties (like the NSNAP) were absorbed, it was even the only one. The NSB wanted to unite the Netherlands and Flanders, called Dietsland, that would play the second violin of a "Germanic League" of which Germany would be the leader.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

The NSB was founded 14 December 1931 by Anton Mussert. Until 1936 a flag was used in the colours of the old Dutch tricolour, but with a design similar to the German Hakenkreuzflagge (Swastika flag). The field was orange, with on a white disc a blue wolfsangel (wolf hook), a rune sign.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

In 1936 a flag came in use, which was horizontally red over black, in the center the emblem of the movement. This was a triangle (with a golden border), vertically black and red; on an horizontally divided orange-white-blue shield the Dutch lion with sword and arrows in gold; in each of the corners of the triangle one of the initials of the party. The red and black stood for blood and soil respectively (compare the German blut und boden), the orange-white-blue refers to heroic past on the world seas, the lion the power of the Dutch people. The triangle symbolises the delta formed by the river-mouths on the Dutch coast. The black in the upper stripe also refers to the Italian fascism. (At first the NSB was influenced by the Italian fascism, and only switched later to German nazism).

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Mark Sensen, 15 November 1998

The leader of the NSB, Anton Mussert, used a similar title as Mussolini (Duce) and Hitler (Führer), namely "Leider", all meaning "Leader".
He had a standard consisting of a square black field with a hand holding a bunch of arrows, all of gold. Probably this was inspired by the bunch of arrows in the Dutch arms and the former arms of the States General. The images I have show all 11 arrows, but I don't know if the number of arrows was specified, and if so if they stand for the number of provinces back then. I've seen once a photo of Mussert with this standard behind him.
According to my sources his car pennant was alike, but with a golden border all around, and proportions 2:3. In the car pennant of the Deputy Leader the hand with the arrows was replaced by a golden wolf hook.
(Source: David Littlejohn, Foreign Legions of The Third Reich Volume 2, 1987.)

Mark Sensen, 15 November 1998

Weer Afdeelingen

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Analogue to the German SA (Sturm Abteilungen, Storm Detachments), the NSB had formations called WA (Weer Afdeelingen). At first these used a red flag with a yellow wolfsangel.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Later a flag similar to that of the movement was used, but with a slightly different emblem; the shield and initials replaced by the yellow wolfsangel.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Each vendel (division) had its own Stormvlag (Storm flag). These were black with a red cotised cross throughout, the emblem of the party in center, and in the canton the shield of the arms their district. The one shown here is from Utrecht (District 1), where the headquarters of the party were located.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Nederlandse SS / Germaanse SS in Nederland

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

Technically the Dutch SS (in September 1942 renamed "Germanic SS in the Netherlands") was part of the NSB and independent of the German SS, but in practice it was the other way around. In contrast to the party itself it wanted Germany to annex the Netherlands. Their flag was black with in a white bordered black diamond-shape the letters "SS" in their well known representation.

Mark Sensen, 25 August 1999

The Dutch nazi's used the orange-white-blue "Princeflag" as national flag. They considered orange the only true Dutch colour, red-white-blue was too French!

Mark Sensen, 15 November 1998

Important editor note: Vexillologists who provide this information and create these images are students of the science and art of flag design and history. Images of flags represented on FOTW pages do not necessarily reflect the politics or beliefs of the vexillologists who provided them.