Collaboration and the NSB in Dordrecht.
Just like in other parts of the country, there were collaborators and members of the NSB (National Socialistic Movement) in Dordrecht as well. However, the NSB was already active in Dordrecht before the war. Since 1934, Dordrecht had its own independent branch within the NSB, which grew steadily. The movement was founded by Anton Mussert and Kees van Geelkerken, with its headquarters in Utrecht, and had a fascist character. It started as a small movement but quickly grew, with over 22,000 members by December 1933. In the provincial elections, the NSB managed to secure 8% of the votes, making it the fifth-largest party in the Netherlands. This significant growth led to the establishment of a branch in Dordrecht as well. The NSB's branch office was located at Wijnstraat 1, facing the Nieuwbrug (current numbers 147 to 151). It remained there until the summer of 1942 when it moved to the corner of the Johan and Cornelis de Wittstraat. After the German invasion, the NSB experienced a resurgence, and its influence grew. Mussert was recognized by the occupiers as the leader of the Dutch people in 1942, and despite not being directly anti-Semitic, he actively collaborated with the enemy, as did his party. The influence of the NSB also increased in Dordrecht during the war. Mayor Bleeker, who was injured in May 1940 while bravely trying to save a wounded person, was replaced by an NSB mayor, Mr. J.G. van Houten. Bleeker refused to provide a list of people eligible for forced labor in Germany, leading to his replacement by the NSB member Van Houten. During the liberation, Mayor Bleeker was reinstated, and NSB members and other collaborators were arrested by members of the Domestic Armed Forces (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten) and interned at the Benthien barracks.. *1 *2
NSB documents - archive Utrecht.
The documents on the left are from the NSB archive in Utrecht, where the headquarters were located. The headquarters had its own Press department, which included the Central Documentation Service. Most of the documents are from before the war when the NSB branch office in Dordrecht was still located in Wijnstraat. However, another part of the documents is from the wartime period, including rare documents from the NSDAP (Nazi Party) in the Netherlands. One section of the pre-war documents concerns the assault on Mr. Stam and his wife, both members of the NSB, living on Wijnstraat. According to the NSB documentation, both individuals were victims of a fight with supporters of the C.P.H. (Communist Party Holland). The documents provide details of the incident, and a letter from July 8, 1935, from the Dordrecht branch leader indicates that the Stam family could rely on financial support from the NSB.
There is also a folder containing documents about the Dordrecht brothers Christiaan and Pieter van Dijk, who were shot dead during May 1940 by Dutch soldiers from the 2nd Regiment Wielrijders (Cyclists Regiment). Christiaan was a member of the NSB, but his brother was not. Many details surrounding this incident remain unclear to this day, but at some point, both brothers were arrested suspicion of shooting at soldiers. They were executed withouth trial and their bodies were thrown in the Merwede.
After the events in May, a trial was held the Peace Court ( National Socialist legal organ) Lieutenant Colonel Mijsberg was sentenced to twelve years in prison. A soldier from the Motorized Artillery Corps received a four-year prison sentence for perjury. Although it was an NSB-influenced court that conducted the trial and handed down the verdict, and one can assume that the court's judgment was at least biased, it can be said that it was unjust to arrest and execute the two brothers without any form of due process. To this day, these events have received little attention from independent researchers. The documents are a part of the story. *3 *4
Documents from the NSB archive - assault on the Stam family, members of the NSB.
Documents from the NSB archive - Van Dijk brothers.
NSDAP documents from Dordrecht, 1943-1944.
The NSDAP also had a local group (Ortsgruppe) in Dordrecht. Their office was located at Vest No. 3, and Mr. Sonnenschein was the representative of the Ortsgruppe leader in Dordrecht. *5 At the office, people could apply, among other things, to join the Waffen-SS, but the Ortsgruppe also handled administrative tasks. The documents below are delivery documents for coal and briquettes, supplied by A. Kolbach from Gorinchem. The documents are signed by F. Sonnenschein and bear the stamp of the Arbeitsbereich der NSDAP in den Niederlanden - Ortsgruppe Dordrecht. They are interesting documents as they have been well-preserved and are rarely seen.
Photo series of the visit of Anton Mussert to Dordrecht.
It is believed that these photos were taken on Saturday, June 7, 1941, when Mussert, the leader of the NSB, visited Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht. The day concluded with a "comradeship evening" at the Kunstmin theater. These photos, shown here, were all taken at the Kunstmin and have not been previously published. The first photo shows Anton Mussert on Sint Jorisstraat in Dordrecht, looking at children from the Jeugdstorm youth organization, with WA men standing behind. On the remaining photos, we can see Mussert delivering a speech inside the Kunstmin building. *6
Photo of Anton Mussert in Zwijndrecht.
The photo below is a rare shot of NSB leader Anton Mussert in Zwijndrecht. The photo was taken on the same day the photos above. On that day, Mussert visited both Dordrecht and Zwijndrecht.
Photos of Ernst Voorhoeve in Dordrecht.
The photos below show Ernst Voorhoeve at the viaduct on Rijksstraatweg. Ernst Voorhoeve was originally not a member of the NSB. He was born in Rotterdam and was a sculptor. He was the leader of the Dutch branch of the fascist movement Verdinaso (Union of Dutch Nationalists) and merged with the NSB when the Germans forced all other fascist parties to do so. In March 1941, he became the propaganda leader of the NSB. A year later, he fought in Russia. According to the Germans, he had too much of a Dutch perspective within the SS and NSB, which led to his dismissal in 1943. He remained a civilian for the rest of the war and was sentenced to 11 years in prison after the war for his collaborationist past. The photos were possibly taken on the same day as the above-mentioned photos. *7
NSB archive cards about events in the Dordrecht region.
The documents below are archive cards from the NSB archive. The cards are a registration of events in the Netherlands. The cards below are registrations of a raid on a radio storage facility in Dubbeldam, a death case in Sliedrecht, and a raid on the town hall in Zwijndrecht.
Voucher for a complete year's subscription of NSB fotonieuws.
Below you can see a voucher from the NSB administration in Utrecht for a full year's subscription of NSB fotonieuws for the year 1942. The delivery note is addressed to a woman residing on Oranjelaan in Dordrecht. Fotonieuws was a NSB magazine and a form of propaganda distribution.
NSB membership cards.
Below you can see two NSB membership cards issued to a female member of the NSB in Dordrecht, residing at Singel 120. One is a membership card for the year 1942 and the other for 1943/1944. The first booklet contains membership fee stamps for the year 1942. The membership fee was 0.50 cents per year. The second booklet contains various NSB stamps from the year 1943, each costing 1 gulden.
NSB archive documents.
Below you can see three pages from the NSB archive. This archive documented attacks and other illegal practices of the resistance. These reports are about a raid on the municipal Electricity Company in Dordrecht, a raid on the town hall of Zwijndrecht, and a raid on a guarded school classroom in Dubbeldam.
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*1 Source: www.geschiedenisvanzuidholland.nl/NSB-Zuid-Holland
*2 Source: Het boek: Dordrecht 40-45 - Wim van Wijk
The following two sources are from discussion groups on the website www.Grebbeberg.nl. Although not all have official source citations and mainly consist of opinions, you can find information about the Van Dijk brothers there, which is why they are mentioned here.
*3 www.Grebbeberg.nl/forum2554.
*4 www.Grebberberg.nl/forum7884
*5 Source: The book: Geschiedenis van Dordrecht 1813 tot 2000 - Pim Kooij en Vincent Sleebe.
*6 Source: The book: Dordrecht 40-45 - Wim van Wijk.
*7 Source: www.allentegenallen.nl/ErnstVoorhoeve