Contract of the Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedisten
With the signature of cantonment commander Josephus Adrianus Mussert
The document below is an “Verbandakte” (employment contract) for a military member of the Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedisten. The military member signs this certificate for a period of 6 years. Interestingly, the military member signed this document just three weeks before the start of the war in the Netherlands. What is even more intriguing is that Lieutenant-Colonel Mussert has signed the document. Lieutenant-Colonel Mussert was the depot and cantonment commander of the Corps of Pontonniers and Torpedisten in Dordrecht and initially led the Dutch troops in Dordrecht. During the conflict, there was a paranoia of betrayal among the troops, including some officers, which led to a lack of trust in Mussert. He was frequently accused of providing information to the Germans. Mussert was the brother of Anton Mussert, leader of the NSB ( National Socialist Movement ) , and for many, this association was enough to assume that Mussert must have been a traitor. When Dordrecht was evacuated, Mussert, like many other military personnel in Dordrecht, moved to Sliedrecht. Here, Dutch officers, First Lieutenant Kruithof and Reserve Captain Bom, attempted to apprehend Mussert, but it didn’t go as planned. Lieutenant Kruithof shot Mussert, who later died in the hospital in Gorinchem.
