Gerardus Mooyman
Encyclopedia
Gerardus Leonardus Mooyman (23 September 1923 – 21 June 1987) was a Dutch
volunteer in the Waffen-SS
.
, Netherlands
. He grew up in a very pro-German
household. His father was a small time retailer whose business suffered greatly during the great depression
, resulting in his joining of the NSB
in hope of a better future. Mooyman spent his youth hearing stories about the triumphs of Hitler and Nazi Germany
and admiring the German victories across Europe.
His father wanted Mooyman to work in the family business but he preferred a military career, so in 1941 he volunteered to serve in the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Netherlands
, and was sent to the eastern front
as an anti tank gun commander. In the battle at Lake Ladoga
he destroyed 13 tanks, for this action he was the first non-German to be awarded the Knight's Cross
. By the end of his service on the front he was credited with destroying 23 Soviet tanks.
As the first non-German to be awarded the Knight's Cross, Nazi propaganda widely published his story in newspapers and magazines. He was congratulated personally by Himmler and had to attend dozens of receptions, parties and parades. He was illustrated as an example to the Dutch youth.
By the end of the war Mooyman rose to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer
(Second Lieutenant). He was arrested at Bodegraven
in March 1946, put on trial in 1947 and charged with active military collaboration for his service in the Waffen-SS. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Mooyman became disillusioned with Nazism
when he learned about the holocaust and other war crimes perpetrated by Nazi Germany.
Mooyman was released after 3 years in prison, after which he moved to Hoogkerk
where he became the owner of a paper-hanging business and the secretary of local football club. He was married and had one daughter.
Gerardus Mooyman died in a car accident in 1987.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
volunteer in the Waffen-SS
Waffen-SS
The Waffen-SS was a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It constituted the armed wing of the Schutzstaffel or SS, an organ of the Nazi Party. The Waffen-SS saw action throughout World War II and grew from three regiments to over 38 divisions, and served alongside...
.
Biography
Gerardus Mooyman was born in ApeldoornApeldoorn
Apeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 155,000 . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including villages like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over 155,000...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. He grew up in a very pro-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
household. His father was a small time retailer whose business suffered greatly during the great depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, resulting in his joining of the NSB
National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands
The National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands was a Dutch fascist and later national socialist political party. As a parliamentary party participating in legislative elections, the NSB had some success during the 1930s...
in hope of a better future. Mooyman spent his youth hearing stories about the triumphs of Hitler and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and admiring the German victories across Europe.
His father wanted Mooyman to work in the family business but he preferred a military career, so in 1941 he volunteered to serve in the 4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Netherlands
4th SS Volunteer Panzergrenadier Brigade Netherlands
The 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland. was a German Waffen SS volunteer division comprising volunteers of Dutch background...
, and was sent to the eastern front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
as an anti tank gun commander. In the battle at Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, not far from Saint Petersburg. It is the largest lake in Europe, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world.-Geography:...
he destroyed 13 tanks, for this action he was the first non-German to be awarded the Knight's Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
. By the end of his service on the front he was credited with destroying 23 Soviet tanks.
As the first non-German to be awarded the Knight's Cross, Nazi propaganda widely published his story in newspapers and magazines. He was congratulated personally by Himmler and had to attend dozens of receptions, parties and parades. He was illustrated as an example to the Dutch youth.
By the end of the war Mooyman rose to the rank of SS-Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
(Second Lieutenant). He was arrested at Bodegraven
Bodegraven
Bodegraven is a town and former municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality covers an area of 38.50 km² of which 1.02 km² is water....
in March 1946, put on trial in 1947 and charged with active military collaboration for his service in the Waffen-SS. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Mooyman became disillusioned with Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
when he learned about the holocaust and other war crimes perpetrated by Nazi Germany.
Mooyman was released after 3 years in prison, after which he moved to Hoogkerk
Hoogkerk
Hoogkerk is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Groningen, about 4 km west of the city.Hoogkerk was a separate municipality until 1969, when it was merged with the city of Groningen....
where he became the owner of a paper-hanging business and the secretary of local football club. He was married and had one daughter.
Gerardus Mooyman died in a car accident in 1987.
Decorations
- Iron Cross, Second Class
- Iron Cross, First Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
on 20 February 1943 as SturmmannSturmmannSturmmann was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was first created in the year 1921. The rank of Sturmmann was used by the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel ....
and gun leader in the 14./SS-Freiwilligen-Legion "Nederland" - Black Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
- Infantry Assault Badge in BronzeInfantry Assault BadgeThe Infantry Assault Badge was a German war badge awarded to Waffen SS and Wehrmacht Heer soldiers during WWII. This decoration was instituted on December 20th 1939 by the Oberstbefehlshaber des Heeres, Generalfeldmarschall von Brauchitsch...
- Eastern Front MedalEastern Front MedalThe Eastern Front Medal, , more commonly known as the Ostmedaille was instituted on May 26, 1942 to mark service on the German Eastern Front during the period November 15, 1941 to April 15, 1942...