Original Item: Only One Available. The Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (Flemish National Union), widely known by its initialism VNV, was a Flemish nationalist political party active in Belgium between 1933 and 1945. It became the leading force of political collaboration in Flanders during the German occupation of Belgium in World War II. Authoritarian by inclination, the party advocated the creation of a "Greater Netherlands" (Dietsland) combining Flanders and the Netherlands.

This is a very nice example of a VNV Flemish National Union Aircraft Factory Worker Officer's Visor Cap, made very much in the image of the German Schirmmütze. It is so similar in construction we believe it's possible that it was actually made by a German manufacturer. It is made from black "doeskin" style wool, with a black velvet plush material cap band, and three rows of red piping. It has a lovely "saddle form" crushed shape, as there is no crown support, and is fitted with a very nice patinated officer's chin strap secured by pebbled buttons. The front of the cap band has the VNV Blue Triangle inside a Blue circle on a white background, surrounded by a yellow orange ring, the correct colors of the organization. Above this on the front crown is a VNV Aircraft Factory Workers insignia, which shows a bird in flight with the VNV triangle inside a gear below.

The front visor is identical to the German style, made from vulcanfibre with a smooth black leather-look upper. It exhibits light wear along the edge and is checkered brown on the underside. The top of the visor has a lovely pattern of fine crazing and checking, which only happens after decades. It is still firmly attached to the body of the cap. The interior of the cap is lined on the crown with brown oil cloth, while the sides are lined with orange "service cloth type fabric. There is a lovely brown finished leather sweatband present, which shows light wear from service.

Overall condition is very good, with the colors well retained. There is some moth damage on the top of the crown near the front, but no other real condition issues to note. A very nice example of a hard to find Belgian VNV Visor Cap, ready to research and display!

The Vlaamsch Nationaal Verbond (VNV) was founded on 8 October 1933. Its origins were in the long-established Frontpartij, a moderate Flemish patriotic party which was taken over by Staf Declercq and moved to the right in 1932. From the start, the VNV was authoritarian and anti-democratic, being influenced by fascist ideas from elsewhere in Europe. However, it initially included both moderate and radical wings. It was not a genuinely fascist organization per se. Ideologically, the party rejected Belgium and supported the creation of a new polity known as the Greater Netherlands (Dietsland), through the fusion of Belgian Flanders and the Netherlands, which would be linguistically and ethnically homogeneous. The party's slogan was: "Authority, discipline, Dietsland".

It shared many ideological elements with Verdinaso, a rival party founded two years earlier but slightly less radical. Unlike Verdinaso, the VNV took part in elections and included a relatively moderate wing. Initially, it also differed from Verdinaso in not being an anti-Semitic movement. Still, it increasingly embraced anti-Semitic elements after 1935, out of political calculation rather than ideological conviction.

Collaboration

When Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, De Clercq immediately chose to orient the VNV towards collaborationism, despite his previous declarations that he would not do so. Adolf H did not install a civilian government (as in the Netherlands), but instead installed a military administration headed by General Alexander von Falkenhausen of the Wehrmacht. This, along with the departure of Ward Hermans and René Lagrou to form the Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen, led the VNV out of focus, forcing it to intensify its collaboration to gain influence. Adolf H and SS leader Heinrich Himmler profited from the situation and increased competition between various groups by founding some more extreme collaborationist groups like the 6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck and DeVlag ("German-Flemish Working Group"). Nevertheless, VNV politicians were given the mayor's office in several Flemish towns. VNV-led local administrations participated in the organisation of the deportation of Belgian Jews to Eastern Europe as part of the Holocaust in Belgium. They willingly implemented NSDAP policies like the obligation of Jews to wear the yellow badge. VNV activists led in the Antwerp pogrom of April 1941.

Declercq died suddenly in October 1942 and was succeeded by Hendrik Elias, a member of the more moderate side. Elias continued collaborating with the NSDAP but tried to come to terms with the military government to prevent the installation of a civilian government composed of National Socialists. Elias failed, as Adolf H installed the new body and declared the annexation of Flanders by Germany in 1944; seven weeks later, Belgium was liberated by the Allies. The VNV was outlawed after the liberation of Belgium. Elias fled to Germany but was tried after the war and imprisoned until 1959.

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