Ward Hermans

Who was Ward Hermans?

Cornelius Eduardus Hermans was a Belgian Flemish nationalist politician and writer.

Hermans saw service with the Belgian Army during the First World War before becoming involved in politics as a member of the nationalist Frontpartij. He served this party in the Belgian parliament from 1929 to 1932. He quit the Frontpartij in 1933 to join Verdinaso and soon became known for his pro-Nazi Germany stance in journals such as De Schelde, Volk en Staat and Strijd. His membership came to an end the following year when he argued with Joris van Severen and so left the group to join the Flemish National Union. Serving as an arrondissement leader for the group from 1935 to 1940, he also returned to parliament as a VNV representative from 1939 to 1944.

Given his disposition towards Nazism Hermans became an enthusiastic collaborator after the invasion. Along with René Lagrou, he was the founder of the Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen, the Flemish SS, in 1940. Having left his official engagements with VNV in October 1940 to concentrate on this assignment he also edited the new movement's journal SS-Man. In the later years of the war Hermans went to Germany to broadcast propaganda over the radio in Bremen.