Bert Sas

Who was Bert Sas?

Bert Sas was the Netherlands military attaché in Berlin at the time of the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940.

Gijsbertus Jacobus Sas was born in Leeuwarden. He was named after his father, a soldier who by his pension had reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His mother Geertrui Huiber was 20 years younger than her husband.

Bert was the youngest of 3 children, and attended a secondary school in Leeuwarden. In 1910 he went to the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in Breda. During World War I, in 1917, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and married Maria Johanna van der Minne. From 1923 until 1926 he followed the training for staff officier at the Hogere Krijgsschool. After this he obtained another staff function in The Hague. In 1928 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and became head of the most important bureau of the 2nd division where all of the important military questions were handled. However during the period from 1928 until 1936, military expenditure was strictly limited.

Between 1936 and 1937 he was the military attaché in Berlin for 10 days per month, spending the remaining 20 days in The Hague. He was then recalled to The Hague, where he functioned as the right hand of general Reynders in the role of head of the operations division.