Remi Schrijnen
Encyclopedia
Remi Schrijnen was a Belgian
volunteer in the German
army. He was a Flemish
Nationalist and the only Flemish volunteer in the SS Flandern
to have been awarded the German Knight's cross
. He is also one of only a handful of privates to have received the Knights Cross.
. This originally fascist Flemish group led by Joris Van Severen
had slowly been turning to Belgian nationalism after the accession of Adolf Hitler
, seeing in German Nazism
a threat to the culture and language of the Flemish and other inhabitants of the Low Countries
. Meanwhile, the VNV became increasingly fascist
in nature, and many members believed in collaboration with Nazi Germany to further the Flemish cause.
, Germany addressed its allies for soldiers to make up its losses in manpower. In order not to be abandoned in favour of more radical groups and of French speaking Rex
, the VNV sanctioned the creation of a "Flemish Legion" to operate as part of the German Army.
When first applying as a volunteer to the Flemish legion, Remi Schrijnen was refused because he was too small. Other volunteers called him the "Strumpf-Deutscher." But he showed his courage in the Battle of Leningrad in February 1943. He served as an anti-tank grenadier and was promoted to Unterscharführer
in the 4th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Brigade Nederland.
During the Battle of Narva
on 3 March 1944, he single-handedly destroyed eleven enemy tanks He was found unconscious and close to death the following day and brought to Swinemünde and eventually Berlin
, where he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
and a congratulatory telegram from VNV leader Hendrik Elias
. However, the only Wehrmacht Sondermeldung about Schrijnen's action only claimed 7 tanks ("In der Kämpfen der letzten Tage bei Narwa hat sich der flämische SS-Sturmmann Remi Schrijnen in der SS-freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade "Nederland" durch Abschuss von sieben Panzern besonders hervorgetan") and it is very doubtful whether the PaK anti-tank gun as used by Schrijnen could destroy Josef Stalin tanks.
marches" (claiming amnesty for those who had fought on the Eastern front) which often ended in brawls and scuffles with the police. After one such brawl, in 1953, he was arrested and held in prison for almost two years. In 1962, claiming fear of further arrests after a number of his comrades were about to come back from the Soviet Union, he emigrated to the Federal Republic of Germany and took German nationality. Flemish fascists and national socialists continued to revere him as "The Last Knight of Flanders" (which was also the title of a controversial book by Allen Brandt on Flemish soldiers in the SS legions).
Controversially, Remi Schrijnen also received a Rex
Honour badge, but it is not known when. He died in the German Ruhr
area on 27 July 2006.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
volunteer in the 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...
army. He was a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
Nationalist and the only Flemish volunteer in the SS Flandern
6th SS Volunteer Sturmbrigade Langemarck
The 27th SS Volunteer Division Langemarck was a German Waffen-SS volunteer division comprising volunteers of Flemish background. It saw action on the Eastern Front during World War II....
to have been awarded the German Knight's cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The 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...
. He is also one of only a handful of privates to have received the Knights Cross.
Early life
Born in Kumtich on 24 December 1921, Schrijnen was a fervent Flemish Nationalist and joined the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond or VNV before the war. He later claimed to have fought violent fights with supporters of VerdinasoVerdinaso
The Verdinaso was an authoritarian and fascist-inspired political party in Belgium and the Netherlands during the 1930s...
. This originally fascist Flemish group led by Joris Van Severen
Joris Van Severen
Joris Van Severen was a Belgian nationalist politician, ideologist and leader of the national-solidarist Verdinaso.-Early years:...
had slowly been turning to Belgian nationalism after the accession of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
, seeing in German Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
a threat to the culture and language of the Flemish and other inhabitants of the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
. Meanwhile, the VNV became increasingly fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in nature, and many members believed in collaboration with Nazi Germany to further the Flemish cause.
World War II
After Germany occupied Belgium, the VNV had to compete with ever more radically pro-German groups to find favour with the German administration. After the first failures of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Germany addressed its allies for soldiers to make up its losses in manpower. In order not to be abandoned in favour of more radical groups and of French speaking Rex
Rexism
Rexism was a fascist political movement in the first half of the 20th century in Belgium.It was the ideology of the Rexist Party , officially called Rex, founded in 1930 by Léon Degrelle, a Walloon...
, the VNV sanctioned the creation of a "Flemish Legion" to operate as part of the German Army.
When first applying as a volunteer to the Flemish legion, Remi Schrijnen was refused because he was too small. Other volunteers called him the "Strumpf-Deutscher." But he showed his courage in the Battle of Leningrad in February 1943. He served as an anti-tank grenadier and was promoted to Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer
Unterscharführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party used by the Schutzstaffel between 1934 and 1945. The SS rank was created after the Night of the Long Knives...
in the 4th SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Brigade Nederland.
During the Battle of Narva
Battle of Narva (1944)
The Battle of Narva was a military campaign between the German Army Detachment "Narwa" and the Soviet Leningrad Front fought for possession of the strategically important Narva Isthmus on 2 February – 10 August 1944 during World War II....
on 3 March 1944, he single-handedly destroyed eleven enemy tanks He was found unconscious and close to death the following day and brought to Swinemünde and eventually Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The 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...
and a congratulatory telegram from VNV leader Hendrik Elias
Hendrik Elias
Hendrik Josef Elias was a Belgian politician and Flemish nationalist.-Biography:Elias was a noted academic, holding doctorates in both Law and Philosophy from studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, the University of Paris and the University of Bonn before serving in a number of leading...
. However, the only Wehrmacht Sondermeldung about Schrijnen's action only claimed 7 tanks ("In der Kämpfen der letzten Tage bei Narwa hat sich der flämische SS-Sturmmann Remi Schrijnen in der SS-freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Brigade "Nederland" durch Abschuss von sieben Panzern besonders hervorgetan") and it is very doubtful whether the PaK anti-tank gun as used by Schrijnen could destroy Josef Stalin tanks.
Post war
After the war, he returned to Belgium, was arrested, tried and received the death penalty. This was immediately commuted to life-long imprisonment. He was released in 1950 on condition of good behaviour. However, he participated in so called "amnestyAmnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
marches" (claiming amnesty for those who had fought on the Eastern front) which often ended in brawls and scuffles with the police. After one such brawl, in 1953, he was arrested and held in prison for almost two years. In 1962, claiming fear of further arrests after a number of his comrades were about to come back from the Soviet Union, he emigrated to the Federal Republic of Germany and took German nationality. Flemish fascists and national socialists continued to revere him as "The Last Knight of Flanders" (which was also the title of a controversial book by Allen Brandt on Flemish soldiers in the SS legions).
Controversially, Remi Schrijnen also received a Rex
Rexism
Rexism was a fascist political movement in the first half of the 20th century in Belgium.It was the ideology of the Rexist Party , officially called Rex, founded in 1930 by Léon Degrelle, a Walloon...
Honour badge, but it is not known when. He died in the German Ruhr
Ruhr
The Ruhr is a medium-size river in western Germany , a right tributary of the Rhine.-Description:The source of the Ruhr is near the town of Winterberg in the mountainous Sauerland region, at an elevation of approximately 2,200 feet...
area on 27 July 2006.