Metadata: General Documentation – government: others except BO and its predecessors
Collection
- Country:
- Belgium
- Holding institution:
- Directorate-General War Victims, Archives and Documentation Department
- Holding institution (official language):
- Direction Générale Victimes de la Guerre, Service Archives et Documentation
- Postal address:
- Luchtvaartsquare 31 / Square de l’Aviation 31, 1070 Brussel (Anderlecht)
- Phone number:
- +32 (0)2 528 91 57
- Web address:
- http://warvictims.fgov.be/
- Email:
- archidoc@minsoc.fed.be
- Reference number:
- DirGenWarVic-Brussels-
- Title:
- General Documentation – government: others except BO and its predecessors
- Title (official language):
- Algemene Documentatie – overheid: andere behalve BO en voorgangers
- Creator/accumulator:
- Directie-Generaal Oorlogsslachtoffers; Direction Générale Victimes de la Guerre
- Date(s):
- 1939/1986
- Language:
- German
- Dutch; Flemish
- French
- Extent:
- ca. 122 binders
- Scope and content:
-
In this description we will discuss, by archival creator, material from the larger collection of “Algemene Documentatie – Documentation Générale” produced by various Belgian State administrations. This (sub)fonds contains originals as well as prints of microfilmed documents. Of particular interest are the documents related to the post-war trials against German and Belgian war criminals or collaborators.
Auditoraat-Generaal: R.497/tr.153.975 (1946) contains a written declaration of Johannes Frank, commander of the Kazerne Dossin. Krijgsauditoraat, krijgsraad and krijgshof Brussels: R.280/tr.85.481 (1950) contains documents related to the trial against Max Boden, who worked for the ‘Jewish section’ of the Sipo in Brussels, and as a guard in the Kazerne Dossin. Krijgsauditoraat and Krijgsraad of Mechelen, Krijgsraad of Antwerp and Krijgshof of Brussels: R.497/tr.156.197 and R.497/tr.220.517 (1941-1946) relate to the trial against Wyss et al. (the “Breendonk case”); the material spans 12 binders in total. In r.497/tr.141.216 and r.497/tr.213.933 (1941-1949) we note files (totalling 4 binders) concerning the trial against Philipp Schmitt, SS-Sturmbannführer and leader of the Breendonk camp between 1940 and 1943, including lists of deported Jews, interrogations of Alexander von Falkenhausen, Eggert Reeder, Philipp Schmitt, Constantin Canaris etc.
Krijgsauditoraat, Krijgsraad and Krijgshof Antwerp: In r.497/tr.230.035 (1940-1946) we find a number of files concerning the trial against William Frensel (Verwalter active in the diamond trade), 4 binders in total. R.497/tr.149.232 (1945-1947), also totalling 4 binders, concerns the trial against the moving company Arthur Pierre, responsible for transporting i.a. Jews and confiscated furniture (in the context of the Möbelaktion). Commission Crimes de Guerre/Commissie Oorlogsmisdaden: In r.497/tr.109.991 (1945-1953) we note reports on German war crimes committed in Belgium during the Second World War.
Ministry of Economic Affairs: R.497/tr.115.932 (1949) contains correspondence between the Dienst voor Economische Recuperatie and the AIVG, concerning jewellery recovered in Germany.
Ministry of Labour and Social Security: In r.126/tr.2 and r.497/tr.110.810 (1940-1944) we note i.a. circulars of the Ministry of the Interior related to the Jodenregister (register of Jews), and registers of Jews employed (in 1942) in the Liège region.
Local government administrations: R.497/tr.161.404 (1960?) contains a register of private dwellings in Greater Brussels requisitioned during the Occupation.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- The early predecessor of today’s Directie-Generaal Oorlogsslachtoffers / Direction Générale Victimes de la Guerre (DGVG)(Directorate-General War Victims) was the Belgisch Commissariaat voor de Repatriëring, created in late June 1944 with the aim of repatriating the many Belgian prisoners, forced labourers and refugees. In August 1945 the Commissariat (which was being liquidated) was integrated in the Ministry for War Victims, created in February of the same year. This ministry was charged with immediate assistance to Belgian war victims, but it was also responsible for their pensions, medical treatment etc. A number of new services – including a service for medical and pharmaceutical care and the Nationaal Werk voor Oud-Strijders – were added to the ministry in 1945. In April 1946, the duties and services of the Ministry for War Victims and the Ministry for War Damages were transferred to the newly created Ministry of Reconstruction. The Bestuur der Schade aan Personen (‘administration for damage to individuals’) of this ministry took over the competences related to war victims. The evaluation and granting of the status of ‘political prisoner’ was added to its duties. Its division into three main sections (statuses, pensions for civilian victims of the war, documentation) dates back to 1949. From 1946 until 1952 the Bestuur der Schade aan Personen almost continuously formed part of the Ministry of Reconstruction. Afterwards the Bestuursafdeling voor Oorlogsslachtoffers successively became a part of the Ministry of Public Health (1952-1995) and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and Environment (1995-2001). Since the division of this last ministry (2002), the Directorate-General War Victims belongs to the Federal Public Service (FPS) Social Security. Today, the DGVG has a dual mission. On the one hand, the execution of the law regarding civilian war victims, notably the granting of the various statuses of national recognition (e.g. political prisoner, hidden Jewish child, defaulter (werkweigeraar), fisherman in wartime) and processing of related pension applications. On the other hand, the DGVG manages its archives and documentation service. This voluminous body of documents is mainly the result of the field work of the Service de recherches en Belgique in the immediate post-war period – in particular the work carried out by its liaison officers and missions abroad. The personnel of the service often collaborated with a number of Jewish organisations, including Aide aux Israélites Victimes de la Guerre. (http://warvictims.fgov.be/nl/about/origine.htm; P. Nefors, Inventaris van het Archief van de Dienst voor de Oorlogsslachtoffers – Inventaire des Archives du Service des Victimes de la Guerre, Brussel, 1997.)
- Access points: persons/families:
- Boden, Max
- Frank, Johannes
- Frensel, William
- Schmitt, Philipp
- Access, restrictions:
- The files can be consulted by the concerned individuals and their descendants. Consultation for research purposes is authorised on the basis of a research declaration. Archival material produced by the military courts and the Auditoraat-Generaal are closed to the public.
- Finding aids:
- There is a thematic and geographic card index. There is also a (partially outdated) inventory: P. Nefors, Inventaris van het Archief van de Dienst voor de Oorlogsslachtoffers – Inventaire des Archives du Service des Victimes de la Guerre, Brussel, 1997.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
