Seyss-Inquart’s
SS Uniform
From the collection of the Dutch National Military Museum, Soesterberg
h 80 cm x w 45 cm
1940-1945
Arthur Seyss-Inquart, who had been a loyal member of the Nazi-SS since 1938, was installed as Reichskommissar (Nazi Governor of the Netherlands) on 29 May 1940 in the Ridderzaal of the Dutch Parliament building in The Hague. As Hitler's representative in the occupied Netherlands, he largely determined German policymaking.
During his installation he tried to win over the Dutch population by stating that the Netherlands and Germany were brother nations. But as the war progressed, he found his words had little effect on the public. His policies also became more and more ruthless because of the pressure exerted on him by SS and Police Leader Rauter.
Seyss-Inquart was arrested by the Allies in 1945. Nazi officials were usually stripped of their military awards and decorations after an arrest. His SS uniform met the same fate. A year later, Seyss-Inquart was sentenced to death. He was executed in Nuremberg on 16 October 1946.