Hermannus Reydon: Dutch Nazi Propaganda Leader Targeted by the Resistance

Hermannus Reydon was a leading Dutch fascist collaborator whose propaganda work helped support Nazi occupation policies in the Netherlands during World War II. Hermannus Reydon was one of the most influential Dutch collaborators during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. A committed National Socialist long before the German invasion, he rose quickly through the ranks of the NSB and became a central figure in shaping Nazi propaganda across the country. As editor of several party newspapers, Reydon used his position to spread fascist ideology, suppress dissent, and help create the cultural environment in which persecution could flourish. When the German occupation began in May 1940, he was elevated even further — eventually becoming Secretary-General of the Department of Public Information and the Arts, the top position overseeing propaganda, censorship, and cultural policy. His work helped justify the radical isolation of Dutch Jews, the confiscation of their rights, and ultimately their deportation to Westerbork, Auschwitz, and Sobibor. But Reydon’s loyalty to the occupiers also made him a target. Dutch resistance groups closely monitored his activities, viewing him as one of the regime’s most dangerous civilian collaborators. In February 1943, members of the resistance group CS-6 entered his home and assassinated his wife before ambushing Reydon himself. He survived the attack but never recovered from his wounds, dying several months later. His death was followed by brutal reprisals known as Operation Silbertanne, during which more than fifty Dutch citizens were murdered in retaliation. Hermannus Reydon’s story is a reminder that the machinery of occupation depended not only on soldiers, but also on propagandists whose words fueled terror, division, and mass murder.This episode is part of the series High Ranking Fascist Collaborators: Politicians.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv