A recent report indicates that the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) likely received substantial payments from Germany for the deportation of Jews, Roma, political prisoners,
and forced laborers during World War II.
Between 1942 and 1944, over 25,500 Jews and Roma were deported to the East by NMBS/SNCB. In early 2022, Belgium's mobility minister, Georges Gilkinet, and Senate president, Stéphanie D'Hose, commissioned an independent inquiry into the railway company's involvement in wartime deportations.
The extensive report, unveiled to the Senate, highlights that the railway company received more than 50 million Belgian francs from Germany during the German occupation.
Unearthed research in NMBS/SNCB archives by the Study and Documentation Centre for War and Contemporary Society (CegeSoma) revealed payments from the German Mitteleuropäische Reiseburo (MER) to the Belgian railways, which were likely used for the deportation trains, according to Nico Wouters, CegeSoma's head.
Most deportations were executed on special trains known as Sonderzüge, operated independently of the regular timetable. Belgian staff, under strict German control, conducted these deportations. The report notes a lack of formal decision-making within NMBS/SNCB regarding these trains.
The study suggests minimal opposition from the railway staff against these transports, with German directives specifying the use of only "absolutely reliable" Belgian personnel.
The report clarifies that the railway's involvement in deportations was a result of tacit consent under German pressure and control. After the German invasion in 1940, the railway's board opted to reopen and collaborate with the occupying forces, viewing it as a necessity for Belgian supplies.
Gradually, the railway began transporting military goods for the occupying forces, initially considered an unavoidable situation by the management. This tacit approval led to the gradual normalization of such services.
The report underscores that the deportation trains were only a fraction of broader military services rendered by the NMBS/SNCB during the occupation, emphasizing the company's perception of these actions as part of its obligations.
While reparations were initially discussed, the report's scope was purely historical. Hence, it refrains from making any political, legal, or moral judgment, emphasizing that responsibility should be viewed solely in a historical context.
The report's conclusion aligns with recent instances, such as the Dutch railway company Nederlandse Spoorwegen compensating victims or their relatives for wartime deportations in 2021, paying out a total of 43 million euros to nearly 5,500 individuals. Photo by Wikimedia commons.