Nazi Germany invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940, shattering the country's neutrality and plunging it into war. German forces struck with overwhelming strength, advancing through the Ardennes and crushing Belgian resistance within weeks. On May 28, the Belgian army surrendered, and the country fell under Nazi occupation.
As the swastika rose over Brussels, the occupiers imposed their vision of order and control. Political parties were banned, opponents were silenced, and propaganda spread through the streets. While many Belgians turned to resistance, others saw opportunity in collaboration, believing a Nazi victory would reshape Europe and bring them power.
Among these collaborators emerged a young man who was intelligent, ambitious, and devoted to the fascist cause. Behind the scenes, he helped transform a small movement into one of the main instruments of Nazi authority in occupied Belgium. As the war deepened, he climbed to the top of its hierarchy, directing propaganda, repression, and terror, and playing a central role in one of the bloodiest massacres of the occupation. His name was Louis Kolar.
Louis Kolar was born on August 9, 1915, in the small industrial town of Anne, located in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium. His early years unfolded during the turmoil of the First World War, which raged from July 28, 1914, until November 11, 1918, and left deep scars on the nation. Like many Belgians of his generation, he grew up amid stories of occupation, sacrifice, and reconstruction.
The conflict had reshaped Belgium's political and social landscape, creating divisions that would later influence its turbulent interwar politics. As Kolar reached adulthood, Belgium was still struggling with the effects of the Great Depression. Economic crisis, social unrest, and fear of communism drove many toward radical ideas.
Among them was Rex, a movement founded in the early 1930s by Léon Degrelle. Originally a Catholic publishing group called Christus Rex, meaning Christ the King, it soon evolved into a political force combining religious traditionalism, nationalism, and authoritarianism. Rex called for the moral regeneration of Belgium, the defense of Catholic values, and the rejection of parliamentary democracy.
It denounced corruption, communism, and liberalism, instead promoting a vision of a disciplined, unified, and devout state. In 1936, the movement shocked the country by winning more than 11 percent of the national vote. But the success was short-lived. Inspired by Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler, Rex grew increasingly fascist and openly sympathetic to Nazi Germany, causing Degrelle to lose the support of moderate Catholics and conservatives who had once backed him.
For the young Louis Kolar, however, Rex offered a sense of purpose and ambition. Intelligent and disciplined, he joined the movement and began working on propaganda and organizational tasks within Rex, helping to recruit new members and expand its influence. His devotion, precision, and talent for administration quickly made him stand out.
The Second World War started on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. When the Nazis attacked Belgium on May 10, 1940, the country collapsed within weeks. Léon Degrelle was arrested by Belgian authorities but later released after the German victory. Under occupation, Degrelle reorganized Rex under Nazi supervision, and Louis Kolar became one of his most trusted men.
He soon gained responsibility for propaganda and internal coordination. In this role, Kolar forged close ties with the German security apparatus, particularly the SD, the Nazi intelligence agency, and the Gestapo, the Nazi secret state police. His ability to impose order and discipline impressed both the occupiers and Degrelle himself.
By 1943, as Degrelle left for the Eastern Front to fight with the Waffen SS, the military wing of the SS, Kolar effectively took control of the civilian branch of Rex. Operating from offices in Brussels and the city of Charleroi, he oversaw the movement's collaboration with the Nazi administration. His organization spread propaganda, recruited informants, and participated in the persecution of Jews and resistance members.
Rex militants under his supervision joined German police raids, arrested dissidents, and enforced occupation laws. Kolar's Brigade B, a paramilitary unit within Rex, became notorious for its violence and cooperation with German intelligence.
By 1944, as Allied troops advanced through France, the resistance intensified its operations inside Belgium. German authorities and collaborators responded with escalating brutality. Sabotage, assassinations, and ambushes were met with immediate reprisals. In this atmosphere of fear and vengeance, one of the darkest episodes of the occupation took place: the Courcelles massacre.
On August 17, 1944, members of the resistance ambushed and killed Oswald Englebin, the Rexist mayor of Charleroi, along with his wife and son. The murder enraged the Rexist leadership. Within hours, Kolar and Victor Matthys, the acting national leader of Rex, ordered revenge.
Rexist militiamen rounded up dozens of civilians in the nearby town of Courcelles, including teachers, shopkeepers, local officials, and even a priest, accusing them of supporting the resistance. Several people were shot that same evening, and during the night, more civilians were taken from their homes and detained.
At dawn on August 18, the remaining prisoners were lined up against a wall and executed by firing squad. In total, 27 people were killed. Witnesses later testified that Kolar was present and took command of the operation. The massacre became one of the most infamous atrocities of the occupation, a final act of fanaticism committed just weeks before Belgium's liberation.
When Allied forces entered the country in early September 1944, Rex collapsed. Degrelle fled to Germany. Kolar and Matthys followed soon after. After the liberation, Louis Kolar and Victor Matthys moved through Germany toward Switzerland. Denied entry at the Swiss border, they fled to the Austrian Alps. Matthys was captured soon after, but Kolar managed to escape.
He was eventually found in February 1946 in the Austrian city of Innsbruck by Belgian intelligence agents. With him were 20 Belgian SS men and his wife, Huguette. By that time, Kolar had already been sentenced to death in absentia. He was wanted as the head of Brigade B and as one of the principal organizers of the Courcelles massacre.
Kolar was also accused of orchestrating several assassinations during the occupation, including those of Alexandre Galopin, a powerful industrial leader; François Bovesse, former minister of justice; Jules Hiernaux, a prominent politician and university director; and Louis Braffort, president of the Brussels Bar Association.
Kolar was returned to Belgium under heavy guard and awaited trial before the Charleroi war council. Testimonies from former Rexists revealed the extent of his crimes. One of them, Jean Navaux, told the court that Kolar had ordered him to gather information on Belgian Freemasonry to identify targets for assassination. The investigation had led directly to the killing of Jules Hiernaux, the university director and prominent politician.
When confronted, Kolar coolly replied that he had collected such information only for documentation purposes, but later admitted he had taken responsibility for certain reprisals, such as the Courcelles massacre of August 18. He tried to minimize his authority, claiming he had merely advised the political department, which was officially led by notary Léon Bruner. Yet numerous witnesses testified that Kolar had exercised real command.
On March 1, 1946, he was sentenced to death for his role in the assassination of Jules Hiernaux. A second and much larger trial followed. On May 21, 1946, in the Salle Concordia in Charleroi, Belgium opened the biggest war crimes trial in its history. Ninety-seven defendants were charged with taking part in the Courcelles massacre. Leading the accused were Victor Matthys and Louis Kolar.
Kolar appeared thin and tense, wearing a long coat and steel spectacles. His prisoner number, 55, was pinned to his chest. He adopted an evasive attitude, often rubbing his forehead and claiming to suffer from amnesia. When asked about the events of August 17, 1944, he muttered that it was absolutely impossible for him to remember anything.
When prosecutors accused him of drunkenness before the killings, he laughed and said he did not remember, claiming he had only chaotic fragments of memory. When confronted with witnesses who saw him carrying petrol and setting houses on fire, he mocked them, replying that he did not remember, but recalled there were at least 15 people with him, and asking what the others had been doing if he had done everything himself.
His lawyer argued that Kolar had only been a secretary, following Matthys's orders, and pleaded for mercy. But after two months of hearings and testimony from 147 witnesses, the verdict was clear. On August 3, 1946, at 10:00 a.m., the Charleroi War Council sentenced both Matthys and Kolar to death by firing squad.
While awaiting execution, Kolar attempted suicide but survived. His mental state deteriorated, alternating between arrogance and despair. He spent his final months isolated in a small cell.
At dawn on November 10, 1947, the sentence was carried out in the courtyard of a military barracks in Charleroi. Twenty-seven Rexist collaborators were scheduled for execution that morning. The 32-year-old Louis Kolar was placed in the first group set for 7:30 a.m.
Though he begged for mercy, nothing could save him. After smoking his last cigarette, he appeared pale and exhausted. Guards had to carry him to the post. Because of his former military status, the ceremony required that he be stripped of rank. The insignia were torn from his coat, and the order was read aloud.
A priest stood beside him, offering final absolution. Kolar wept quietly, praying as the priest made the sign of the cross. A red cloth was pinned to his chest to mark the target. The officer in command raised a sword. At exactly 7:36 a.m., the rifles fired.
Kolar slumped forward but did not die immediately. His body trembled, and he was screaming in pain. The priest stepped closer and gave him final absolution. Then a gendarmerie officer drew his pistol and fired a single bullet into Kolar's head, the coup de grâce.