Cornelis Jacobus Snijders (29 September 1852 - 26 May 1939) was a Dutch military leader. He was born in Nieuwe Tonge on 29 September 1852. In 1865 he went to study in

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

but did not finish his education there. 1869 he joined the Royal Military Academy in

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

, becoming an engineer. In 1883 he married Johanna Adriana Everdina. On 1 July 1910 he was made chief of the

general staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military un ...

. He was a proponent of military aviation. In 1913 Snijders created the Aviation Department. Later the navy received an airforce as well. Snijders was also First Chairman of the Dutch Association for Aviation. When tensions grew in anticipation of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Shortly after he was promoted to full general. In April 1918, one month after the signing of the

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (also known as the Treaty of Brest in Russia) was a separate peace, separate peace treaty signed on 3 March 1918 between Russian SFSR, Russia and the Central Powers (German Empire, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Kingdom of ...

which freed Germany on her Eastern Front, he opposed war with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, making clear that if war was to be fought he preferred to fight the Entente. He died in Hilversum on 26 May 1939.

Military decorations

NLD Military Order of William - Knight BAR

Knight fourth class of the

Military Order of William The Military William Order, or often named Military Order of William (Dutch: , abbreviation: MWO), is the oldest and highest honour of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is named after St. William of Gellone (755–814), the first Prince of Oran ...

(1875) *

NLD Order of the Dutch Lion - Grand Cross BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...

(Knight 1894, Knight Grand Cross 1919) * Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Grand Officer

Grand Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau ( nl, Orde van Oranje-Nassau, links=no) is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has ...

(1914) *

Baton, Ereteken voor Belangrijke Krijgsbedrijven

Expedition Cross The Expedition Cross ( nl, Expeditiekruis) officially known as the Cross for Important Military Operations ( nl, Ereteken voor Belangrijke Krijgsbedrijven) was a military decoration of Kingdom of the Netherlands. Created by royal decree on 19 Febr ...

(1877) *

Officers' Cross (XLV) (1887) * NoBaton

Cross of Merit of the Netherlands Red Cross * NLD baton Vaardigheidsmedaille NSF

Atjeh Medal * Mobilisatiekruis 1914-1918

Mobilisation Cross 1914-1918 (1925) * Kruis van Verdienste van de Nationale Bond Het Mobilisatiekruis 1914-1918

Cross of Merit for the national committee "Mobilisation Cross 1914-1918" * BEL Kroonorde Grootkruis BAR

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown *

Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau ribbon

Knight first class of the

Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau The Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (french: Ordre du Lion d'Or de la Maison de Nassau, nl, Huisorde van de Gouden Leeuw van Nassau) is a chivalric order shared by the two branches of the House of Nassau (the Ottonian and Walramian ...

(1919) *

Commander of the Order of St. Olav * PRU Roter Adlerorden BAR

Knight first class of the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

SWE Royal Order of the Sword - Commander BAR

Commander of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

ROM Order of the Crown of Romania 1881 Officer BAR

Officer of the Order of the Crown

Military decorations

See also

References

Further reading