[7] It became the leading force of political collaboration in Flanders during the German occupation of Belgium in World War II.

It shared many ideological elements with Verdinaso, a rival party founded two years earlier but slightly less radical.

[11] Despite cooperating with the Flemish section of the mainstream centre-right Catholic Party on the local level, De Clercq realised that his movement would not be able to take power by democratic means.

[11] When Nazi Germany invaded Belgium in 1940, De Clercq immediately chose to orient the VNV towards collaborationism, despite his previous declarations that he would not do so.

This, along with the departure of Ward Hermans and René Lagrou to form the Algemeene-SS Vlaanderen,[13] led the VNV out of focus, forcing it to intensify its collaboration to gain influence.

VNV-led local administrations participated in the organisation of the deportation of Belgian Jews to Eastern Europe as part of the Holocaust in Belgium.

Elias failed, as Hitler installed the new body and declared the annexation of Flanders by Germany in 1944; seven weeks later, Belgium was liberated by the Allies.