ore leaving the country in 1940, the Belgian government had installed a panel of senior civil-servants, the so-called "
Committee of Secretaries-General", to administer the territory in the absence of elected ministers.
[12] The Germans retained the Committee during the occupation; it was responsible for implementing demands made by the
Militärverwaltungsstab. The Committee hoped to stop the Germans from becoming involved in the day-to-day administration of the territory, allowing the nation to maintain a degree of autonomy.
[13] The Committee also hoped to be able to prevent the implementation of more radical German policies, such as forced labour and deportation.
[13] In practice, the Committee merely enabled the Germans to implement their policies more efficiently than the Military Government could have done by force.
[13]
In July 1944, the military administration was replaced by
a civilian government (
Zivilverwaltung), led by
Josef Grohé.
[12] The territory was divided into
Reichsgaue, considerably increasing the power of the Nazi Party and SS in the territory.
[12] By 1944 the Germans were increasingly forced to share power, and day-to-day administration was increasingly delegated to Belgian civil authorities and organisations.
[14]
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