Ossewabrandwag

Ossewabrandwag

Seal of the Ossewabrandwag
Formation	4 February 1939; 85 years ago (1939-02-04)
Dissolved	1952
Purpose	Afrikaner nationalism Opposition to participation in World War II
Headquarters	Bloemfontein, Union of South Africa
Membership	350,000 (1941)
Leader	Johannes Van Rensburg

The Ossewabrandwag (OB) (Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈɔsəˌvɑːˌbrantvaχ], from Afrikaans: ossewa, lit. 'ox-wagon' and Afrikaans: brandwag, lit. 'guard, picket, sentinel, sentry' - Ox-wagon Sentinel) was an Afrikaner nationalist organization^[1] with strong ties to national socialism, founded in South Africa in Bloemfontein on 4 February 1939. The organization was strongly opposed to South African participation in World War II, and vocally supportive of Nazi Germany. OB carried out a campaign of sabotage against state infrastructure, resulting in a government crackdown. The unpopularity of that crackdown has been proposed as a contributing factor to the victory of the National Party in the 1948 South African general election and the rise of Apartheid.