In 1869 Snijders joined the
Royal Military Academy in
Breda, becoming an engineer. In 1873 he went to the Dutch East Indies, and fought in the
Aceh War. In October 1875 Snijders was back in the Netherlands. He was again placed with the Engineers. Here, he had an important role in the design and construction of the armored fortresses of IJmuiden, Hoek van Holland, and
Fort Harssens. From 1882 to 1886 he was in Magdeburg to oversee construction of the armored cupolas. Snijders also attended related trials in Italy and Romania. On 1 July 1910, Snijders was made chief of the
general staff. 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, Snijders was made
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Shortly afterward, he was promoted to full general. In April 1918, one month after the signing of the
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which freed Germany on its
Eastern Front, he opposed war with
Germany, making clear that if war was to be fought, he preferred to fight alongside Germany. After the war, Snijders became a politician for the proto-fascist
Alliance for National Reconstruction.
Personal life Snijders was born in
Nieuwe-Tonge on 29 September 1852. In 1865, he went to the
Hogere Burgerschool in
Middelburg but did not finish it. In 1883, Snijders married Johanna Adriana Everdina. Snijders died in Hilversum on 26 May 1939. ==Military decorations==