Page 178. A resistance movement developed over the course of the war, and the vast majority of Danish Jews were rescued and sent to neutral Sweden in 1943 when German authorities ordered their internment as part of the Holocaust. Danish public opinion generally backed the new government, particularly after the fall of France in June 1940. (Jutland, for instance, was wide open to a panzer attack from Schleswig-Holstein to the south.) For the most part, the refugees were from East Prussia and Pomerania. The government had foreseen the possibility of coal and oil shortages and had stockpiled some before the war, which, combined with rationing, prevented some of the worst potential problems from coming to the country. ", [https://web.archive.org/web/20080212002426/http://befrielsen1945.emu.dk/temaer/befrielsen/jubel/index.html Archived, "1940-1949 - Besttelse, pengeombytning og etablering af IMF", "UNDER SANDET - NY FILM AF MARTIN ZANDVLIET", "Historiker roser 'Under Sandet' selv om der skrues liiige lovligt meget p drama-knappen", "Foghs opgr med samarbejdspolitikken er strandet", "Denmark: Apology For Cooperation With Nazis", "The German Decision to Invade Norway and Denmark", United States Army Center of Military History, Agreement between U.S. Secretary of State and Danish Minister on the status of Greenland April 10, 1941, The BBC's Danish broadcast, 4 May 1945, 20:30 announcing the surrender of the German army units in Denmark. At the time of the German capitulation there were about 250,000 German refugees in Denmark. Dethlefsen, Henrik. [53][54], Increasing resistance after the August 1943 crisis, Henrik Dethlefsen, "Denmark and the German Occupation: Cooperation, Negotiation, or Collaboration,", Phil Giltner, "In the friendliest manner: German-Danish economic cooperation during the Nazi occupation of 19401949," Peter Lang: 1998, Phil Giltner, "The Success of Collaboration: Denmarks Self-Assessment of its Economic Position after Five Years of Nazi Occupation," in. Contemporary European History 14.03 (2005): 295315. Due to the relative ease of the occupation and copious amount of dairy products, Denmark earned the nickname the Cream Front (German: Sahnefront).[11]. The dogged resistance of the Royal Guard gave King Christian X and his ministers time to confer with the Danish commander-in-chief General Prior. Citizens all over the country took down the black shades that had been used to cover their windows during bombing raids and made bonfires of them in the streets. [3] The issue was finally settled when Adolf Hitler personally crossed out the words die Nordspitze Jtlands (the Northern tip of Jutland) and replaced them with D, a German abbreviation for Denmark. Infanterie-Division to advance on Copenhagen by land. Yet on the whole, Denmark can be said to have suffered the least of all the European combatants from the war. This relatively small number represents one of the highest Jewish survival rates for any German-occupied European country. On 24 July 1945, the British occupation force, contrary to Danish expectations, decided that the refugees must stay in Denmark until the situation in Germany had stabilized. At 07:15 a reinforcing German motorized column arrived from Tinglev, cutting off the Danes and forcing them to surrender. Most of all there was 2 special airports. No legislation discriminating against Jews. Director: Anders Refn | Stars: Jesper Christensen, Bodil Jrgensen, Mads Reuther, Gustav Dyekjr Giese Votes: 1,197 5. This debate concluded that three red lines existed: To the surprise of many, Scavenius accepted these instructions without hesitation.[27]. In a much more vague and longer-term way, some Nazis hoped to incorporate Denmark into a greater "Nordic Union" at some stage, but these plans never materialized. Faced with the explicit threat of Luftwaffe bombing Copenhagen's civilian population, all but General Prior favoured surrender. Senaste mnen. The largest groups of fatalities were amongst Danish sailors, who continued to operate throughout the war, most falling victim to submarines. The danger of saying noI would not like to see a Terboven here. [23] The economic consequences of the occupation were also mitigated by German-Danish cooperation. The entire evacuation lasted two months and one man helped ferry more than 1,400 Jews to safety. Was Denmark occupied by Germany in ww2? As Berlin grew tired of waiting, Joachim von Ribbentrop called Copenhagen on 23 November threatening to "cancel the peaceful occupation" unless Denmark complied. German authorities became increasingly exasperated with this position but concluded that any attempt to remove or mistreat Jews would be "politically unacceptable. "[25] Even the Gestapo officer Dr. Werner Best, plenipotentiary in Denmark from November 1942, believed that any attempt to remove the Jews would be enormously disruptive to the relationship between the two governments and recommended against any action concerning the Jews of Denmark. The alarm was sounded at 04:17, and the first Danish troops were dispatched at 04:35.[14]. National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark, History of Greenland Strategic importance, "The diaries: Quisling sealed Denmark's WWII fate", "Dan Hilfling Petersen: 9. april 1940 hele historien. [20] The fighting continued for ten minutes until the order to surrender was received from Copenhagen by telephone. Prime Minister Stauning's notes from the day stated: The objective is a political positioning. There was no way to defend Denmark against the German army and navy for obvious geographical reasons. The Danish government was later able to renegotiate the Germans' arbitrary exchange rate between the German military currency and the Danish Krone to reduce this problem.[10]. Questions have been raised around the apparent fact that the German forces did not seem to expect any resistance, invading with unarmored ships and vehicles.[7]. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. Erik Scavenius argued that Denmark should sign the pact but the Cabinet ministers refused, stating that this would violate the policy of neutrality. Therefore, the German occupiers imposed a state of emergency and on 29 August 1943 the government ceased to function. It was alleged that a boxing commentator had said "without fightinglike a Dane" concerning a first-round knockout. Chr. The government issued an announcement stating that "Lieut. At the same time as the border crossing, German planes dropped the notorious OPROP! Historically, Denmark had a large amount of interaction with Germany. Lidegaard comments that the old man remained defiant: during a conversation with Ribbentrop in which the latter complained about the "barbarous cannibalism" of Russian POWs, Scavenius rhetorically asked if that statement meant that Germany didn't feed her prisoners. A 1998 study showed that the average recruit to Free Corps Denmark was a Nazi, a member of the German minority in Denmark, or both, and that recruitment was very broad socially. The Danish negotiators, led by secretary of state Nils Svenningsen[da], would only agree provided that approximately 4,000 Danish citizens, mainly policemen, who were being detained in German concentration camps, were liberated. In July 1945, two months after the liberation of Denmark, the Danish Parliament passed an emergency law initiating a currency reform, making all old banknotes void. A German column appeared at 04:50, and the 20mm cannons opened fire on the armoured cars while the machine gun took aim at the motorcyclists. The Danish government ordered a ceasefire at 06:00, and formally capitulated at 08:34[23] in exchange for retaining political independence in domestic matters. Germany invaded Denmark because it was on the way to Norway and helped control access to the Baltic Sea. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. Hur ka salivproduktionen? United States, Great Britian, and France. At the time of the German capitulation there were about 250,000 German refugees in Denmark. As the war dragged on, the Danish population became increasingly hostile to the Germans. Although some members of the resistance tried to organize new political parties after the war to reshape the political order in Denmark, they were unable to do so. Roughly 900 Danish civilians were killed in a variety of ways: either by being caught in air raids, killed during civil disturbances, or in reprisal killings, the so-called "clearing" murders. Signing this treaty "in the name of the King" was a clear violation of his diplomatic powers, but Kauffmann argued that he would not receive orders from an occupied Copenhagen. Denmark was never annexed by. This had specified that Denmark only had police-like obligations. [21] The Danish government discovered this and decided to concentrate on persuading the Germans not to recruit underage boys. Already at the end of April, the German military authorities seemed to have lost control of the situation; many refugees had no food, the sick were not treated, mortality was high, and unburied dead bodies were stored in warehouses and cellars although this was the result of different priorities in negotiations on aid between German and Danish authorities. Casualties among the civil resistance is not certain, but are given as 10 dead and 3 wounded. The Faroe Islands were repeatedly attacked by German aircraft, but with minimal damage. [14], The Danish border was breached at Sd, Rens, Padborg and Krusaa at 04:15 on the 9th. "Denmark and the German Occupation: Cooperation, Negotiation, or Collaboration,", Giltner, Phil. Danish public opinion generally backed the new government, particularly after the fall of France in June 1940. The Danish authorities were able to use their more cooperative stance to win important concessions for the country. In the final weeks of the war, between 9 February and 9 May, several hundred thousand German refugees fled across the Baltic Sea, fleeing the advancing Soviet Army. Vilhelm Buhl replaced him briefly, only to be replaced by foreign minister Erik Scavenius, who had been the main link to the Nazi authorities throughout the war. It agreed that Kryssing should be removed in its meeting on 2 July 1941, but this decision was later withdrawn when Erik Scaveniuswho had not attended the original meetingreturned from negotiations and announced that he had reached an agreement with Renthe-Fink that soldiers wishing to join this corps could be given leave until further notice. Scavenius had a strict mandate not to change a sentence and stated that he would be unable to return to Copenhagen with a different content from the one agreed upon, but that he was willing to reopen negotiations to clarify the matter further. In a much more vague and longer-term way, some Nazis hoped to incorporate Denmark into a greater "Nordic Union" at some stage, but these plans never materialized. [46] Danes have since adopted the saying "Aldrig mere 9 April" (transl. To capture Norway, the Germans had to control the port outside Aalborg in northern Jutland. When news of the signing reached Denmark, it left the population outraged, and rumours immediately spread about what Denmark had now committed itself to. "The Law of the Jungle? [14], At about 07:50 on the southern outskirts of Haderslev, a Danish 37mm anti-tank gun with a crew of five attacked the approaching armour. Nonetheless, the Danish resistance movement had some successes, such as on D-Day when the train network in Denmark was disrupted for days, delaying the arrival of German reinforcements in Normandy. The government issued an announcement stating that "Lieut.Colonel C.P. During the scuttling of the Danish fleet, a number of vessels were ordered to attempt an escape to Swedish waters, and 13 vessels succeeded in this attempt, four of which were the larger ships; two of the larger vessels had remained at safe harbour in Greenland. [13], Although the Royal Danish Army was warned of the attack, it was denied permission to deploy or prepare defensive positions as the Danish government did not want to give the Germans any provocation for their actions. As part of a controversial agreement reached by the German Commander General Georg Lindemann, the Danish Government and the British Armed Forces, German soldiers with experience in defusing mines would be in charge of clearing the mine fields. In March 1943 the Germans allowed a general election to be held. Officially Germany claimed to be protecting Denmark from a British invasion.[4]. The Danish people were divided about what the best policy toward Germany might be. The occupation began with Operation Weserbung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Military Wiki is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. Troops in the town mobilized at 07:00 on hearing instructions broadcast from police loudspeaker vans. Roughly 900 Danish civilians were killed in a variety of ways: either by being caught in air raids, killed during civil disturbances, or in reprisal killings, the so-called clearing-murders. [citation needed] Stauning himself was deeply depressed by the prospects for Europe under Nazism. However, although there were shortages of certain goods in Denmark, the Danes had one of the highest standards of living in Europe during the war years. The miraculous-seeming rescue of over 90 percent of Danish Jews happened thanks to ordinary Danes, most of whom refused to accept . The Danish government and king functioned as relatively normal in a de facto protectorate over the country until 29 August 1943, when Germany placed Denmark under direct military occupation, which lasted until the Allied victory on 5 May 1945. . Database (in Danish) of those interned at the Frslev Camp, including police. THE MOOD CHANGESDuring the course of 1943, however, the mood began to change amongst Danish population. In 1942, Adolf Hitler transmitted a long, flattering birthday telegram to King Christian. Few were ardent Nazis; some explored the economic possibilities of providing the German occupiers with supplies and goods; others eventually formed resistance groups towards the latter part of the war. The German authorities had given the refugees a privileged status, seizing Danish schools, assembly houses, hotels, factories and sports facilities for refugee housing. Transit of German troops through Finland and Sweden, Denmark: Apology For Cooperation With Nazis, Dan Hilfling Petersen: 9. april 1940 - hele historien. The Danish authorities took an active part in the development and even initiated negotiations on a customs union. The Danish government was later able to renegotiate the Germans' arbitrary exchange rate between the German military currency and the Danish krone to reduce this problem.[15]. The flat territory of Jutland was a perfect area for the German army to operate in, and the surprise attack on Copenhagen had made any attempt to defend Zealand impossible. On 23 November, the Wehrmacht in Denmark was put on alert and Renthe-Fink met Stauning and Foreign Minister Munch at 10 AM stating that there would be no room for "parliamentary excuses". The country, at least certain sections of it, did so well that it has been open to the accusation of profiteering from the war. Scavenius was a diplomat, not an elected politician, and had an elitist approach to government. Those negotiations failed on the question whether the Danish krone should be abolished.[40]. The Danes tried to escape on motorcycles[16] but the Germans surrounded them with armoured vehicles and captured them. There was sporadic fighting between the Danish and German armies. The National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark participated in the 1943 Danish Folketing election, but despite significant support from Germany it only received 2.1% of the votes.[5]. The army was allowed to maintain 2,200 men, as well as 1,100 auxiliary troops. [36] Estimates vary for the amounts of currency simply destroyed by its owners. [citation needed]. Colonel C.P. It was liberated by british army units on 5. may 1945. After the war, 40,000 people were arrested on suspicion of collaboration. The Danish government complied. [50] Some historians argue that the relatively accommodating policy which did not actively resist the occupation was the only realistic way of safeguarding Danish democracy and people. Stauning agreed on these terms since it would effectively make the signing meaningless. The cabinet sent a car to pick up Scavenius at the ferry, to avoid his riding the train alone to Copenhagen. LIBERATION On 4 May 1945 at 20.35 it was announced on British radio that the German troops in Holland, North-West Germany and Denmark had surrendered. [17] He was afraid that emotional public opinion would destabilize his attempts to build a compromise between Danish sovereignty and the realities of German occupation. German authorities became increasingly exasperated with this position but concluded that any attempt to remove or mistreat Jews would be "politically unacceptable. [citation needed], After the end of hostilities, over two thousand German prisoners of war were made to clear the vast minefields that had been laid on the west coast of Jutland, nearly half of them being either killed or wounded in the process. [32] Werner Best accepted this suggestion, but on condition that this camp was built close to the German border. In July 1945, two months after the liberation of Denmark, the Danish Parliament passed an emergency law initiating a currency reform, making all old banknotes void. It was hit several more times, but was able to fire back. Throughout the years of its hold on power, the government consistently refused to accept German demands regarding the Jews. He felt that these people were vain, seeking to build their own reputations or political careers through emotionalism. Due to the Occupation, the National Bank of Denmark was compelled to exchange German currency for Danish notes, effectively granting the Germans a gigantic unsecured loan with only vague promises that the money would eventually be paid, something which never happened. Some 1,850 sailors died. 'Denmark Fights for Freedom', film about the Danish resistance movement from 1944. After the defeat of Poland within a month . File photo: Jens Nrgaard Larsen/Scanpix Denmark. Denmark was in an untenable position in any event, however. (ret.) In October 1942, Adolf Hitler transmitted a long, flattering birthday telegram to King Christian. Yet on the whole, Denmark can be said to have suffered the least of all the European combatants from the war. On 9 April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weserbung. The German debt had accumulated due to an arrangement with the Danish central bank, in which the German occupation forces could draw on a special account there to pay their bills from Danish suppliers. [14] The following day, the island of Bornholm was occupied without incident. The Germans later succeeded in raising and refitting 15 of the sunken ships. Denmark thus became an occupied country controlled by Nazi Germany. Just over 3,000 Danes died as a direct result of the occupation. The Danish government was also able to stall negotiations over the return of South Jutland to Germany, ban "closed-rank uniformed marches" that would have made nationalist German or Danish Nazi agitation more possible, keep National Socialists out of the government, and hold a relatively free election, with decidedly anti-Nazi results, in the middle of the war. Database (in Danish) of Danish seamen and soldiers in military service with the allies. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December 1939. It was only because the officers argued that even if they succeeded in expelling the initial Germans troops from the capital, further overwhelming forces would arrive, that the Guardsmen abandoned the attempt. In September 1943, a variety of resistance groups grouped together in the Danish Freedom Council, which coordinated resistance activities. Only very few stayed in Denmark for good. The Danish cabinet handed in its resignation, although since King Christian never officially accepted it, the government remained functioning de jure until the end of the war. Henning Poulsen, Dansk Modstand og Tysk Politik ("Danish opposition and German Politics") in, Phil Giltner, The Success of Collaboration: Denmarks Self-Assessment of its Economic Position after Five Years of Nazi Occupation, in, Jerry Voorhis, Germany and Denmark: 194045,. At 4:15 on the morning of 9 April 1940, German forces crossed the border into neutral Denmark. Armour and motorcycles followed, and rapidly advanced to and captured the Storstrm Bridge together with the paratroopers. Colonel Lunding from the Danish army's intelligence office later confirmed that Danish intelligence knew the attack would be coming on either 8 or 9 April and had warned the government accordingly. [15] Many were killed and imprisoned because of their work resisting the German authorities. Eventually the anti-tank platoon was forced to withdraw to Aabenraa. Iceland and the other islands were under . The German Reich was formally represented by a Reichsbevollmchtigter ('Reich Plenipotentiary'), i.e. With the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, Norway again declared itself neutral. Seven kilometers (miles) north of Lundtoftbjerg, one motorcycle and two bicycle platoons arrived at Bjergskov at around 05:00. The government remained somewhat intact, and the parliament continued to function more or less as it had before. Frslev Prison Camp was set up in August 1944. Soldiers swarmed inland and cut telephone lines. The Danish government and king functioned as relatively normal in a de facto protectorate over the country until 29 August 1943, when Germany placed Denmark under direct military occupation, which lasted until the Allied victory on 5 May 1945. (2002). May 5, 2015 marks the 70thanniversary of the liberation of Denmark from Nazi Germany, so the latest installment of American Chimera's e-archeology project of digging up my old Manion's International Auction House listings and Trendline articles features a special piece published in 2000.
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