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Danish Resistance During By Hans Holmskov Schlüter 2007

The events discussed in this informational text take place in the middle of World War II, after the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway declared that they would not take sides in the war. Despite this declaration, Germany invaded Denmark – and despite the still fresh memories and destruction of World War I, Denmark immediately resisted the (as best as they could, since Germany far outnumbered them). Germany was a country that had broken a “we won’t mess with you” treaty— a country that had bullied other countries and their citizens, and had even used its to kill thousands. This article describes one example of citizen-led resistance against the powerful country of Germany during WWII. As you read, take notes on the specific ways that the Danish people resisted the Nazis, and the impact this had on Jewish citizens.

[1] On the morning of April 9, 1940, German forces crossed the border into neutral1 Denmark, in direct violation of a German-Danish treaty of non- aggression2 signed the previous year. […]

Within the first years of the German occupation3, the Germans had often raised the question of the status of the Danish . However, the Danish had consistently refused to engage in any debate on the “Jewish question”4 as they insisted there existed no “Jewish question” in Denmark. […]

As the war dragged on, the Danish population "Spectators at the former German headquarters in Copenhagen, destroying a swastika flag" is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. became increasingly hostile5 to the Germans. Nazi soldiers stationed in Denmark had found most of the population cold and distant from the beginning of the occupation, but their willingness to cooperate had made the relationship workable.

The Danish government had attempted to discourage sabotage6 and violent resistance to the occupation, but by the autumn of 1942 the number of violent acts of resistance were increasing steadily to the point that Germany declared Denmark “enemy territory” for the first time.

1. Neutral (adjective): not taking a side 2. Aggression (noun): violent behavior or attitudes toward another; readiness to attack or confront 3. Here, “occupation” refers to the act of taking over a territory by military force. 4. Meaning, the question of what to do about the Danish Jews 5. Hostile (adjective): very unfriendly; argumentative and possibly even violent 6. (noun): the act of destroying or ruining something on purpose 1 [5] On August 29, 1943, Nazi SS7-General Werner Best declared martial law8 and demanded the introduction of capital punishment.9 Soon after, Best also decided to launch plans to arrest Jews. On September 8, he sent a telegram to Berlin: “The time has come to turn our attention to the solution of the Jewish question.” When final orders for the raid10 arrived from Berlin on September 28, Best informed his confidant,11 Georg Duckwitz, that Jews would be rounded up within two days, on the night between October 1 and 2.

Duckwitz leaked the information to Danish politicians and the news spread like wildfire through friends, business acquaintances, and strangers wanting to help. Ordinary citizens all over the country offered refuge12 in churches, attics, and country homes, and residences. Complete strangers walked up to Jews on the street to offer keys to their apartment. Medical staff hid more than 1,000 Jews in Copenhagen13 hospitals.

On the night of the raid, Germans only found 284 Jews out of almost 8,000 in the population.

The Jews were smuggled out of Denmark by transporting them by sea over the Øresund14 from Zealand15 to Sweden, a passage of approximately 10 miles. Some were transported in large fishing boats of up to 20 tons, but others were carried to freedom in rowboats or kayaks. Some refugees were smuggled inside freight cars on the regular ferries between Denmark and Sweden, this route being suited for the very young or old who were too weak to endure a rough sea passage. The underground had broken into empty freight cars sealed by the Germans after inspection, helped refugees onto the cars, and then resealed the cars with forged16 or stolen German seals17 to forestall further inspection.

Some of the fishermen assisting in the rescue charged money to transport Jews to Sweden, while others took payments only from those who could afford passage. Some profiteers took advantage of the confusion and fear during the early days of the escape, but as time passed, the Danish underground movement ousted18 them and took an active role in organizing the rescue and providing financing, mostly from wealthy Danes who donated large sums of money for the rescue.

[10] During the first days of the rescue action, Jews swarmed into the many fishing harbors on the Danish coast for rescue, but the Gestapo19 became suspicious of activity around harbors (and on the night of October 1-2, eighty Jews were caught hiding in the loft of the church at Gilleleje, their hiding place betrayed by a Danish girl in love with a German soldier). Subsequent20 rescues had to take place from isolated21 points along the coast. While waiting their turn, the Jews took refuge in the woods and in cottages away from the coast, out of sight of the .

7. SS stands for , Hitler’s organization in . 8. “Martial law” is when a military government takes over a country’s laws. 9. “Capital punishment” refers to the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. 10. “Raid” refers to a sudden attack on an enemy by armed forces in a war. 11. Confidant (noun): a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others 12. Refuge (noun): safe shelter 13. Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark. 14. Øresund is a narrow passage of water that forms the Danish–Swedish border. 15. Zealand is an island in Denmark. 16. Forged (adjective): fake; not the original 17. A German seal was an official marker or message of German ownership/presence. 18. Oust (verb): to drive out or remove (someone) from a position or place 19. The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. 20. Subsequent (adjective): later; coming after 21. Isolated (adjective): far away from other places, buildings, or people 2 In September 1943, the ‘Danish Freedom Council’ was created. This attempted to unify the many different groups that made up the Danish resistance movement. The council was made up of seven resistance representatives and one member of British Special Operations Executive (SOE). The resistance movement grew to over 20,000 and in the lead-up to D-Day,22 acts of sabotage markedly increased. Though the D-Day landings were to be in Normandy, SOE believed that the more German soldiers tied up elsewhere in Europe, the less that could be present in northern France. Therefore, the more acts of sabotage in Denmark, the more German troops would be tied down there.

In 1944, the ‘Danish Freedom Council’ stepped up its efforts and more than 11 million copies of underground newspapers were published. That June, following a declared state of emergency, the entire city of Copenhagen went on strike.23 Infuriated, Germany flooded the city with troops, cut off water and electricity, and established a blockade.24 By July 2, 23 Danes had been killed and more than 203 were wounded. But the dauntless25 Danes persevered. Exasperated, the Germans abandoned these punitive measures by July.

Later that fall, when the Germans tried to deport26 Danish police officials whom they believed were turning a blind eye27 to sabotage and disorder, Copenhagen went on strike again, joined this time by 58 other cities and towns. Unafraid of Gestapo arrests, civilians flocked to the resistance movement. Enrollment exceeded 45,000 at its highest point. In May 1945, war-ravaged Berlin succumbed28 to advancing Allied forces, prompting Germany to abandon Denmark altogether.

"Danish Resistance During the Holocaust", © 2007, Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.

20 Word Summary

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22. D-Day refers to June 6, 1944 – the day in which the Allied forces in World War II landed in Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control. 23. Strike (noun): the act of refusing to go to work as a way to something that is unfair 24. A blockade is the act of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving. 25. Dauntless (adjective): fearless and determined 26. Deport (verb): to kick out a foreigner from a country (usually because they have committed a crime or are in the country illegally) 27. “Turning a blind eye” is an idiom that means pretending you didn’t see something (you did, but won’t admit it). 28. Succumb (verb): to give in; to fail at resisting something 3 Discussion Questions

Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Why do you think Danish citizens risked, and sometimes lost, their lives in order to fight against the /military – even if they weren’t Jewish themselves? Do you think you would have done the same?

2. This article features two acts of betrayal – Georg Duckwitz, who betrayed Nazi General Werner Best by leaking the raid information to the Danish government in order to help save the lives of thousands of Jews (paragraph 6); and the unnamed Danish girl, who betrayed her Jewish countrymen and women by giving away their hiding place to a German soldier with whom she was in love, resulting in the death of 80 Jews (paragraph 10). In the context of this article, what drives a person to betray? Use ACE format for your response.

3. In the context of this article, how are people changed by war? Use ACE format for your response.

4. In the context of this article, were the members of the Danish resistance brave, or just doing the right thing? Use ACE format for your response.

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