Danish resistance movement

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The Danish Resistance Movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Denmark by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale than in some other countries. However, by 1943 many Danes were involved in underground activities ranging from producing illegal publications to spying to violent sabotage.

After the invasion of Denmark on April 9, 1940 (See: Operation Weserübung) the German authorities allowed the Danish government to remain in power. They had a number of reasons for doing so, (See: Occupation of Denmark), but the end result was that they were anxious to showcase Denmark as a "model protectorate." Since the democratically elected Danish government remained in power there was less reason for Danish citizens to fight the occupation than in other countries such as Norway, France, and Poland. Jews remained under the protection of the Danish government, democratically elected politicians remained in power, and the police remained in Danish hands. Although there were changes such as official censorship, prohibitions on dealings with the allies, and the stationing of German troops in the country, daily life remained much the same as it had at first. The Danish government actively discouraged violent resistance because it feared a backlash from German authorities.

Nonetheless, as time went on many Danes organized insurgent groups to oppose the occupation, especially as there was an evolution in Nazi policy. The day the Germans forced the Danish government led by Scavenius to sign the anti-Comintern pact a large protest broke out in Copenhagen. The Number of Danish Nazis was never large and in fact was smaller after the invasion than before. The unpopularity is indicated by the fact that Best never put Fritz Clausen, the head of the DNSAP (Danish Nazi party in power) and "the Fatherland" the Danish Nazi paper was forced out of business. The only way the Fatherland was viable was with German funds and after awhile the Nazis so no reason to provide funds.At first most activities were peaceful, such as the publication of underground newspapers. After the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 communists became actively involved in violence against the occupiers. Various groups made contacts with British authorities and began receiving supply drops. The scarcity of the Supply drops until August 1944 was a point of complaint among the Danish populace, but it was borne out of an ignorance about Danish intentions. Winston Churchill once called Denmark, "Hitler's Pet Canary", and it angered many in Europe that while they were on rations Denmark, for much of the war, ate well and had enough to send surplusses.

As the years went by the number of acts of sabotage and violence grew. In 1943 the number grew exponentially to the point that the German authorities were unsatisfied with Danish authorities' handling of the situation. At the end of August they took over full administration in Denmark, which allowed them to deal with the population as they wished. At the same time that policing became easier for them, more and more people became involved with the movement because they were no longer worried about protecting the Danish government.

That year the movement scored a great success in rescuing 6500 of Denmark's Jewish population of 7000 from the concentration camps by helping them into neutral Sweden. Later, Israel would award members of the movement who arranged the rescue the honor Righteous Among the Nations; at their own request, the rescuers are officially recognized as a collective group. (See: Rescue of the Danish Jews)

Another success was their disruption of the railway network in the country on the days after D-Day, delaying the arrival of troops from Denmark in France. Britain's Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery called the Danish resistance movement "second to none."

By the end of the war the organized resistance movement in Denmark had scored many successes, although slightly more than 850 of their number had been killed for their work either during action, in jails, or in concentration camps.

The Danish National Museum maintains the Museum of Danish Resistance in Copenhagen.

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