In Sweden it was the same story: “Go away. You are not wanted.”
When Denmark was occupied by the Germans on the 9th of April, 1940, the Danish government requested all Danes to behave nicely and not to trouble or disturb the Wehrmacht (the German protectorate). This resulted in very few skirmishes between Danish and German soldiers. Some Danish soldiers did fight at the border with Germany; and around the king’s castle in Copenhagen the soldiers defended the castle.
Denmark was allowed – contrary to other countries – to keep its government which still administered the country. Denmark did not have a ‘Jewish problem’ as the civilian German administrator, Dr. Werner Best, wrote to Hitler. The Jews in Denmark were fully integrated into Danish society and behaved like any other Dane. But even the well-established Jews looked down on the poor immigrant Jews who had arrived in Denmark between 1920 and 1940.
During the German occupation the Jews in Denmark did not have to wear the detested yellow star of David. They kept their jobs both in the public and the private sectors. Jewish children went to school and university as before.
In the beginning there wasn’t much of a resistance going on in Denmark, but after the detention of the Danish communists in 1941 the Resistance started in earnest. Those communists who had escaped went into hiding and began organizing the resistance all over the country.
The resistance gained more and more popular support and sabotage increased.
In August 1943, a general strike erupted. It was partly triggered by international events; many were of the opinion that the war would be finished soon – and partly because of a severe curfew.
The Germans wanted peace and quiet in Denmark. Therefore, they did not retaliate, but yielded to the demands of the people. One reason was that Germany looked upon Denmark as an Aryan country, a sort of Nordic branch of Germany.
Another reason was that exhausted German troops from the Eastern frontier were sent to Denmark to regain weight. (Some Historians are now of the opinion that if Denmark had resisted the Germans from day one, and burned our food, the second World War might not have lasted so long!)
Everything was prepared for the deportation of the Jews. German ships were gathered in the harbour of Copenhagen to transport the Jews to Germany. Only four hundred and eighty-one Jews were captured and sent to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp for Jews only. Most of these came back alive after the war; but fifty-three of that group died in the concentration camp.
The Danish Prime Minister, Scavenius, tried to get Denmark through the war with as little loss as possible. The Government resigned in 1943, as they did not want to take as tough a line as requested by the German occupiers. On August 29th, the German commander-in-chief, general Hermann von Hanneken, presented a declaration saying that the Wehrmacht had taken over the executive power, and that the government was without power of authority. The country was now ruled by the heads of the civil service.
The soldiers of the Danish army and navy were rounded up and put in a camp in Denmark, but the law courts and the police were left intact. Later, the Germans put out an order for the police to be arrested on the 19th September 1944. Luckily, most of the approximately 10.000 policemen were warned and escaped to Sweden. Only 1960 police were arrested.
The marines succeeded in sinking some of the navy vessels and sail the rest to Sweden – against orders coming from the Danish government.
As the tide of war was changing at the end of 1943 the Swedes – who were technically neutral – dared to act openly against the interests of Germany. Until then, trains carrying German troops had been allowed through Sweden, as well as iron ore from Norway. The Swedish opinion also turned around – which was the reason Danish Jews and people from the resistance groups were welcomed. During the whole of the occupation many of the Danish resistance fled to Sweden. Some resistance people even travelled back and forth; if they had to go to meetings in Stockholm.
It is said that a German embassy official, Duckwitz, warned the leader of the social democrats, Hans Hedtoft, of the order to deport all the Jews from Denmark. Hedtoft in turn warned the Resistance as well as the Chief Rabbi. When they arrived at the synagogue it was discovered that the list, containing the names and addresses of all the Jews in Denmark, had been stolen: Therefore, people bicycled round town warning the Jews, who in turn warned others. As it was Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) the Jews found it very difficult to believe, as until this point, the Germans had not harassed them. Most Jews lived in the capital, Copenhagen.
People
Jacov Steinovitych, antique shop owner, Heidelberg, born 1905, Poland
Leah, his wife, born 1910, Poland
Ursula, born 02.11.1930, Germany
Inga/Sarah born 1.10.1943, Denmark
Ruben Birnstein, surgeon, moved to Denmark in 1934, born 1904, Germany
Hannah, his wife, b. 1909, Poland
Isaac, born 12.12. 1928, Germany, psychologist
Gustav Carlsen, born 1912, fisherman
Marie, his wife, born 1914, housewife
Adopted Inga/Sarah in 1945, librarian
Ingeborg Hansen, Marie’s mother, born 1892, Denmark died 1958
Mogens Holm, married to Inga/ Sarah. Psychiatrist, born June 1934
Claire, their daughter, born 5.8.1970, Bonholm
Clara Holm, Mogens’ sister, born 1942, died 1977, librarian
Ellen Birk, Claire’s friend, born 2.2.1970
Dr. Heinz Müller. born 1909
Helene, his wife, born 1911
Ingela, their daughter, born 1930
Petter, Isaac’s friend
Kirsten, Claire’s teacher
Karin, Claire’s girlfriend, Bornholm
Claires school mates: Peter, Lissy, Jens, Lily, Karen, Lise, Mette etc.
German glossary:
aber but
bist du ein Schumacher are you a shoemaker
Dummkopf stupid head
gehen go
Ich I
Ja yes
kleine little
Knabe boy
liebe darling
liebschen darling
mein my
natürlich of course
nein no
schnell quickly
schreiben write
verstehe understand
wir we
wunderbar wonderful
About the Author
Rikke Barfod has a bachelor degree in Education, English and Italian, has translated films and children’s books and is now a member of writing groups in both Denmark and England.
As a writer, she has revisited and used fragments of her own life as inspiration. Born during WWII in Denmark, her experiences growing up during the immediate aftermath of a world war, impressed her deeply. This book indeed brings some ‘skeletons out of the cupboard’.
Barfod travels a lot and recognizes the adventure in every aspect of her life. She has visited with tigers in India, seen the invisible people in Iceland and on an eight month long journey through the USA with her youngest son, has lived with circus artists, travelling to Hawaii and also with Native Americans in South Dakota.
She lives in Denmark and still travels widely, especially to India where she has life-long friends and is (still) learning Hindi.
https://www.epublishify.com