On the morning of April 9, 1940, German forces crossed the border into neutral1 Denmark, in direct violation of a German-Danish treaty of nonaggression2 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 Jews. However, the Danish government 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 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 …show more content…
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
Within the first years of the German occupation3
,
the Germans had often raised the question of the status of the Danish Jews. However, the Danish government 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 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 …show more content…
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