German military occupation of Denmark during World War II
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Denmark in World War II" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR(August 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Denmark and World War II
Key events
Operation Weserübung
British occupation of the Faroe Islands
British invasion of Iceland
Greenland in World War II
Telegram Crisis
Deportation of the Danish police
1944 explosion in Aarhus
Resistance
Danish resistance movement
Operation Carthage
Aarhus Air Raid
Operation Safari - Battle of Isefjord
Rescue of the Danish Jews - Elsinore Sewing Club
Organizations
Free Corps Denmark
Schalburg Corps
HIPO Corps
Danish Brigade in Sweden
Camps
Frøslev Prison Camp
Horserød camp
Oksbøl Refugee Camp
Seefliegerhorst Aalborg
v
t
e
Nordic states, 1939–1945
Denmark
Weserübung
Denmark
Norway
Valentine (Faroe Islands)
Safari
Isefjord
Bornholm
Finland
Winter War
Continuation War
Silver Fox
Orator
Lapland War
Tanne Ost
Iceland
Fork
Norway
Altmark incident
Weserübung
Denmark
Norway
Alphabet
Heavy water sabotage
Claymore
Kirkenes and Petsamo
Gauntlet
Fritham
Gearbox
Gearbox II
Leader
Zitronella
Attacks on Tirpitz
Petsamo–Kirkenes
Finnmark
At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from occupying the country almost immediately after the outbreak of war, lasting until Germany's defeat. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December 1939.[1] On 9 April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weserübung. The Danish government and king functioned in a relatively normal manner until 29 August 1943, when Germany placed Denmark under direct military occupation, which lasted until the Allied victory on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish institutions continued to function relatively normally until 1945. Both the Danish government and king remained in the country in an uneasy relationship between a democratic and a totalitarian system until 1943 when the Danish government stepped down in protest against German demands that included instituting the death penalty for sabotage.
Just over 3,000 Danes died as a direct result of the occupation.[2] A further 2,000 volunteers of Free Corps Denmark and Waffen-SS, most of whom originated from the German minority of southern Denmark, died fighting on the Eastern Front[3] while 1,072 merchant sailors died in Allied service.[4] Overall, this represents a very low mortality rate compared to other occupied countries and most belligerent countries. Some Danes chose to collaborate during the occupation by joining the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark, Schalburg Corps, HIPO Corps and Peter Group (often with considerable overlap between the participants of the different groups). 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] In Denmark, the occupation period is known as Besættelsen (Danish for "the Occupation" alternatively "the Possession").[6]
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.[7]
^Laursen, Gert (1997). "The Occupation in Numbers". milhist.dk. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
^Christensen, Claus Bundgård; Poulsen, N. B.; Smith, P. S. (2006). Under hagekors og Dannebrog : danskere i Waffen SS 1940–45 [Under Svastika and Dannebrog : Danes in Waffen SS 1940–45] (in Danish). Aschehoug. pp. 492–494. ISBN 978-87-11-11843-6.
^Caruso, Jesper Dahl (20 March 2014). "Oprejsning til danske krigssejlere". nyheder.tv2.dk. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
^"Rigsdagsvalgene i Marts og April 1943" (PDF). Danmarks Statistic. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
^"Besættelsen 1940-45". Faktalink (in Danish). Retrieved 7 January 2023.
^Holland, Tom; Sandbrook, Dominic (15 December 2022). "284. Denmark: The Great Escape". The Rest Is History (Podcast).
and 28 Related for: Denmark in World War II information
Almost every country in the world participated inWorldWarII. Most were neutral at the beginning, but only a relative few nations remained neutral to...
At the beginning of WorldWarII, Iceland was a sovereign kingdom in personal union with Denmark, with King Christian X as head of state. Iceland officially...
following is a list of Denmark military equipment of WorldWarII which includes artillery, vehicles and vessels. WorldWarII was a global war that was under...
military operations in the Nordic countries during WorldWarII Invasion of Denmark and Norway (April–June 1940) Continuation war (June 25, 1941 – September...
This is a list of war crimes committed during WorldWarII. The Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan) were some of the most systematic...
timeline of declarations of war during WorldWarII. A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another. The declaration...
on 1 September 1939, starting WorldWarII. The Soviets invaded eastern Poland on 17 September. Following the Winter War with Finland, the Soviets were...
during WorldWarII. Due to the initially lenient arrangements, in which the Nazi occupation authority allowed the democratic government to stay in power...
This is a list of Danish aircraft of WorldWarII. Nazi Germany banned Denmark from having aircraft when they occupied the country, so you will not find...
Before the war, Greenland was a tightly controlled colony of Denmark, otherwise closed off to the rest of the world. After the invasion of Denmark on 9 April...
members of notable groups of WorldWarII veterans, as identified by reliable sources. About 70 million people fought inWorldWarII between 1939 and 1945....
military history of the United States during WorldWarII covers the nation's role as one of the major Allies in their victory over the Axis Powers. The United...
WorldWarII or the Second WorldWar was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all the...
aftermath of WorldWarII saw the rise of two global superpowers, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US). The aftermath of WorldWarII was also...
territory. The Soviet attempt to conquer Finland in the Winter War was thwarted, and by the end of WorldWarII, Finland remained an independent country. However...
United Kingdom inWorldWarII covers the Second WorldWar against the Axis powers, starting on 3 September, 1939 with the declaration of war by the United...
took back control of the country in 1945–1946. In looking at the broad picture of Southeast Asia at the end of WorldWarII, the different political philosophies...
died inWorldWarII. Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck, former Commander-in-Chief, India, stated that Britain "couldn't have come through both wars [World...
during WorldWarII begins with the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939. While the Canadian Armed Forces were eventually active in nearly every...
The participation of Italy in the Second WorldWar was characterized by a complex framework of ideology, politics, and diplomacy, while its military actions...
After WorldWarII both West Germany and East Germany were obliged to pay war reparations to the Allied governments, according to the Potsdam Conference...