Danish resistance movement

Danish Resistance
Part of European theatre of World War II and Occupation of Denmark

Danish resistance fighters battling German soldiers 5 May 1945. Flakhaven, Odense (left), Danish SS soldiers disarmed by resistance fighters in Copenhagen, 1945 (right)
DateNonviolent resistance:
9 April 1940 – 29 August 1943
Violent resistance:
August 29, 1943 – 5 May 1945
Location
Denmark
Result German Surrender
Liberation of Denmark
Landing at Bornholm
Belligerents

Denmark Danish resistance groups

 Denmark (from 1943)
Denmark Occupation Government (until 1943)
Nazi Germany Germany
Commanders and leaders
Denmark Frode Jakobsen
Denmark Bent Faurschou Hviid 
Denmark Marius Fiil 
Denmark Povl Falk-Jensen
Denmark Various Danish resistance leaders

Nazi Germany Leonhard Kaupisch
Nazi Germany Werner Best
Nazi GermanyDenmark Frits Clausen 

Denmark Christian Frederik von Schalburg 
Units involved
Denmark Danish Brigade in Sweden

Schalburg Corps
Nazi Germany Heer soldiers
Nazi Germany Gestapo
Nazi Germany Kriegsmarine
Waffen-SS

Casualties and losses
about 850 resistance fighters
600 Danish civilians

The Danish resistance movements (Danish: Den danske modstandsbevægelse) were an underground insurgency to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the initially lenient arrangements, in which the Nazi occupation authority allowed the democratic government to stay in power, the resistance movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale than in some other countries.

Members of the Danish resistance movement were involved in underground activities, ranging from producing illegal publications to spying and sabotage. Major groups included the communist BOPA (Danish: Borgerlige Partisaner, Civil Partisans) and Holger Danske, both based in Copenhagen. Some small resistance groups such as the Samsing Group and the Churchill Club also contributed to the sabotage effort. Resistance agents killed an estimated 400 Danish Nazis, informers and collaborators until 1944. After that date, they also killed some German nationals.

In the postwar period, the Resistance was supported by politicians within Denmark and there was little effort to closely examine the killings. Studies in the late 20th and early 21st centuries revealed cases of improvised and contingent decision making about the targets, including morally ambiguous choices.[citation needed][clarification needed] Several important books and films have been produced on this topic.


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