The 20th Century, 1900 - 1999 The European Union

1940 World War 2

Like the other Scandinavian countries, Denmark hoped it could stay neutral like it did in the first world war, but an early tuesday morning - the 9th of April 1940 - the Germans occupied Denmark.

Leaflets were telling the Germans were coming to protect Denmark. Denmark didn't do much resistance, because the military power of Germany was too big.

The Royal Danish Airforce was attacked very early in the morning - only one airplane came into the air, but was shot down. The rest of the Danish airplanes were all shot while they were still at the airfield.

To threat the Danes very many bombers were flying rather low over the city of Copenhagen.

The Germans did forgot some places in Denmark that early morning. 200 soldiers could march from Roskilde to Elsinore and entering a ferry going to Sweden.

The Danish commandant thought the Germans also were occupying Sweden.

The 200 soldiers became the basis for the later Danish free brigade, which was trained in Sweden to be fighting in Denmark when the time come.