The 20th Century, 1900 - 1999 The European Union

1943 The resque of the jews

Because of a German shipping expert, G. F. Duckwitz, who worked in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was stationed in Denmark, the Danish was warned about what the Germans wanted to do with the Danish jews.

The jews had during the first 3 years of the German occupation lived in Denmark just as other Danes.

But after the Danish government resigned in August 1943 the Germans wanted Denmark to be "free" of jews, just as they had done in Norway and the other countries the Germans had occupied.

Duckwitz told in September the Danes about the German plans.

The nigth between the 1st and 2nd of October 1943 the German action against the jews began.

Denmark had nearly 7,000 jews living. The Germans had got nearly all adresses of the jews.

But when the germans arrived, they could not find anyone. The Danish people and the Resistance had helped the jews to hide.

During the next 3 month the Danish jews were transported to Sweden from many of the Danish cities and fishing villages. Most of the transport was done by fishing vessels, and when the vessels were near the Swedish border, Swedish vessels were waiting to take the jews to Sweden. Out of the 7,000 jews only about 500 jews were captured by the Germans and sent to Theresienstadt in Bohemia.