Vol 3 1999 - Article

Did the Danes collaborate with the Germans during World War II?  What were the consequences for the Danish Jews?

Paul Lopresto

On 9 April 1940 Denmark became occupied by German military forces without warning. At the same time the German Ambassador gave an ultimatum to the Danish Government demanding recognition of the occupation and the suspension of all military resistance. This ultimatum also contained a promise that Germany would recognise Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity on the condition that there would be no military resistance. As you can see already, the Danes were in a very weak position from the outset and therefore while there is no doubt there was collaboration with Germany, the alternatives were non-existent for such a small country. For the Danish Jews this action did not really affect them until 1 October 1943 when the order was given for all Jews in Denmark to be rounded up, however this was ultimately a huge failure for a number of reasons which will be discussed later on.

As an historic enemy and small and weak neighbour of Germany, Denmark adopted an extremely cautious attitude towards the Third Reich from 1933 onwards. Within government and ruling circles there was a measure of support for cooperation with Germany, through censorship the media was prevented from expressing criticism of the regime in Germany, however the difficulties of life under Hitler's rule, especially for Jews, were well known. Denmark's reluctance to face a confrontation with the Nazis over the issue of Jewish refugees is highlighted by a speech from K.K. Steinke, the Social-Democratic minister of justice, in which he announced that German Jews did not qualify as refugees and therefore were not entitled to asylum. There were only small protests against this policy says Bent Bludnikow, a Jewish historian at the Danish National Archives. Reasons for this could include a fear of provoking Germany, concern about rising unemployment in Denmark, and a measure of anti-Semitism. This helps show how Denmark had to tread very carefully in most things it did and also adds credence that the Danes had no choice but to collaborate to some degree with Germany.

There is little doubt that the Danish Jews did much better than any of their European counterparts and again there are a number of reasons for this. It would seem that Denmark turned a blind eye to the rest of Europe's Jews but it must be taken into account that Denmark was not in a strong position itself. It could be argued that Denmark did all it could in its position and when you consider that some 98 per cent of the Danish Jewish population survived, Denmark comes out looking very good. Many Jewish survivors believe that this only occurred in Denmark because the Danes have a fundamental sense of humanism and willingness to help people in need. At the same time the Danish policy towards Jewish refugees could be interpreted as the Danes helping their own and not wanting to know about anyone else.

Although Denmark was supposed to retain its sovereignty during the occupation the reality was that a German wish gradually turned into a demand in Danish-German negotiations. In April 1941, Himmler had a conversation with the Danish chief of police, Thune Jacobsen, during which the matter of the Jewish problem in Denmark was raised. Haestrup notes

Perhaps an explanation for this view in Denmark could be due to the fact that the Jewish population was very much assimilated into Danish society and in many instances people only knew of each other as fellow Danes. When you compare this to Germany, where there was a strong Jewish community, in many ways separate from the mainstream community, it may help explain why Danish citizens were so active in assisting their Jewish neighbours. Also the Danish population was not exposed to the anti-Semitic propaganda that the German population had to contend with.

From the outset it would seem quite clear that the Germans had a takeover in mind. It had been understood from the outset that Germany should have the dominant position, however as the Germans began to squeeze Denmark on issues such as the Jews, trade agreements and taxation, Danish nationalism was reinforced. Patriotic songs were sung in large numbers, even though open demonstrations were prohibited, and Germans everywhere were politely cold shouldered or totally ignored. No one could be in any doubt where the Danish population's loyalties lay. King Christian made it his practice to ride his horse alone through Copenhagen every morning to underline his continuing claims for national sovereignty. In fact King Christian rejected many aspects of the occupation, made speeches against the occupying force and became known as a protector of the Jews. This is important when you consider that the Danish Government was seen as betraying Denmark by not resisting the occupation more openly, and therefore King Christian became a prominent figure for the real views of the majority of the Danish population.

The evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden in late September and early October was only possible due to a German, Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz. Duckwitz was a colleague of Werner Best, the German Reich plenipotentiary in Denmark. By 1943 Denmark was the only country in which the Germans had not taken any action against the Jews, at the same time Best was promising the Danes that no action would be taken. However in 1943 the Danish Resistance began a sabotage campaign against the Germans and, when the Danish Government resigned on 29 August, Germany declared a state of emergency. For the Jews it was a dilemma, if they acted and tried to escape it could be used by the Germans to take action against them, if they stayed, the government in which they had placed their trust was no longer there to protect them. Jewish leaders looked scornfully on Jews who tried to escape or took part in resistance activities. However on 31 August a break-in occurred where armed men took possession of the Jewish community's files. On 8 September Werner Best sent a telegram to Berlin that initiated the start of action against the Jews, however when Georg Duckwitz learnt of this he immediately went to Berlin, with Best's knowledge, to stop any action against the Jews; he did not get there in time. On 28 September Duckwitz blew the whistle on the telegram from Best when he told Hans Hedtoft and H.C. Hansen, both prominent Danish politicians, of the impending action against the Jews. This gave the Jews at least three days' notice to escape from Denmark. These actions on the behalf of Georg Duckwitz are without doubt a major factor why so many Danish Jews managed to escape the German concentration camps and without this tip-off it would seem unlikely that the Jewish community would have taken any action to leave Denmark.

After 29 August 1943 Denmark was at boiling point and the Danes had definitely tired of the German presence. Haestrup notes

What this meant was that the Resistance could sabotage free from the Danish police and that Jews could escape to Sweden with much less difficulty. Some Danish coastal police even went as far as spotting German patrol boats instead of apprehending refugees. On 29 September, von Dardell, the Swedish ambassador, announced that Sweden would be open to all Jewish refugees, paving the way for 7,900 people to flee of whom 686 were married to Jews. Although it is hard to estimate, it is obvious that many thousands of Danes were involved in the rescue effort, many who had not been involved in illegal activity before. It is known that hospitals in Copenhagen served as centres of organised rescue, assisting people in getting boats to Sweden. At the same time Georg Duckwitz had organised for much of the German patrol fleet to be in dry dock for repairs, making it easier for the Jews to get across to Sweden. All up the German action on the night of 1 October, the Jewish New Year, netted 284 Jews. On 3 November, Best reported that Denmark was free of Jews. One question remains though and that is how 600 to 700 crossings were made without the German navy catching anyone. In 'Betraying Hitler' it is argued that the German navy had an interest in military action and cared little about civil action, it is a question that remains unanswered.

There is no doubt that the rescue of the Danish Jews is a bright spot on an otherwise bleak landscape, however it was not a complete success. All up 464 Danish Jews were arrested and sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, of these 423 returned and 52 died. Today a number of Danish historians have questioned whether official Danish behaviour towards the Jews during the Nazi era was as unblemished as the country's reputation suggests. Things such as it was mainly due to a tip-off from Duckwitz that Danish authorities got enough warning of the roundup that was about to occur. However it is the official policy of the pre-war years that comes in for most criticism, when thousands of Jews seeking refuge from Hitler's regime were turned away. Bludnikow says, 'Toward Danish Jews, Denmarks's policy was indeed characterized by solidarity and care. But foreign Jews were not treated as generously.' On the other hand the Danish people, including the Jewish community, were in full agreement to pursue a cautious policy towards the regime in Germany.

At a first glance it would appear that the Danes did collaborate with Germany, however once you begin to examine the details you begin to realise that initially this may have been the case but it was done under duress. Once Germany tried to influence the democratic Danes on issues like taxation, the Jewish problem and trade, Denmark began to try and break away from this, firstly using peaceful methods and eventually using sabotage. In regard to the Jews of Denmark, at first glance the Danes look very good for saving 98 per cent of its Jewish population. When you consider the position it was in as an occupied country this is quite commendable. However when you see that the Danish attitude to foreign Jews was similar to most other countries at the time, it does take some of the gloss off what was achieved with the local population. Denmark definitely did something to help certain Jews, what remains is how many more lives they could have saved.

References

Derry, T.K. (1979), A History of Scandinavia, Allen and Unwin.
Glyn Jones, W. (1970), Denmark, Ernest Benn Ltd.
Goldberger, Leo (1987), The Rescue of the Danish Jews, New York University Press.
Haestrup, J. (1976), Secret Alliance, vol. 1, Odense University Press.
Thomas, J.O. (1975), The Giant Killers: The Story of the Danish Resistance Movement 1940-45, Michael Joseph London.
SBS (1995), 'Betraying Hitler: Holocaust in Denmark', Audio Visual, 11 May.