Occupation of Denmark

Germany's occupation of Denmark was commenced by Operation Weserübung 9 April 1940, and lasted until the German forces were withdrawn at the end of World War II following their surrender to Allied forces. The occupation ended on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupations during the war, most Danish institutions continued to function relatively unaffected until 1943. The Danish government remained in the country in an uneasy relationship between a democratic and a totalitarian system until German authorities dissolved the government following a wave of strikes.

Invasion

The occupation of Denmark was never an important objective for the German government. The decision to occupy their small northern neighbour was made to facilitate the invasion of the strategically more important Norway; and as a means against the awaited British campaign in Norway. German military planners believed that a base in the northern part of Jutland, most importantly the airfield of Ålborg, would be essential in the invasion of Norway, and began plannng an occupation of parts of Denmark, but as late as February 1940, the decision to occupy Denmark had not yet been taken. The issue was finally settled when Hitler personally crossed out the words die Nordspitze Jütlands (the Northern tip of Jutland) and replaced them with Dä, a German abbreviation for Denmark.

Related Topics:
Occupation - Denmark - British campaign in Norway - Jutland - Airfield - Ålborg

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Although the Danish territory of South Jutland was home to a significant German minority, and the province had been regained from Germany as a result of a plebiscite as part of the hated Versailles Treaty, Germany was in no apparent urgency to reclaim it. In a vaguer and much more long term way some Nazis hoped to incorporate Denmark into a greater "Nordic Union" at some stage, but there was no serious plan of that sort.

Related Topics:
South Jutland - Plebiscite - Versailles Treaty - Germany

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On 4:15 in the morning of 9 April 1940 (Danish standard time), German forces crossed the border to neutral Denmark, in direct violation of a German-Danish treaty of non-aggression signed the previous year. In a coordinated operation, German ships began disembarking troops at the docks in Copenhagen. Although outnumbered and with poor equipment, soldiers in several parts of the country fought back, most importantly the Royal Guards in Copenhagen, units in South Jutland, and the garrison in Odense.

Related Topics:
9 April - 1940 - Neutral - Copenhagen - South Jutland - Odense

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Sixteen Danish soldiers died defending Denmark, but after only two hours of military resistance the Danish government surrendered believing that resistance was useless and hoping to work out an advantageous agreement with Germany. The flat territory of Jutland, immediately adjacent to Germany, was a perfect area for the German army to operate in, and the sneak attack on Copenhagen had made any attempt to defend Zealand impossible. The Germans had also been quick in establishing control over the bridge across the Little Belt, thus gaining access to the island of Funen. The German forces were technologically sophisticated and large; the Danish armed forces tiny in comparison and using obsolete equipment, partially a result of a pre-war policy of trying to avoid antagonizing Germany. Even stiff resistance from the Danes would not have lasted long. Believing that further resistance would only result in the futile loss of even more Danish lives, the Danish cabinet ultimately decided to bow to the German pressure "under protest". As a result of the rapid turn of events, the Danish government did not have the time to officially declare war on Germany.

Related Topics:
Surrendered - Jutland - Zealand - Little Belt - Funen

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The occupation happend so rapidly that most Danes got out of bed without realizing that their country had been already been occupied. To the rest of the world these events seemed perplexing, almost as if Denmark's Social Democratic government had sided with Germany. However, the Danes were generally pro-British and possessed a historical antagonism towards Germany, making the German incursion widely unpopular. People, however, were divided about what would be the best policy toward Germany.

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