Column Vladimir Tulin. Whose side was Denmark in World War II (part 2)

This year marks the 80 years of Denmark's forced entry into World War II. Federal News Agency publishes the second part of a large material, mythic, related to the country under the control of the Third Reich. The first part can be read here..

SS, born of democracy

German Nazis considered Scandinavian inhabitants to be almost the same Aryans as themselves, so, unlike other national parts of the SS, Danish SS men wore SS runes in their lapels and there were no restrictions on their career growth. Lieutenant Colonel Appointed First Commander of Danish SS Volunteer Corps Kristian Peder Cruising, received, respectively, the title of obershturmbannführer SS. However, he did not command the corps for long - 8 February 1942 years he was removed "for the insufficient level of national-socialist ideology in the corps". He did not return to the Danish army, and continued to serve in the divisions of the SS "Viking" and "Dead Head". 1 August 1943 years he was awarded the rank of SS brigadeführer and thus he was the first foreigner, become SS general. At the end of the war he commanded the artillery of the 3rd Panzer Corps and was captured by the British. Those gave him to the Danish authorities for trial, than put them in an uncomfortable position. After all, Krüssing could recall in court, what exactly they sent him to the SS. Besides, he could recall members of parliament and members of the government, retained their posts after the war, how they visited the SS units he headed and called the Danes who served there “heroes”, defending the homeland from Russian Bolshevism ”. As a result, the brigadenfuhrer was accused of appropriating part of the funds, allocated by the government to the Danish SS Volunteer Corps in 1941-1942 years and sentenced him to five years in prison. But in conclusion, he spent only three years and, coming out of jail in 1948 year, settled near the border with Germany. Crushing still lived 28 years and all this time cursed the Danish government, which by its decision guaranteed many benefits to the SS men, but in the end it gave nothing and deceived not only him, but also the families of his two sons, that, being officers of the Danish army, moved to the SS and died on the Eastern Front.

The next commander of the Danish SS Volunteer Corps Christian Frederick von Schalburg Nazi biography was perfect. At birth, his name was Konstantin Fedorovich von Schallburg and he was born in 1906 year in the Russian Empire. He entered the cadet corps and in 1915 was introduced to Emperor Nicholas II. After the October Revolution, the estate, factories and farms, owned by his father, were nationalized, and the family fled to 1918 year to his homeland in Denmark. Since then he had a great hatred of the Bolsheviks.. He became an officer of the Royal Guard. AT 1930 together with other Danish Nazis, he created the Danish National Socialist Workers' Party (DNSAP).

If in the Third Reich, upon entering the service in the Wehrmacht, all Germans were obliged to suspend their membership in parties, even then, when there were no other parties besides the National Socialist Party, there was nothing like that in pre-war democratic Denmark. In his spare time, von Schallburg could zig and sing “Horst Wessel” in Danish - the party’s anthem in public places at rallies. This went on until 1936 of the year, until he resigned himself, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander, to professionally engage in party work. AT 1939 year he filed a report on the restoration of the royal guard subject to, that he will be sent as a volunteer to Finland to fight with the Red Army. That year, all the so-called democratic countries of Europe sent arms and volunteers to Finland to the future ally of the Third Reich. Denmark sent 800 volunteers and among them was von Schallburg. It was in Finland that he recognized, that Denmark came under the control of the so beloved German Nazis, and in April 1941 years he swore allegiance to the Fuhrer of Germany Adolf Hitler upon joining the SS Viking division. 22 June 1941 years, he began to fight against our army near Lviv. Von Schallburg was a violent anti-Semite, was married to a German, and his sister Vera was an agent of the German military intelligence Abwehr, abandoned in the UK. About, that the british reverted her, the Germans did not know yet. And most importantly, von Schallburg really liked Hitler in person 1 Martha 1942 of the year.

For a long time he did not have to command the Danish SS Volunteer Corps. He arrived at the front 8 May 1942 years and joined the SS division "Dead Head", which was in the Demian boiler, where the corridor has just been broken. 2 June von Schallburg was first blown up by a mine, and then came under Soviet artillery fire. As a result, pieces of his body were collected throughout the village of Byakovo. A funeral ceremony was held in Copenhagen in his honor, attended by members of the royal family and government.

The next corps commander is the German Obersturmbannfuhrer SS Hans von Lettow-Forbeck quickly repeated the fate of von Schalburg. 9 June 1942 years he took command, and already 11 June, the Soviet army sent him to heaven. Dane again took his place - SS Obersturmbannführer Knud Berge Martinsen. When in August 1942 the Danish SS corps was taken out of the Demian boiler, it turned out, that his losses amounted to 78% personnel. He was sent to Denmark to replenish. In Copenhagen, they arranged a solemn meeting.

Replenished with new volunteers, corps in October 1942 years went back to the Eastern Front. Till March 1943 years he was in the area of ​​Great Onions, where he again suffered heavy losses and was withdrawn to Germany. This time there were no new volunteers to replenish it, and 20 May 1943 years he was disbanded. Those few SS men, who decided to continue to fight with the Soviet troops were sent to the SS division “Nordland”. In its composition, they initially fought against the Yugoslav partisans of Marshal Iosif Broz Tito, then near Leningrad and in the Baltic, and capitulated her remains in Berlin. In total, more than died in battles with the Soviet army 2000 Danes, 567 captured.

In Denmark, usually called the head of the USSR Joseph Stalin bloody tyrant, while forgetting, in May 1945 years he had the full moral and legal right to demand compensation from their country for, what her government created, armed and sent a unit of several thousand people to fight against the USSR. This requirement would sound very weighty., if consider, that his troops were already on the Danish island of Bornholm, for whose liberation from the Germans they gave their lives 30 Soviet soldiers.

Most SS Danes, led by their commander Knud Martinsen, returned to Denmark and created the SS Schalburg corps, which helped the Germans fight the resistance movement that appeared in the country. Knud Martinsen was arrested at his home on the day the Germans surrendered in Denmark. However, the investigation and trial took more than four years.. The Danish authorities had the same problems with him., like with christian crussing. He was also convicted not for serving Hitler and war crimes, and two murders. In March 1944 years, right at the headquarters of the SS "Schalburg" corps, he shot dead an SS man, who was his wife's lover, and later, after a quarrel, killed another of his subordinates. 25 June 1949 years Knud Martinsen shot.

All in Denmark for the collaboration with the Nazis were shot 45 human. Most of them are from the SS Schalburg corps and were shot for secret killings.. By the year 1944 the Gestapo and other German punitive bodies could not punish the Danes themselves, and the worse things were for Germany on the Soviet front, the softer the verdicts of the Danish courts against the members of the Resistance. Therefore, the Germans secretly created “death squads” from the Danish SS men, who killed those, who they didn’t like. the, what the Danish SS men did in the USSR, the post-war authorities of this country were not interested.

And the Danes are full, and the Jews are safe

Denmark loves to remember two events, occurred during the stay of German troops there. The first is horse riding Christian x Copenhagen supposedly with a bandage, on which was the six-pointed star of David, in solidarity with the Jews, which the German invaders forced to wear such bandages. This is a clear fabrication., since the Germans did not require any bandages from Danish Jews. Myth, obviously, born from the words of the king, what he said in September 1942 years when visiting the synagogue: “If the Jews of Denmark are forced to wear a symbol, what sets them apart from others, then my family and I will also wear this symbol ”. And horseback riding lasted only until 19 October 1942 of the year. That day the king fell from his horse and became disabled. he was 72 of the year. The British Air Force immediately informed the Danes, that the Germans forbade the king to ride a horse and communicate with the people.

The second event is the mass rescue of Jews, whom the German Nazis planned to send to concentration camps, and the Danes transported them by sea to Sweden. There were few Jews in Denmark - about 7800, since the democratic pre-war government of Denmark banned the entry of Jewish refugees from the Third Reich into the country. Really, 7220 Jews and 680 their non-Jewish relatives were transported across the strait to Sweden. But there are also interesting circumstances.. Immediately striking is the general "blindness" of all German structures in Denmark, not noticed, like in three days with 29 September 1 October 1943 thousands of years sailed to Sweden from the protected coast. Of course there were separate failures. So, the mistress of the German officer issued 80 Jewish, awaiting departure in the attic of a church in the village of Hillelei. Forty other Jews were captured by Danish police and border guards, but this is not comparable with the number of those, who got to sweden.

According to official Danish historiography, The savior of Danish Jews was a naval attache at the Third Reich Embassy in Denmark Georg Ferdinand Dukvic, recognized in Israel as the righteous of the world. He found out 11 September 1943 of the year, the night of 1 on 2 October there will be a raid on the Jews, after which they will be taken from Denmark to German concentration camps. Dukwits managed to go to Sweden and agree with the authorities of this country on the reception of Danish Jews, and then announced the upcoming deportation to the leadership of the ruling Danish Social Democrats.

The story is beautiful, if you do not pay attention to certain facts. Georg Dukwitz joined the Nazi party in 1932 year, that is, even before Hitler came to power, and therefore, he became a Nazi, not for career reasons, hard to believe, that these beliefs allowed such love for the Jews, that for their sake he risked his life. Besides, 11 September 1943 Only one person knew the date of the upcoming deportation of Jews throughout Denmark - the imperial commissioner Werner Best. Dukwitz himself admitted, that it was he who informed him of the date and ordered secretly to transfer this to the Danish and Swedish government in 1948 at the trial of Best in Copenhagen, and this actually saved his former boss from the death penalty.

In fact, it is Best - the savior of Danish Jews, but Israel could not proclaim the former Obergruppenführer SS righteous. In addition, in the biography of Best there are many facts, testifying to his "great love" for the Jewish people: he was one of the organizers of the Jewish pogrom in 1938 year, made history as “Crystal Night”, created the Einsatzgroup, involved in the execution of Jews in the occupied territories, sent French Jews to concentration camps.

The question arises: why did two Nazis suddenly decide to save Danish Jews? Likely, they simply carried out a secret order, coming from Berlin, and they rightly believed, that because of the Danish media, the deportation of Jews will not succeed, and therefore, there will be an international scandal and neighboring Sweden will be most indignant. And just then the question was solved, will it continue to supply iron ore to Germany. The cunning operation did not help - in October 1943 Swedish iron ore supplies ceased.

This fact is also in favor of this version., that no one was punished for the mass escape of Jews. That's Werner Best in his report to Berlin 5 October 1943 years wrote: “Since the primary task of Jewish actions in Denmark was to de-Judaize the country, not a successful bounty hunt, should be concluded, that this Jewish action has fully fulfilled its task ”. Werner Best was later tried in Copenhagen and sentenced to 12 years in prison, but in 1951 he was released "because of an incurable fatal disease", which did not stop him from living yet 38 years. AT 1969 year he was arrested in Germany at the request of Poland, who sought his extradition for trial for war crimes, but again due to "poor health" extradition was refused, and he was released in 1972 year.

All Danish history books are colorfully described., how the Danes suffering under German occupation rushed en masse to save Jews, forwarding them to Sweden. In this case, it does not say anywhere, what did the Danes do not disinterestedly. But this is stated by a professor of political science from the Danish University of Aarhus Peter Nansted: “Fishermen transported Jews to Sweden for a lot of money. For the transfer of one person required amount, equal to the annual salary of a highly qualified specialist ". This is confirmed in his memoirs and Knud Dubuet, who during the years of the war was in the resistance movement and served in the police. Many Danes recalled huge lines to notaries in Copenhagen at the end of September 1943 of the year. It was the Jews who sold their housing for nothing, to buy a place in a fishing boat.

This is indirectly confirmed by the fact, what from 481 a Jew, deported by the Nazis from Denmark, more 200 were from a Jewish nursing home on Kristalgade Street in Copenhagen. They were not taken out, although they did not have to be brought together, Yes, and Copenhagen is located right on the shore of a narrow strait, separating Denmark from Sweden. Obviously they just didn't have money. Danish Jews were not sent to gas chambers, and to the Terezin concentration camp, mild, since the Nazis drove international commissions here. 15 April 1945 years surviving 425 Jews were returned to Denmark by Swedish Red Cross buses. One of these buses is now the main exhibit of the Historical Museum of the Swedish city of Malmo.

We are not guilty - the Germans themselves came!

Gradually, cracks began to appear in Danish-German relations. December 1941 Danish Nazi party DNSAP received assistance from the Third Reich in the amount of 300 one thousand dollars, and two months later announced, that he will no longer send his activists to serve in the SS due to the high losses among them on the Eastern Front. Reichsfuhrer SS Heinrich Himmler was greatly outraged.

In September 1942 King of Denmark Christian X visits synagogue, and then, in response to Hitler’s long birthday greetings, he answered very succinctly: "Thank. King Cr. ". The Führer was furious and sent the Danish ambassador from Berlin. To reassure Hitler, the king announced, that he didn’t send a response telegram, and on his behalf the Prime Minister Wilhelm Bul, succeeding the deceased Torvalda Stauning, and fired him.

Although the official history of Denmark claims, what country with 1940 by 1945 year was under German occupation, it didn’t stop 23 Martha 1943 next parliamentary elections, in which participated 89,5% of voters. Werner Best decided, that once the number of DNSAP after entering German troops in Denmark increased from 5 to 21,5 thousand, that is, the possibility of her coming to power legally through election victory. The party received more 7 millions of dollars, a 350 its activists trained in Germany. It turned, that despite the 4-fold increase in DNSAP ranks, ee support for the Danish people grew by only 0,3%: at the elections 1939 years she scored 1,8% votes, and in the elections 1943 of the year - 2,1%. She could again send only three deputies from parliament 149. Fearing the wrath of Adolf Hitler and Werner Best, Danish Fuhrer Fritz Clausen volunteered for the Eastern Front. true, as a military doctor and for only six months.

Now they often say: “Once Germany surrendered, no Nazi remained in it, but only the Germans, deceived by Hitler ". But it is in Germany, and in Denmark this was not. There, all the Nazis disappeared two months before the surrender.. In March 1945 SS Schalburg corps and DNSAP self-dissolve. After the surrender of the Third Reich, Fritz Clausen was arrested and prepared to judge, and he was going to prove, that did not violate any Danish law and that was true. But 5 December 1947 it was announced, that he committed suicide. Famous Danish Nazi and anti-Semitic Olga von Eggers He was arrested 16 May 1945 of the year, and the next day, as follows from the official announcement, she fell down the stairs and died.

On the day of the liberation of Denmark, Wilhelm Bühl again became its Prime Minister, previously held this post in May-November 1942 of the year. Thus we can say, what Denmark to, during and after the war, the same people headed. And how then to judge the local Nazis, if the new head of government himself actively collaborated with the Germans? Yes and to whom to judge them? To those judges, that recently sentenced members of the resistance movement?

Creamy Front

Resistance Movement is Another Favorite Topic of Danish Historians, when it comes to the events of World War II in their country. It is believed, that resistance to the invaders began from the day German troops appeared in Denmark - 9 April 1940 of the year. On this day the forester Hans Andreasen dragged a spotlight from a German air defense battery and buried it in the ground. Then he poured acid over a steel cable for several months., holding the locator and eventually the cable exploded and the locator collapsed. This is an active partisan activity in Denmark in 1940 year and ended.

AT 1941 in Aalborg, eight schoolchildren and three young men started fighting 20-26 years, united in an underground group "Churchill Club". They cut the German military cable, threw sugar into the gas tanks of German cars, wrote on those houses, who sold food to the German army the phrase "German speculators", destroyed pointers in German. They managed to drag a box with German mines and 2 May 1942 years at the train station they blew up a wagon, in which there was a wing for an airplane. 8 in May two of the group were captured while trying to pick up a weapon from a German officer’s greatcoat in a cafe. Through them, the Germans went to the rest and transferred all the Danish police. Schoolchildren managed to break out a lattice in a chamber, where were they kept, and every evening went out to continue their underground activities, visited parents, went to the cinema. But in the morning they returned back to the cell. So it went on 19 nights, until it was discovered. Danish court sentenced minor group members to 2-3 years in prison, and adults to 10-15, but everyone lived to the end of the war safely. After her, some wrote books about their struggle, and recently a feature film was shot about them. It is believed, what did they do 25 sabotage stock.

If the activity of Soviet partisans is estimated by the number of Nazis killed and derailed echelons, Danish historians invented the term “sabotage action” to evaluate the activities of their partisans.. When i read, what's the number of sabotage shares in 1943-45 four-digit years, I could not understand, how did Denmark manage to supply such huge quantities of military products to the Third Reich. Then i got it, that any anti-Nazi action falls under this term. Even such, like writing anti-Hitler slogans on fences, slow work in factories and publishing underground newspapers, considered sabotage shares. The last Danes excelled incredibly: already in 1943 the year the total circulation of illegal publications reached 2,6 million. I'm sure, that he would grow further, but reached the country's adult population. Also on weekends, the Danes gathered in the park of Copenhagen and sang patriotic songs, and the Germans had no idea, that this is part of the fight against them.

After after 22 June 1941 the Danish government began sending communists to concentration camps, they went underground and started a fight. Initially, their underground organization was called KORA, the communist partisans., and after the inclusion of students in an underground organization, the thief became civilian partisans. It involved about 400 man and on their account about 1000 sabotage stock, including liquidation 20 Danish Gestapo whistleblowers. They managed to blow up the Torotor radio factory in Ordrup, but it happened 2 January 1945 of the year. 27 Martha 1945 years in Copenhagen they blew up the Langebrew railway bridge and thereby blocked the port exit 17 German warships and merchant ships. This is the largest operation of the Danish Resistance Movement for the war.. There were shares against other enterprises, working at the Wehrmacht, but since there was no German guard on them, then the Germans did not have casualties. During the war, the Nazis killed 60 thief members.

spring 1943 years Danes, fought on the side of Finland in the winter war, created an underground organization Holger Danske. They considered their main task the elimination of the Danish SS men, returning from the Eastern Front. We have an interesting situation: they, who fought against the Soviet Army, at 1940 killed those, who fought against her in 1941-43 years. However, they coped with the task successfully, destroying about 200 German accomplices. weapon, ammunition and financial assistance they received from Britain, in addition, they managed to establish underground production of British Sten assault rifles. They also made small sabotage at enterprises. In the ranks of this organization were about 350 fighters, 64 of them died.

Among them - Jorgen Schmidt. He destroyed several Nazi Danes and burned six German cars and a tank in a garage. It was when trying to arrest him 15 October 1944 years, the Germans suffered the biggest losses for all five years of their stay in Denmark. During the hours of battle, he killed 11 and wounded 10 German soldiers. This 1,5 times more, than the entire Danish army and the Resistance movement for the entire Second World War! In the end, the Germans just set the house on fire, and Jørgen Schmidt burned alive.

Danish historians, usually, speaking of the movement of the Resistance, called the various three-digit numbers of German soldiers, killed in Denmark. However, they include the Germans who died from the Anglo-American bombing., and even dead from wounds in hospitals. Actually, in addition to the heroic resistance of Jorgen Schmit, there were only two more cases of the murder of Germans by small groups of the resistance movement. 7 September 1943 German corporal killed in Copenhagen, and later there was an explosion in the restaurant "Monopol", where was killed 4 and wounded 40 German. And this is for the whole war! Not for nothing that the German soldiers because of the abundance of dairy products and safe conditions of service among themselves called Denmark "creamy front".

In February 1943 years Freedom Council, coordinating resistance movement, called on all clandestine groups to refrain from decisive action until the entry of Allied forces into Denmark. That's just the Anglo-Canadian troops and the 5,000th Danish corps they formed in Sweden entered the country then, when it was decidedly late to act - the Germans capitulated. In that day - 5 May 1945 years on the streets to disarm the Germans and take control of their military property a whole underground army ran out. It revealed, what's in her 43 thousands of Danes.

Hitler again deceived

28 July 1943 years old, an electrician working for english intelligence blew up a mine at a repaired German mine-mine “Linz” at a shipyard in Odense. Danish shipbuilders eliminated the effects of the explosion in four days, but the Germans decided to send their troops to the shipyard to control the workers. This caused a protest., and 11 August strike began, supported by many industrial enterprises throughout Denmark. 15 and 16 In August, Danish workers fought German marines at shipyards in Svenborg and Odense, and only miraculously did without casualties. 23 August all Denmark went on strike.

Werner Best demanded that the Danish government end the strike, damages, imposing curfews and the death penalty for sabotage and sabotage. Fulfill these requirements the government Eric Skavenius was not able, and 29 August resigned to the king. Christian X did not accept resignation, what he liked to remember after the war. It had no practical value: the Germans still dispersed the government and parliament, disarmed and dispersed the Danish army (killing 26 Danish soldiers) and arrested 1960 police officers, who did not actively fight strikers. Strikes stopped.

At the same time, the Germans decided to capture the Danish Navy during Operation Safari.. But there was already another commander - Vice Admiral Oge Wedel, which allowed the fleet to rehabilitate for its "neutrality" during the German invasion in April 1940 of the year. As a result, the Germans managed to capture only 25 ships, a 32 were flooded and 13 went to neutral Sweden, where were interned. True, the Germans raised all the sunken ships in three months. When capturing the fleet, a German soldier and nine Danish sailors died.

The next general strike took place in Denmark in June 1944 years after, how the Germans imposed a curfew. To break the strikers Werner Best, ordered to disconnect the current, water and gas in working quarters, but they cooked on bonfires on the street, and water was taken from the lakes. Then the Germans finally dispersed the Danish police, and some policemen were arrested. During the negotiations, an agreement was reached and Werner Best canceled the curfew., and Danish workers 2 July, stopped the strike and returned to the manufacture of weapons for the Third Reich.

After the elimination of Danish police from political independence, Hitler promised Denmark in his memorandum from 9 April 1940 of the year, only King Christian X remained. He lived until the end of the war in the royal palace Amalienborg, over which the Danish flag continued to flutter.

"Soviet occupation" of Denmark

5 May 1945 Anglo-Canadian troops did not liberate all of Denmark. The island of Bornholm has accumulated 12 thousandth German group. Here is what Army General writes about it С.М.Штеменко in his book "General Staff during the war": “At the end of the war, the island began to overflow with Nazi soldiers, fled from the mainland from the punishing hands of Soviet and Polish soldiers. Hitlerites, not laid down arms, soon literally ate an island. Not a grain of bread left, not a drop of milk, went to the soldier’s stomachs the meat of the dairy cattle of the islanders. Residents starving to death.

The proposal of the Soviet command to surrender the German commander Gerhard von Kampz rejected, hoping to surrender to the british. Then 7 and 8 May, our aircraft bombed the island, a 9 May landing from torpedo boats landing led the Germans to surrender. During the liberation of the island died 30 our soldiers. offensive, that they died 9 May, when the USSR already celebrated the victory. The inhabitants of the island so hated the Germans, what they themselves proposed to the Soviet command to transport 11138 German prisoners to Poland in fishing boats, which was done. Soviet garrison reestablished, helped in rebuilding houses and, clearing coastal waters, left the island of Bornholm 5 April 1946 of the year.

of course, modern Danish media cannot allow, that the "soldiers of the bloody tyrant Stalin" could sacrifice their lives for the liberation of part of Danish territory. Therefore affirmed, that during the "brutal Soviet bombing" died 10 Danes, a 6000 left homeless. However, for some reason they do not seem strange, that with such large-scale destruction only 10 dead and no wounded. It is understandable: you can’t write about the thousands of dead - questions immediately arise about their names and burial places, but about destroyed houses it’s hard to check, although the fact, that none of 20 historical buildings on the island were not damaged, It speaks volumes.

The culprit of the bombing is certainly not Gerhad von Kampz, and the Soviet command. German commander from the point of view of Danish journalists hero: he managed to gain time and transport part of the soldiers to mainland Denmark into English captivity and thereby saved their life. Thus unobtrusively inspired by the Danes, that Russian prisoners were killed. Who in Denmark knows, what from 567 captured Danish SS men did not return from Soviet captivity only 31, and even that is mainly due to injuries, received before captivity. In, that during the transportation of German prisoners drowned 10 Danish sailors, is, Russia is also to blame. Further Danish media report, that after the arrival of Soviet troops, the inhabitants of the island fled en masse to Denmark, but their number is not reported anywhere. The traditional accusation follows, that the Soviet military abused alcohol, as always without specifics.

As a result, the 11-month stay of Soviet troops on Bornholm in Denmark is not called a Soviet occupation.. It turns out, that the british and canadians, without firing a shot, Denmark freed, and Russian, giving 30 of lives, - occupied. Moreover, in this country among memorable dates except 5 May - Denmark Liberation Day, there is also 5 April - Bornholm Liberation Day.

They rarely remember, in June 1945 Bornholm visited the Crown Prince Frederick (future king Frederick IX) with his wife and publicly thanked the Soviet command for the liberation of the island. And on the day of the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the Danish newspaper Politiken wrote: “Russian troops will leave the best memories of themselves, their discipline was exemplary. They came as friends and brought liberation. We will never forget this. ”. Even Radio Liberty, which can not be suspected of love for Russia, quotes resident of Bornholm Of Thomas Jensen: “I perfectly remember the Soviet military, since quite often been in the garrison, located in the south of Bornholm, in the village of Douodde. Performances were regularly held there., concerts, and just dancing, to which local residents were allowed to come. The composition of the Soviet garrison included Muscovites, Leningraders, Minsk residents. The soldiers were well equipped at that time and behaved very well towards the local population. ”. Yes and that fact, that the inhabitants of the island of Bornholm still support the graves of Soviet soldiers in perfect order, indisputably proves, that they themselves do not consider them occupiers.

What are the numbers talking about?

As you know, during the Second World War, almost 4 millionth Denmark lost about 4000 human. 2000 of which the Danes, who served in the SS, and those killed on the Soviet-German front. About 1500 the dead are sailors of the merchant fleet. 900 of them died, when delivering goods to Hitler, a 600, caught abroad during the capture of Denmark - for the anti-Hitler coalition. 417 human (including 93 child) died due to Anglo-American bombing. About 150 participants in the Resistance movement were executed and killed when detained by the Germans. Army and Navy lost 51 man. Easy to count, that more Danes died, fighting for Hitler, than against him. Nevertheless, Denmark is considered the winner in World War II..

A curious incident occurred in Denmark on the eve of the 50th anniversary of her release.. Journalists asked the Danes, survivors of war, among others a question: what was the worst during the occupation? Everyone had the same answer - bombing. This is confirmed by statistics.: Anglo-American aviation kills twice as many people in Denmark, than all Nazi punitive structures combined. And this does not include the Danes, who went to work in the Third Reich and died there from the bombing. At the same time, during the war, the Air Force corporation in its programs inspired the Danes, that the death of their loved ones is not the fault of British aviation, and the German command, which specifically places military installations near residential buildings.

His, to put it mildly, Denmark’s inactive fight against Nazism is traditionally explained as “the desire to avoid meaningless and unnecessary losses”. Of course, even if the Danes fiercely began to defend their country, they couldn’t save her from occupation. But sacrifices would not be meaningless, since those are German soldiers, who would die in Denmark, wouldn’t have gone on to attack Paris, Athens and Moscow. As for unnecessary, it turns out, that Denmark does not need population loss, and other countries need millions of losses.

Author: Vladimir Tulin

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