The Second World War
and the German Occupation
During 1942, the resistance carried out sabotage raids against railroads and factories. In August 1943, the Danish government resigned amidst the crisis, and the Germans began running the country directly.
Cover of the June 1943 edition of Vestjyden (The Western Jutlander), an illegal paper published by local communists from 1942 to 1945. (Archives of Danish Occupation History, 19401945, Esbjerg)
The Danes still struggled to maintain independence and control. The government refused to implement anti-Jewish legislation, for example, and in October 1943, the resistance movement collected millions of Danish crowns to help more than 7,000 Danish Jews escape to Sweden. As a result, 95 per cent of Denmark's Jews survived the war.
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