Nazi Propaganda Film Shames Denmark

[Jim O]

A German propaganda film from the Second World War shames Denmark for failing to resist Nazi occupation

A previously unknown German propaganda film depicts Danish resistance during the Second World War as nearly non-existent in comparison with the fight Nazi forces encountered in Norway.

The film 'Kampf um Norwegen' ('The Fight for Norway'), describes the both Denmark's and Norway's resistance to occupation. While the resistance in Norway is presented as a fierce campaign, it suggests that Denmark had been taken with relative ease.

The film, which was purchased by a Norwegian university professor through an internet auction, managed to slip by the German post-war censor lists and has not been viewed publicly until now.

Compared with the fierce defence put up by the Norwegian military, the Danish capitulation is painted as ignominious, with the film showing Danes getting back to everyday life the day after their surrender.

Kay Hoffman, film historian and expert in German Second World War documentaries, called the find 'a minor sensation'.

Denmark's lack of armed resistance against the German invasion in 1940 has been a controversial issue for Danes since the war's end.

Source: The Copenhagen Post

[Ingsoc]

It's a GERMAN PROPOGANDA FILM FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!, hardly an un-bias source of history.

[Jim O]

Ya think? Nevertheless, Danes are a bit touchy about this subject evidently.

[Lancer44]

Originally Posted by Ingsoc

It's a GERMAN PROPOGANDA FILM FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!, hardly an un-bias source of history.

In this case German propaganda was perfectly true...
Danes did not put up any resistance.
Why they so touchy? They actually asked Germany to play the role of "Protective Power". Their collaboration with Germany was on much higher level even then Vichy.
They somewhat rehabilitated themselves from 1943 seting up Resistance.

Denmark - History - The Occupation 1940-45

German troops occupied Denmark within a few hours on the morning of 9 April 1940. The attack was accompanied by an ultimatum that no resistance was to be offered. Germany would, in exchange, respect the country's political independence; the King and the government gave in. Thus began a "peaceful occupation" during which Denmark tried to maintain the illusion of independence. With a few exceptions, the Foreign Ministries handled all communication between the two countries.

England reacted by occupying the Faeroe Islands on 12 April, and attempted to seize Denmark's merchant navy; 2/3 of the ships ended up in allied service. E. Reventlow, the Danish envoy in London, maintained his diplomatic status. H. Kauffmann in Washington, however, reserved his position and in April 1941, he signed an agreement with the USA which gave the States the right to set up military bases in Greenland, which had been under the protection of the States since the outbreak of war.

SFAH: Danish Labour Movement 1940-1945

The occupation of Denmark was different from that of any other country. The government was joined by the two large non-socialist opposition parties, the army and the police remained in place until 1944, free democratic elections were held in the spring of 1943; the occupying power did interfere with Danish internal matters, but to a wide extent it was possible to maintain normal conditions. To be sure, more than 100,000 Danish workers were more or less forced to take jobs in Germany, but all things considered the government pursued a very pragmatic policy of co-operation with the occupying power until the autumn of 1943. As the largest party, the Social Democratic Party later had to bear the responsibility and blame for this policy although farmers and capital owners reaped the financial benefits of it.

The DKP was banned in 1941 following the German attack upon the Soviet Union; the party then undertook an active part in the underground resistance and played a leading role in the resistance movement. It played a major part in connection with the two strike campaigns, one in August 1943 whose immediate result was the collapse of the policy of cooperation, and in July 1944. As a result of all this, at the end of the war communists had a strong position in the working class and enjoyed a great deal of sympathy in the rest of the population, whereas the Social Democratic Party had suffered a considerable political weakening. This was reflected by the elections in October 1945 when the Social Democratic Party obtained less than 33% of the votes and the DKP 12.5%.


Cheers,

Lancer44

[Klaus]

I can't anything to lancer's post.

Of course it is a propaganda-film. But if the Dutch are still so touchy about this matter there must be some truth in there.

"There are two things I hate: people who are intolerant to other peoples culture and the dutch..."
-Nigel Powers-

[Lancer44]

Originally Posted by Klaus

I can't anything to lancer's post.

Of course it is a propaganda-film. But if the Dutch are still so touchy about this matter there must be some truth in there.

"There are two things I hate: people who are intolerant to other peoples culture and the dutch..."
-Nigel Powers-

There is also third thing which I hate: people which seems to be tolerant to other people culture and in the same moment are mixing Danes with the Dutch.
-Lancer44

Hi Klaus, my dear friend, you are still not well...
Go back to bed.


And get well!

Lancer44

[Klaus]

That was not ment to be realated to the danes especially.

[PKeating]

Overall, Denmark did quite well out of her collaboration with Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945. Naturally, the country suffered some hardship, as did all European countries during that war. There were a few show trials of wartime black marketeers and profiteers but most of those accused of such activities escaped justice. They were in the main members of the Establishment. Danes who fondly recall Danish resistance groups and imagine that Denmark made a significant contribution to the war against Nazi Germany and that Denmark was a victim of Nazi Germany are deluding themselves in the face of the facts.

When German forces crossed the border in the early hours of 9.4.1940, the Danish government surrendered after two hours and the deaths of just sixteen Danish soldiers and sought to make a deal with Berlin. The armed forces were for the most part demobilised by the predominantly Social Democratic government led by Thorvald Stauning, who was, admittedly, anti-Nazi. There again, Philippe Pétain was also anti-Nazi but it did not prevent him from coming to terms with France's new 'partners'.

However, Stauning and his colleagues rapidly implemented measures to protect their new alliance with Germany and their status as a German protectorate. The press was forbidden to publish anything that might endanger the status quo. Following the German invasion of the USSR, Denmark signed up to the Anti-Comintern Pact and banned the Communist Party. Many Reds consequently formed the cadre of the Danish Resistance.

Industrial trade and relations were redirected to the benefit of the Germano-Danish alliance, a measure supported by most ordinary Danes and their politicians as necessary for the maintenance of social order as wartime shortages and privations were blamed on the Germans by leftists with the intention of stirring up the people and creating the disorder necessary for them to function and benefit.

It was against this backdrop that young men - like former Waffen-SS officer Søren Kam, whom the Germans have now agreed to extradite to Denmark for the murder of newspaper editor Carl Henrik Clemmensen in 1943 - enlisted to do their bit for their country. Kam and his comrades doubtlessly felt entirely justified as they - allegedly - turned the Red editor into Swiss cheese. In fact, Clemmensen's killers were probably encouraged in their enterprise by the Danish authorities. They may even have been acting under orders.

This kind of national hypocrisy when it comes to current attitudes towards the WW2 era is nothing new. The Danish government was quick to accuse young Danish veterans of the German armed forces of treason after the war and to persecute and punish them in spite of the absolute legality of their enlistment in the German armed forces.

The one issue on which the Danish authorities refused to bow before their German masters was that of Danish Jews. They declined to hand Danish Jews over to the Germans although the famous story about the King of Denmark threatening to don the yellow star if a single Danish Jew were touched has no basis in fact.

The Danish establishment was even more collaborationist than France, willingly contributing an estimated seven billion Krøner to their "partners" and their war effort under the terms of their "special relationship". The resistance was seen as a motley crew of communists, criminals and the socially disaffected. Many shared the German view of them as terrorists. Of course, the timeworn maxim that today's terrorist is tomorrow's freedom fighter turned out to be apposite in this case.

Søren Kam became a German citizen after WW2 and West Germany's policy was always anti-extradition in the case of alleged "Nazi" war criminals. After all, many of the Germans responsible for the BRD's "economic miracle" had questionable pasts and the country might have imploded had they been extradited by former enemies. The USA, building up the BRD as a buffer state against the Soviet Empire, could not allow such a thing to happen.

Things have changed now, however. The New Germany apparently finds it expedient to bow to external pressure and hand over a decorated war veteran who was accorded German citizenship because of an allegation of murder. It should also be pointed that Søren Kam's enlistment in the German armed forces was, whether one likes it or not, absolutely legal under Danish law at the time.

Of course, mainstream Danish politicians are keen to make examples of so-called "Nazis" and "Neo-Nazis" at a time when the Dansk Folkeparti and other nationalist parties are gaining ground in the face of increasing immigration. So are German politicians. So, regardless of the merits or otherwise of the allegations against Søren Kam, it's time to throw someone to the wolves to make a political point.

The persecution of Danish veterans of the Wehrmacht just after the war and the persistent efforts to bring expatriate Søren Kam back to Denmark for a show trial are simply part of the general attempts to paper over the cracks in that country's carefully constructed postwar image of wartime victim. In terms of victimhood, Denmark would appear have more in common with Austria than, say, Poland.

PK

[Lancer44]

Excellent post Paul!
Thanks a lot!

Cheers,

Lancer44

[Helmut Von Moltke]

Did not notice this one. Well said PK. Last time I heard, Stille Hilfe was able to help Mr. Kam out and his deffence was succesful. The interesting fact is that there were more Danes in the Waffen-SS than there were in the Danish army. The king sanctioned Freikorps Danmark. A lot of the officer Corps of the Freikorps, and later SS-Rgt. 24 'Danmark' were from the ranks of the officer corps of the old Danish army. Of course, the modern Danish government won't tell you that...

K