1940: Denmark

Prime Minister Stauning's statement to the press on Jan. 1, 1940, voiced the mingled desires and skepticism of all Scandinavia. He had long ago ceased to believe in anything, he pointed out, but nevertheless hoped for enough justice in the world to insure that 'Europe's oldest nation,' which itself threatened no countries, would be left alone. The Foreign Ministers of Denmark, Norway and Sweden met in Copenhagen on Feb. 24-25, to reaffirm their joint policy of neutrality and to discuss the problems which the two European conflicts had thrust upon them.

At the beginning of March, owing to a serious shortage of coal and iron for industry, one out of every three Danish workers was unemployed. Because of an unusually severe winter, in which the Sound between Denmark and Sweden was frozen solid for the first time in a hundred years, Denmark's coal shortage also caused numerous domestic inconveniences and many cases of illness from exposure. Most directly affected of all neutral Denmark's interests, however, was its shipping industry. From the outbreak of war in Europe until the first week in April 1940, 28 Danish ships were sunk, and 290 Danish seamen lost their lives; in the single week ending March 26, 7 ships and 67 lives were lost.

Invasion and Occupation by Germany.

Early in the morning of April 9, German troops suddenly entered Denmark as other Nazi forces invaded Norway. Realizing the hopelessness of resistance, King Christian and his Government immediately instructed the ill-prepared Danish Army not to resist, but before the orders could be transmitted, skirmishes occurred at several places along the border, with 13 Danish soldiers killed and 23 wounded. The Danes, who for 75 years avoided war through a policy of unarmed neutrality, had relied on their May 1939 non-aggression pact with the Reich to insure the country against attack. Germany, significantly, made no attempt to justify its invasion of Denmark — as it did the invasion of Norway — and promised that the kingdom would continue to exist, and the nation's independence would be guaranteed.

Despite the theoretical continuance of Denmark's self-administration, the Danes soon became accustomed to wartime regimentation under Nazi control. After the German occupation, Copenhagen was blacked out, censorship imposed, traffic seriously curtailed to save fuel and expedite the movement of Nazi troops, ferry communication with Sweden discontinued, and street demonstrations and most public meetings were then prohibited. The German army of occupation purchased the greater part of its day-to-day supplies in Denmark, but paid for them with paper money which could not be used in Germany.

Economic Repercussions.

The German occupation of Denmark immediately cut off Danish imports from abroad, including feed and fodder necessary to maintain the country's famed livestock industry. The resulting shortage led to the wholesale slaughter of Danish pigs, dairy cattle and poultry which represented the careful breeding of several generations — some 150 years in the case of Denmark's cows and 60 years for its pigs. By October approximately half of Denmark's pigs had been killed, and a fourth of its dairy cattle slaughtered or exported to Germany. Unemployment in Denmark rose sharply, despite the establishment of a German labor office in Copenhagen in May, when Danish workers were invited to the Reich to help overcome serious labor shortages there. The cost of living also rose steadily. Between July 1939 and September 1940, food prices went up 21 per cent, fuel prices 97 per cent, and taxes 37 per cent.

Political Repercussions.

When Nazi forces occupied their country, the Danish King and Government remained nominally in control of local administration. On April 10, Prime Minister Stauning enlarged his Cabinet by adding 3 Conservative and 3 Liberal members, to make it representative of all parties. (The Cabinet had formerly included only Social-Democratic and Radical members.) Three months later, the Government was further changed with the resignation of Dr. Peter Munch, who had served as Danish Foreign Minister for the past 11 years. At that time, the leaders of all Danish parties signed a declaration agreeing to abandon controversial issues, and work in full harmony in order to assure the country's independence.

The leading Danish Nazi, Dr. Fritz Clausen, tried to capitalize on German dominance in Denmark by organizing a widespread campaign to gain political support for himself and to urge unrestricted cooperation with the Reich. Danish authorities, accepting in good faith Germany's pledge not to interfere in Danish politics, arrested about 150 native Nazis in July when demonstrations by Clausen's followers led to riots in the streets; the agitators were sentenced to short prison terms, and when they appealed, the sentences were increased. The Government, however, prudently struck with equal vigor at anti-Nazi demonstrators, and in mid-August a number of youths were sentenced to prison for ridiculing the Germans army of occupation. The German troops in Denmark, Prime Minister Stauning said in a conciliatory speech, had been thoroughly 'correct' in their behavior. On Dec. 9, the year's worst anti-Nazi riots occurred in the South Jutland town of Hadersleben, when about 350 Danish Nazis were arrested for parading in uniform without a permit. The spontaneity of popular resentment to all pro-German celebrations indicated that 8 months of German occupation had greatly intensified Danish nationalism and anti-Nazism in Denmark.

See also EUROPEAN WAR and SOCIALISM.