Countrymen

by Bo Lidegaard

  Volunteers in the Danish Brigade. It was not an obvious choice for middle-aged family men like Poul Hannover and Gunnar Marcus to sign up as volunteers for the Danish Brigade in Sweden. But there was a war, and they both volunteered and served as drivers. The upper photograph shows Gunnar Marcus, second from the right, at a shooting exercise. Below, both men are together with the other drivers of the brigade immediately before they were deployed to Denmark on May 5, 1945. Poul Hannover is standing beside his brother Knud in the back row, fourth and third from the left; Gunnar Marcus is seated in the middle row, third from the left.

  By April 1945 the Danish Brigade had three thousand men under arms, corresponding to almost one-fifth of the registered Danish refugees in Sweden. It played an important political role and could, as the largest standing force under the Danish politicians’ command, have come to play a crucial military role if Denmark’s liberation had developed less peacefully than it did.

  Formed after August 1943 by agreement between leading Danish and Swedish Social Democratic politicians, the brigade was modeled on the exiled Norwegian police force, which was being developed to assure the Norwegian government in exile of a loyal force as a counterweight against the Nazi-infected Norwegian police. In all three Scandinavian countries leading Social Democrats were deeply concerned that if there should be a chaotic final battle on Danish or Norwegian soil, the elected politicians would be left without legitimate means of power. At the same time they feared that the Communist-controlled factions of the armed resistance would be able to obtain permanent political concessions following the German capitulation, particularly if the liberation of Denmark or Norway were carried out by the Red Army. In this situation a well-trained and well-equipped brigade under the command of professional and loyal officers would constitute a decisive power center for the restoration of democracy.

  It was an immense relief to all that no such situations developed—but the possibility had in no way been excluded when the brothers-in-law Hannover and Marcus put on their uniforms.

  Private family collection

  NOTES

  * * *

  Author’s Note

  1. Jespersen, Rytterkongen, p. 441f.

  Prologue

  1. Kis Marcus’s journal is privately owned; a copy has been provided for this book. The handwritten journal, which begins on September 26 in Charlottenlund and ends in Sweden on October 14, is apparently based on contemporary entries that were transcribed by October 14. Her journal resembles that of her brother-in-law, Poul Hannover, and the two of them seem to have glanced at each other’s entries before they parted ways in Ystad on October 3. In translating this and other contemporary diary notes from their original Danish, minor editorial adjustments have been made to ease the reading and provide necessary context.

  2. Poul Hannover’s journal is privately owned. A copy has been provided for this book. The journal begins sporadically in Charlottenlund on September 26 and ends in Sweden on October 14. His journal resembles that of his sister-in-law, Kis Marcus, and the two of them seem to have glanced at each other’s entries before they parted ways in Ystad on October 3.

  Chapter One: Sunday, September 26: The Last Day of the Past

  1. Rigsdagstidende, Landstinget, January 26, 1939, column 443f.

  2. Rünitz, Danmark og de jødiske flygtninge, pp. 114ff.

  3. Lidegaard, Kampen om Danmark, pp. 110ff.; Åmark: Att bo granna med ondskan, pp. 467ff.

  4. Jespersen, Rytterkongen, p. 393f.

  5. Ibid, pp. 440f.

  6. Ibid.

  7. Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid, pp. 500ff.

  8. Jespersen, Rytterkongen, pp. 448ff.

  9. Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid, pp. 140ff.; Vilhjálmsson, Medaljens bagside.

  10. Jespersen, Rytterkongen, pp. 449ff.

  11. Longerich, Holocaust, p. 400.

  12. Lidegaard, Kampen om Danmark, pp. 300ff.; Jespersen, Rytterkongen, pp. 452ff.

  13. Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, pp. 154ff.; Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 82ff.

  14. Wannsee Protocol, January 20, 1942, quoted in Longerich, Holocaust, pp. 305ff; Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark”; Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, pp. 153ff.

  15. Herbert, Best, pp. 251ff.; Danielsen, Werner Best, pp. 92ff.; Lauridsen, Werner Best og den tyske sabotagebekæmpelse i Danmark; see also Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 1, pp. 58ff.

  16. Of Best’s views on anti-Semitism, see Herbert, Best, pp. 203ff. and 298ff.

  17. An exhaustive discussion of Best’s self-defense, including a view of its influence on historical research, is found in Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, pp. 135ff.; Bak, Jødeaktionen oktober 1943, p. 50; see also Herbert, Best, pp. 323–400.

  18. Longerich, Holocaust, p. 372. A comprehensive and balanced review of historical research into the action against the Danish Jews was published in 2012 as part of the introduction to the publication of Best’s correspondence with the German Foreign Office. See Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 1, pp. 106ff.

  19. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, pp. 124ff.; Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ‘från hinsidan,’ ” pp. 94f.; Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid 1940–1945, pp. 254ff.

  20. Bruland, Jødeforfølgelserne i Norge, pp. 225ff.; Åmark, Att bo granne med ondskaben, pp. 535ff.; Levin, Flukten; see also Longerich, Holocaust, p. 372.

  21. Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark,” p. 143.

  22. Jespersen, Rytterkongen, pp. 484ff.

  23. Ibid., p. 489.

  24. Joseph Goebbels’s diaries, September 8, 1943, quoted in Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 47f.

  25. RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 1909–1945, 120–20, Svenningsen’s memorandum, September 25, 1943.

  26. The motives behind Best’s initiative have been the subject of intense debate, summarized by Lauridsen, quoted above; see also Longerich, Holocaust, p. 398, who has a slightly different interpretation. The telegram is quoted in German in Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 42ff.

  27. Conze et al., “Das Amt und die Vergangenheit,” pp. 243ff.; Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, pp. 160ff.

  28. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysket, pp. 164ff. A reservation concerning Duckwitz’s journal is appropriate: Even though much points to the journal’s authenticity, some historians have argued that it may have been written later in order to make Duckwitz’s role appear more heroic. A few conditions support this assumption, but indisputable documentation of his role in relation to the crucial warning of the Danish Jews is also found in other contemporary sources. On the basis of an exhaustive study of the underlying source materials, the leading historian in this field, Hans Kirchhoff, reasons that there is no basis for questioning the authenticity of Duckwitz’s journals.

  29. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, p. 164f.

  30. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 172ff.; Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 35ff.; Lundtofte, “Den store undtagelse,” pp. 182ff.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 42ff. and 102ff.

  31. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, pp. 165ff.

  32. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 161ff.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 155f. and 192f.

  33. Arnheim, “Jødernes historie i Danmark 1619–1969,” (manuscript), chap. 16.

  34. Allan Hannover’s journal is privately owned. A copy has been provided for this book. The journal begins in Hellerup on September 26 and continues until the end of the war, though only sporadically after October 16, 1943. It appears to have been written shortly after the arrival in Sweden in the beginning of October, undoubtedly with backup from entries by his father, Poul Hannover.

  35. Bak, Nothing to Speak Of, pp. 23ff.

  36. Bak, Da krigen var forbi, pp. 33ff.

  37. De frie Danske, September 1943.

  38. Kreth and Mogensen, Flugten til Sverige, pp. 73ff.

 
39. An annotated excerpt from Bergstrøm’s journal is in Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen. Entries from October 1943 are in vol. 2, pp. 761–840. September 28–30 are included in this chapter, but not the preceding days of September. For that reason quotations from September 24 to 27 are from vol. 154 of the original journals, which are in the Royal Library in Copenhagen.

  40. KB, Vilhelm Bergstrøm’s journal, vol. 154, September 24, 1943.

  41. The financial situations were stated on arrival in Sweden, October 3, 1943. Swedish National Archives (Poul Hannover), Ystad police report, October 7, 1943.

  42. Adolph Meyer’s journal is privately owned. A copy has been provided for this book. The handwritten journal begins on September 27 and ends in Sweden on November 4. It appears to be based on contemporary entries that were transcribed in early November.

  43. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 219ff.

  44. Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem, p. 161.

  45. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 219ff.; Ring, Hitler beskyddar Danmark, pp. 141ff.

  Chapter Two: Monday, September 27: At Home

  1. KB, Vilhelm Bergstrøm’s journal, vol. 154, September 25, 1943

  2. KB, Vilhelm Bergstrøm’s journal, vol. 154, September 27, 1943.

  3. Åmark, Att bo granne med ondskan, pp. 643ff.

  4. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, p. 170f.; Kirchhoff, “Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz” (1999), p. 18.

  5. Åmark, Att bo granne med ondskan, pp. 536ff.; Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ‘från hinsidan’ ”; Kirchhoff, “Broen over Øresund.”

  Chapter Three: Tuesday, September 28: The Message

  1. See Hans Hedtoft’s introduction to Bertelsen, October ’43, pp. 16–19; see also Hansen and Bomholt, Hans Hedtoft liv og virke, pp. 72ff.; Hæstrup, … Til landets bedste, vol. 1, pp. 148f.

  2. Frisch et al., Danmark besat og befriet, vol. 2, p. 247.

  3. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, p. 172f.

  Chapter Four: Wednesday, September 29: Departure

  1. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, p. 173f.

  2. Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark,” p. 174; see also Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 180ff., and Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 214ff.

  3. Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid, pp. 341ff.; Leni Yahil describes how the employees at Politiken actively took part in the spreading of the warning, September 28, 1943, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, p. 238.

  4. DJM, Personal Archives, Lise Epstein, JDK207A24/1/125, typewritten account of her escape to Sweden in 1943, typed in 1944.

  5. Foss, Fra passiv til aktiv modstand, p. 214.

  6. KB, Gunnar Larsen’s journal, September 29, 1943.

  7. DJM, Personal Archives, Ella Fischer, JDK207A103/1, account of her escape in September–October 1943. The account is used as a case in Bak, Da krigen var forbi, pp. 24ff.

  8. RA, Archive of King Christian 10, 1943: Attachment no. 57.

  9. The discussions of the permanent secretaries during the decisive days are referenced extensively by the head clerk of the Foreign Department, Jens Rudolph Dahl, who attended the meetings. A transcript of Jens Rudolph Dahl’s reports has kindly been provided to the author by the chief consultant at the Danish National Archives (RA), Poul Olsen. See also Sjøquist, Nils Svenningsen, pp. 74ff.

  10. The discussions are cited extensively by Jørgen Hæstrup, … Til landets bedste, vol. 1, pp. 150ff. Nils Svenningsen’s contemporary memorandums are filed in RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager, 1909–1945, 120–20. See also Hans Kirchhoff’s representation in “Endlösung over Danmark,” pp. 166ff. Permanent Secretary Jespersen’s detailed contemporary memorandums are filed in RA, Ministry of Business and Growth 1943–45, Permanent Secretary H. Jespersen’s notes on meetings of the Council of Permanent Secretaries.

  11. Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, p. 197, Best’s telegram, September 29, 1943, 14:40.

  12. Nils Svenningsen’s contemporary memorandums in RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 1909–1945, 120–20.

  13. Oluf Pedersen’s notes from the politicians’ meeting in RA, archive of Oluf Pedersen, archive no. 6104, optegnelser fra Nimandsudvalge, September 29, 1943.

  14. Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ‘från hinsidan,’ ” pp. 80ff.

  15. Lidegaard, I kongens navn, pp. 286ff.; Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ’från hinsidan,’ ” pp. 80ff.

  16. DJM, Objects, Bernhard “Bubi” Cohn, JDK207×40, journal from September 29 until November 21, 1943.

  Chapter Five: Thursday, September 30: The Escape

  1. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 240ff.

  2. Hæstrup, … Til landets bedste, vol. 1, 1966, pp. 158ff.; Sjøquist, Nils Svenningsen, pp. 74ff.; Kirchhoff, “Den glemte interneringsplan”; RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 1909–1945, 120–20; RA, Ministry of Business and Growth 1943–45, Permanent Secretary H. Jespersen’s notes on meetings of the Council of Permanent Secretaries; Jens Rudolph Dahl’s reports.

  3. KB, Gunnar Larsen’s journal, September 29, 1943.

  4. Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen, vol. 2, p. 768.

  5. Foss, Fra passiv til aktiv modstand, p. 215.

  6. Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ‘från hinsidan,’ ” pp. 80ff.; Hæstrup, … Til landets bedste, vol. 1, pp. 158ff; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 207ff.

  7. Foss, Fra passiv til aktiv modstand, p. 216.

  8. RA, Archive of Eduard Vilhelm Sophus Christian Reventlow, Diary (1941–53), Binders 2–3, September 30, 1943.

  Chapter Six: Friday, October 1: The Action

  1. DJM, Personal Archives, Ella Fischer, JDK207A103/1, account of her escape in September–October 1943.

  2. Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark,” pp. 174ff.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, p. 237, Best’s telegram, October 1, 10:15.

  3. Kirchhoff, “Oktober 1943 set ‘från hinsidan,’ ” pp. 80ff.

  4. RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 1909–45, 120–20, handwritten letter from Hans Rasmussen to Nils Svenningsen dated October 1, 1943.

  5. RA, Archive of King Christian 10, 1943: “Bemærkninger med bilag,” Attachment no. 57.

  6. RA, Ministry of Business and Growth 1943–45, Permanent Secretary H. Jespersen’s notes on meetings of the Council of Permanent Secretaries.

  7. Jens Rudolph Dahl’s reports.

  8. Lidegaard, Kampen om Danmark, pp. 399ff.

  9. RA, Archive of Eduard Vilhelm Sophus Christian Reventlow, Diary (1941–53), Binders 2–3, October 1, 1943.

  10. Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark,” p. 166.

  11. Handwritten note by the Supreme Court lawyer H. H. Bruun, dated October 10, 1943, and countersigned by C. L. David, kindly made available for this account by his grandson, H. H. Bruun.

  12. The telegram, including a transcript of the king’s letter, is reprinted in Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 26f.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 240ff.

  13. RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 120–20, Svenningsen’s memorandum, October 2, 1943.

  14. RA, Archive of King Christian 10, 1943: “Bemærkninger med bilag,” Attachment no. 57.

  15. Kirchhoff, Den gode tysker, p. 173.

  16. RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 1909–1945, 120–20, Svenningsen’s memorandum, October 2, 1943.

  17. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 175ff.; Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 27f.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, p. 237, Best’s telegram, October 1, 10:15.

  18. Himmler’s letter is reprinted in Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 246f., which also includes a summary of the international discussion of the letter’s dating, plus persuasive reasoning for the above-presented interpretation; see also vol. 1, p. 113.

  19. RA, Manuscript Collecti
ons, IV, Danmark-Norges almindelige historie 125; IV T1, Politirapporter 29/8 1943–4/7 1944.

  20. Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen, vol. 2, pp. 771f.

  21. Foss, Fra passiv til aktiv modstand, p. 217.

  22. Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid 1940–45, p. 258; Lundtofte, Gestapo!, pp. 103ff.

  23. Longerich, Holocaust, pp. 386f.

  Chapter Seven: Saturday, October 2: The Transfer

  1. Quoted in Kirchhoff, “Endlösung over Danmark,” pp. 176ff.

  2. Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen, vol. 2, p. 772.

  3. Yahil, The Rescue of Danish Jewry, pp. 186f.; Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 32ff.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, p. 248f., Best’s telegram October 2, 1943, 07:00.

  4. Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 28ff.; Lauridsen, Die Korrespondenz von Werner Best, vol. 4, pp. 253ff.

  5. Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen, vol. 2, p. 773.

  6. Mogensen et al., Aktionen mod de danske jøder oktober 1943, pp. 30ff.; Gads leksikon om dansk besættelsestid 1940–1945, p. 277f.; RA, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Gruppeordnede sager: 120–20, Svenningsen’s memorandum, October 2, 1942.

  7. The financial situations were stated on arrival in Sweden, October 3, 1943. Swedish National Archives, Archives of the National Board of Aliens, Dossier (Poul Hannover), Ystad police report, October 7, 1943.

  8. Dardel’s telegrams are available at bogwebs.systime.dk/bogwebs/FlugtenTilSverige…/aktionen_txt.htm.

  9. Lauridsen, En borger i Danmark under krigen, vol. 2, p. 775; Ring, Hitler beskyddar Danmark, pp. 141ff.