The Rescue of Danish Jews: The quickly organized boatlift of most of Denmark’s Jews to safety in Sweden is Denmark’s proudest moment during the war. Many accounts have been written. In particular, see Ackerman and Duvall, A Force More Powerful, p. 222; Levine, Darkness Over Denmark; and Lowry, Number the Stars.
16 FIRST HOURS OF FREEDOM
The factory was an obvious target: There are two versions of who was responsible for the factory arson in Naesby. One is as Knud and Jens Pedersen learned it from Knud Hedelund at the party in Odense, and has been reported in these pages. A second account comes from records of communist saboteurs working in Odense. As the resistance movement became better organized and spread throughout Denmark, activists tried to recruit members of the RAF Club because—though young—they were experienced saboteurs. Communist partisan groups—known as “p-groups”—were especially persistent. But the RAF was unwilling to be controlled by anyone, especially planners from the Soviet Union. The RAF turned the Communists down, causing bad blood.
The two groups met quite by accident at the factory on the night of the fire. By pure coincidence, both the RAF Club and the communist p-group had planned to torch the same factory at the same time. Hans Jøergen Andersen later reported that he set the fire, accompanied by three other RAF Clubbers. Two p-group members told a newspaper reporter in 1995 that, no, it was their group that had set the factory ablaze.
“I have given my version,” noted Knud Pedersen. “I think it is just fair to note that there is another version.”
17 BETTER ON THE INSIDE
Patricia Bibby had wanted to meet Knud Pedersen: Author’s April 26, 2014, interview with Patricia Bibby.
The SOE: See Knud J. V. Jespersen’s English-language account No Small Achievement: Special Operations Executive and the Danish Resistance 1940–1945 (Copenhagen: University Press of Southern Denmark, 2002).
“My name is Helge Milo”: Cathedral School Web site, www.aalkat-gym.dk/fileadmin/filer/import/Churchill/Kilder/kilde_16_og_17.pdf.
Eigil found himself accepting: See Laursen, Churchill-Klubben som Eigil Foxberg oplevede den.
His spirits plunged: Author’s April 26, 2014, interview with Patricia Bibby.
Gertrud Pedersen, Patricia Bibby, and Inger Vad Hansen: Resistance Fund-raisers: Ibid.
Liberation!: For more about the Danish Liberation, see Levine, Darkness Over Denmark, pp. 139–45, and Tveskov, Conquered, Not Defeated, pp. 85–91.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I thank Peggy Akers for helping me locate translators of Danish text to English. Her greatest find was her mother, Gertrude Tuxen, who at the age of ninety-six wrote out translations of dozens of pages. Thanks, too, for the fine translation work of Linda Tuxen.
Thanks to Carol Shanesy for typing dictated passages and to Kathren Greenlaw for transcribing more than twenty-five hours of recorded interviews between Knud Pedersen and me.
I extend my gratitude to Phebe Tice and Samuel Kemmerer, students at Breakwater School in Portland, Maine, for carefully reading the book in manuscript form and commenting extensively. Thanks to their teacher Cheryl Hart for finding them for me. I thank Dean Harrison for superb tech support, keeping me and my laptop going through several generations of change. Thanks to Mark Mattos of Curious City for emergency Web support when I was most baffled.
I thank my wife, Sandi Ste. George, for sharing every aspect of this project. She let me read aloud to her chapter after chapter, commenting along the way, and then listened to the entire book several times. She shared my excitement as this book came to life. I am a lucky man.
At Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, I thank Roberta Pressel for yet another fine design and Simon Boughton for his faith in and support of this project. Special appreciation goes to my editor, Wesley Adams. Creative, insightful, and responsive, Wes had an intuitive sense for the content of this book and a talent for solving problems.
I thank Patricia Bibby Heath for kindly and thoughtfully sharing with me in a rather hastily arranged telephone interview the dramatic events and personal experiences of seventy years ago.
In Denmark, the staff of the Museum of Danish Resistance steered me to Knud Pedersen and thus can stake a claim on the origin of this book. Niels Gyrsting kindly provided many of the images that enliven these pages and document the story. Karen Nielsen helped me find Aalborg resources. Knud’s daughter Kristine Riskaer Povlsen helped keep the project going, especially when her father was ill. His son Rasmus Riskaer Smith also contributed timely technical assistance. Knud’s wife, Bodil Riskaer, provided unwavering support of this book in countless ways. Val and B. Bach Kristiansen kindly assisted with research and translation.
When one contacts the Art Library in Copenhagen, one reaches Mette Stegelmann. Mette shared with Knud and me the day-to-day work of this project. She was the go-to person when we needed help with photographs, contract work, or rushing a message across the Atlantic. She is a joy to work with.
Knud Pedersen was one of the most remarkable and inspiring people I’ve ever met. The chance to work daily with Knud to tell this important but too-obscure story of World War II was a lifetime thrill. We concluded each of the hundreds of e-mail messages we exchanged with the word “love.” At least on my part, I surely came to mean it.
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
Aalborg Katedralskole (Aalborg Cathedral School): here, here
Bjørn Erikson: here
CORBIS: here
Estate of Knud Pedersen: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
Nationalmuseet/Frihedsmuseet (National Museum of Denmark/Museum of Danish Resistance): here, here, here (photograph by H. Lund Hansen), here, here (photograph by Scherl Bilderdienst), here (photograph by John Lee), here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here (photographs by G. C. Krogh), here (photograph by G. C. Krogh), here, here, here, here (photograph by Jørgen Nielsen)
Niels Gyrsting Collection: here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here
Sandi Ste. George: here
Wikipedia: here
INDEX
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
Aalborg (Denmark)
airport at
bridge connecting Noerresundby and, see Limfjorden Bridge
City Council of
city jail in (see King Hans Gades Jail)
German Army in
harbor of
Pedersen family’s move to
police in
rail yard in
resistance in (see also Churchill Club)
trial of Churchill Club in
Andersen, Arthur
Andersen, Hans Christian
Andersen, Hans Jøergen
arrest and incarceration of
death of
German vehicles destroyed by
Naesby factory burned by
Arhus (Denmark)
Astrup-Frederiksen, Eigil
arrest and incarceration of
death of
first sabotage operation of
in Fuchs Construction Company raid
Jewish background of
release from prison of
sentence of
sister of, as informant for Churchill Club
Bach, C. L.
Bath (England)
BBC
Best, Werner
Bibby, Patricia
Borgerlige Partisaner (BOPA)
Boy Scouts
Britain
in First World War
German attacks on
military forces in Denmark from
postwar army of
radio broadcasts from
> sabotage force organized by
submarines of
See also Royal Air Force (RAF)
Brønderslev (Denmark)
Brothers Karamazov, The
Budolfi Square (Aalborg)
Café Holle (Aalborg)
Cathedral School (Aalborg Katedralskole) (Aalborg)
barracks for German soldiers in gym at
girls at
Pedersen brothers enroll in
resistance activities of students from, see Churchill Club
return to, after release from prison
Christian X, King of Denmark
Churchill, Winston
Churchill Club
arrest of members of
books on
Churchill’s greeting of
coded messages between RAF Club and
Danish resistance inspired by
establishment of
experiments with explosives by
Fuchs Construction Company raided by
General Dewing’s meeting with
incarceration of members of (see King Hans Gades Jail; Nyborg State Prison)
information on police provided to
insignia of
luncheon honoring
meetings at monastery of
Museum of Danish Resistance exhibit on
Nibe offensive of
organization of
rail yard raided by
reunion of
rules of
secrecy of
sentencing of members of
trial of members of
True Comics featuring
vandalism by
vehicles destroyed by
weapons cache of
Communists
Copenhagen
Art Library in
Assistens Cemetery in
bombing of shipyard in
Churchill in
court of
German occupation of
Museum of Danish Resistance in
prison in
weapons manufacturers in
Czechoslovakia
Danish National Bank
Darket, Uffe
arrest and incarceration of
death of
in rail yards operation
release from prison of
sentence of
Darwin, Charles
Denmark, German occupation of
liberation from
passivity of Danish response to
resistance to (see also Churchill Club; RAF Club)
See also Aalborg; Copenhagen; Odense
Denmark’s Freedom League
Dewing, General Richard
Durbin, Deanna
eastern front, see Russia
El Alamein, Battle of
England, see Britain
European Film College (Denmark)
Fersen, Count Axel von
Finland
First World War
Fjellerup, Eva
Fjellerup, Mogens (The Professor)
arrest and incarceration of
death of
experiments with explosives by
release from prison of
sentence of
Fluxus art movement
Foxberg, Eigil, see Astrup-Frederiksen, Eigil
France
Frøslev prison camp
Fuchs Construction Company
Galster, Rector Kjeld
German Air Force (Luftwaffe)
German Army (Wehrmacht)
in Aalborg
in Copenhagen
after liberation of Denmark
at Nibe
at Nyborg State Prison
in Odense
Gestapo
Girl Scouts
Globus factory
Goebbels, Joseph
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von
Göring, Hermann
Great Britain, see Britain
Great Depression
Grunwald, Knud
Haneken, General Hermann von
Han Sidder ved Smeltediglen (He Sits by the Melting Pot) (Munk)
Heath, John Moore
Hedelund, Knud (Little Knud)
Himmler, Heinrich
Hitler, Adolf
attempted assassination of
confiscation of bicycles ordered by
derisive songs about
extermination of Jews as goal of
photograph of, in Fuchs office
rebuilding of German economy by
Russia invaded by
in telegram crisis with Danish king
Hitler Youth
Holm, Harald
Holy Ghost Monastery (Aalborg)
chemical laboratory at
Churchill Club meetings at
Churchill Club reunion at
safe house at
weapons at
Homer
Hornbo, Knud
arrest of
escapes from jail
mortar grenades stolen by
sentence of
Horsens State Prison (Denmark)
Hotel Phoenix (Aalborg)
Houlberg, Alf
arrest of
death of
escapes from jail
mortar grenades stolen by
sentence of
Houlberg, Kaj
arrest of
death of
escapes from jail
mortar grenades stolen by
sentence of
Houlberg, Tage
Hurup (Denmark)
Ibsen, Henrik
Jacobsen, Thune
Jensen, Henning
Jensen, Vagn
Jews
Danish, rescue of
Kierkegaard, Søren
King Hans Gades Jail (Aalborg)
conditions at
escape from
transfer to Nyborg State Prison from
King’s Badges
Kristine pastry shop (Aalborg)
Liberation Day
Limfjorden (fjord) (Denmark)
Limfjorden Bridge (Aalborg)
Lindholm (Denmark)
Luftwaffe, see German Air Force
Lutheran Church
March of Time, The (radio series)
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
Marxism
Memory Park (Copenhagen)
Milo, Helge
arrest and incarceration of
first sabotage operation of
in Fuchs Construction Company raid
release from prison of
sentence of
weapons hidden by
Milton, John
Moeller, Karl August Algreen
Mortensen, Orla
Munck, Ebbe
Munk, Kaj Harald Leininger
Museum of Danish Resistance (Copenhagen)
Museum of Modern Art (New York)
Naesby factory arson
Narvik (Norway)
Nazis
collaborators and sympathizers with
Danish government taken over by
Denmark occupied by (see Denmark, German occupation of)
executions by
hate-filled ideology of
Jews persecuted and killed by
Norwegian resistance to
propaganda of
registry of opponents of
surrender of
See also German Army; Gestapo; Hitler, Adolf
Nibe offensive
Niels Ebbesen (Munk)
Noerresundby (Denmark)
Norway, German invasion of
resistance to
slaughter of civilians and soldiers during
transport ships for
Nyborg State Prison (Nyborg Statsfaengsel) (Denmark)
art supplies provided at
censorship of prisoners’ letters at
conditions at
German takeover of
library at
prisoners released from
school at
>
stages of sentences at
transfer to
Odense (Denmark)
police in
resistance in (see also RAF Club)
Oliver Twist (movie)
Ollendorff, Børge
arrest and incarceration of
in Fuchs Construction Company raid
German vehicles sabotaged by
in Nibe offensive
and weapons thefts
Ollendorff, Preben
Operation Weserübung
Ottesen, Elsa
Paradise Lost (Milton)
Pedersen, Edvard (Knud’s father)
church services of
letters from prison to
moves family to Aalborg
and sons’ arrest
and sons’ release from prison
Pedersen, Gertrud (Knud’s sister)
Pedersen, Holger (Knud’s brother)
Pedersen, Jens (Knud’s brother)
arrest and incarceration of
in Churchill Club
coded letters sent to
death of
in India
moves to Aalborg
in RAF Club
release from prison of
sentence of
at university
Pedersen, Jørgen (Knud’s brother)
Pedersen, Knud
arrest and incarceration of
art interests of
beginning of resistance activities of
Bibby’s friendship with
book on Churchill Club by
Børge’s friendship with
Budolfi Square mission planned by
at Churchill Club reunion
Churchill’s encounter with
competition between Jens and
on day of German invasion and occupation
death of
enrollment and reenrollment at Cathedral School of
and establishment of Churchill Club
explosives experiments described by
in Fuchs Construction Company raid
German vehicles destroyed by
Hoose’s collaboration on book with
information on police provided to
in King Hans Gades Jail
at meeting with General Dewing
Moeller and
moves to Aalborg
Nibe offensive planning by
in Nyborg State Prison
obsession with Rørbæk of
Odense family life of
and parents’ resistance activities
in RAF Club
in rail yard raid
released from prison
sentence of
in SOE K Company
trial of
vandalism by
weapons stolen by
Pedersen, Margrethe (Knud’s mother)
letters from prison to
and sons’ arrest
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler Page 15