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On 9 April 1940, Germany occupied Denmark in Operation Weserübung. The Danish government and king functioned in a relatively normal manner until 29 August 1943, when Germany placed Denmark under direct military occupation, which lasted until the Allied victory on 5 May 1945.
The German invasion of Denmark (German: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (German: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 June 1940). Denmark's strategic importance for Germany was limited.
Denmark was subject to German occupation during World War Two (1940-45). The Danish government cooperated with the occupiers to start with, but a resistance movement grew and civil unrest occurred. On 4 May 1945 it was announced on British radio that the German troops in Denmark had surrendered.
These ‘five evil years’, which is how the occupation period from 9 April 1940 to 4 May 1945 is often described, had an enormous impact on post-war national and democratic identity. Seen in the context of the world war era as a whole, however, the occupation appears differently.
From April 9th 1940 to May 4th 1945. The occupation of Denmark lasted five long years. Many peoples’ lives were affected and the Danish people had to choose if they wanted to cooperate with the German Nazis, join the resistance movement or just continue as if nothing had happened.
Learn about the Jewish population of Denmark, the German occupation, and resistance and rescue in Denmark during WWII and the Holocaust.
In 1940, at the brink of World War II, Denmark found itself declaring neutrality and cutting its troops in half. Despite this, the German war machine was not to be stopped. The German army invaded Denmark offering an ultimatum demanding submission.
