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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).
The final part of the world war era in Danish history was defined by the German occupation during the Second World War. 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.
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.
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.
In late April 1945, German authorities handed the Danish prisoners over to the Swedish Red Cross. Virtually all the refugees returned to Denmark in 1945. In total, some 120 Danish Jews died during the Holocaust in Theresienstadt or during their escape from Denmark.
The German Wehrmacht held Denmark under occupation through more than five years from 1940 to 1945. During this time the units were replaced several times. On the pages below you can find articles and documents, reports and organization charts on the German units.
The Museum of Danish Resistance tells the story about the Danish resistance during the German occupation of Denmark 1940 – 1945. Go underground and enter the occupation years in Denmark. Through different scenes from the five years of war you will discover how the German occupation affected the Danish population and how the resistance ...
