"In August, 1943, a state of emergency was declared in Denmark, and the Nazis decided that they could now move against the Jews. In September Hitler approved the deportation of the Danish Jews. Werner Best of the SS, Hitler's chief in Denmark, received the final order to proceed with deportation of Jews to death camps, on Sept.28, 1943. The Nazis were prepared to deport the 7,500 Jews, starting at 10 PM. on Oct.1, 1943. Georg F. Duckwitz, a German maritime attaché, leaked out the order to Hans Hedtoft a Danish Social Democrat, who in turn warned C.B. Henriques, the head the Jewish Community.
On September 29th, two days before the projected round up on Rosh HaShannah, the Jewish New Year, Dr. Marcus Melchior, the acting chief Rabbi of the Krystalgaade Synagogue, implored his stunned congregants and the whole Jewish community to go into hiding immediately. Two German passenger ships, docked in Copenhagen’s port, were ready to ship approximately 5,000 Jews to Germany on their way to kz camp Theresienstadt. Buses were to take the remaining 2,500.
The word was passed and many Danes offered their support, conveying warnings and finding places for the Jews to hide. Danes felt that persecution of minorities was a breach of Danish culture and they were not prepared to stand for it."
aldus
http://auschwitz.dk/Denmark.htm
In de aflevering van de documentaire van de BBC gisteravond over de Jodenvervolging, werd het volgende verhaal verteld: de Duitse commandant suggereerde de Denen "een brug", om alle joden het land te laten verlaten. De Denen namen deze suggestie over en vervoerden vele joden met bootjes. De commandant kon triomfantelijk aan Hitler verklaren dat Denemarken toen "Judenfrei" was. De suggestie is dat hij het op deze manier deed omdat hij het einde van de oorlag voorzag. Met andere woorden de plaatselijke Duitse commandant heeft het laten gebeuren. Het was tenslotte herft 1943...
