On October 2nd, 1943, just over 60 years ago, the steamship Wartheland in Copenhagen harbour, along with several trains at various locations in Denmark stood ready to transport Danish Jews to Germany for extermination as part of the final solution decided on by the Nazi leadership at the Wannsee Conference in 1941.
But to the surprise and frustration of Adolf Eichman, chief architect of the Holocaust, the Jews had disappeared behind a living wall raised by tens of thousands of Danish people in the space of just one night. "Denmark caused us more difficulties than anything else," Eichman stated at his trial in Jerusalem in 1960.
Germany had attacked Denmark on April 9th, 1940. Faced with the overwhelming strength of the Wehrmacht, the king and parliament decided to cease resistance within hours and accepted German occupation. Prime Minister Thorvald Stauning said in an address to the people: "Denmark cannot be defended by military means, only by diplomacy. The Danish Government shall strive to protect our country and its people from the disasters of war." Among the people to be protected were 7,000 Jews, mostly Danish citizens, but also including a small number of refugees from Germany.
In Denmark the Germans failed to obtain a pliable puppet like Quisling in Norway or Laval in France. The tiny Danish Nazi party was an object of derision and Hitler's supporters were almost entirely limited to the German-speaking minority in the south of Denmark, 7,000 of whom fought with the SS Viking division in Russia.
Generally speaking, the Danish government, in the interests of its citizens, followed a policy of co-operation with the German authorities - to a certain extent. King Christian X rode on horseback through the streets of Copenhagen every morning alone without an escort. He became a national symbol for rich and poor, a living contrast to the cult of the Führer and German militarism. The welfare of the Jews was very important to him. In December 1941, after an arson attack on the Copenhagen synagogue, he sent a letter of sympathy on his own behalf and on behalf of the Danish people to the chief Rabbi, Marcus Melchior.
The government also took a firm stand. "There is no Jewish question in Denmark," foreign Minister Erik Scavenius told Herman Goering.
However, the Danish Jews, mindful of the fate of their communities in Germany and occupied countries, must have feared that German pressure would eventually be too powerful to withstand.
As the years and months passed, opposition to the occupation increased, no doubt encouraged by German military defeats at Stalingrad and North Africa and the surrender of Italy. An active resistance movement circulated illegal publications and sabotage was carried out against German military targets. In retaliation Germany suspended the civil government and declared a state of Emergency in August 1943. General Von Hanneken of the Wehrmacht became effectively a dictator.
In September Hitler approved the deportation of all Danish Jews to German concentration camps and the Gestapo made plans for a general round-up on the night of October 1st. Fortunately, Georg Duckwitz, shipping attaché at the German mission in Copenhagen and one of the heroic Germans who opposed the Nazis, at great personal risk conveyed a warning to the Jews and Danish political leaders in time for thousands to leave their homes and seek shelter with sympathisers.
The rescue operation must have involved tens of thousands of people in hastily organised groups who provided food, shelter and transport. Lutheran ministers and doctors were particularly active. Hospitals in Copenhagen were vital transit stations, admitting fugitives with false passports and fictitious ailments before the journey to the coast and safety across the sea in neutral and friendly Sweden. In one dramatic episode, a few hundred Jews travelled disguised as a funeral procession behind a hearse with an empty coffin.
The final phase of the saga depended on fishermen, who risked confiscation of their boats, imprisonment, even life itself. One trawler owned by Borge Loursen made 10 crossings with men, women and children hidden under the fishing nets.
Imagine the tension and fear on board the little boats and then the relief as described by survivor Hanne Kaufmann. "Suddenly the news went from one person to the next - we have passed the three mile boundary! We are in Sweden! Despite our exhaustion, our hearts took to beating again furiously, from sheer emotion and joy."
Seven thousand Jews made the journey to freedom in a matter of a few days. Sadly, one tragedy occurred in Gilleleje, a fishing village in north Zealand, only a few miles from Sweden. The Gestapo, acting on information from a local informer, arrested 80 Jews hiding in the attic of the Lutheran Church.
However, the Danes succeeded in doing what other occupied countries failed to do because of indifference, cowardice or bias against people of a different religion. They saved their Jewish citizens - and for that, humanity owes them a debt of gratitude. They showed that Anne Frank was correct when she wrote in her diary: "Despite all these horrors and the cruelty in this world, I believe that there are very many people who are honest, decent, kind and heroic."
And one of those people was Georg Duckwitz, who risked his life by alerting the Jews. Happily he survived the war, returned to Denmark in the 1950s and received a special welcome from the king when he presented his credentials as the new German Ambassador.