Danish World War II Home Front


Figure 1.-- Many everyday activities in Denmark were unaffected by the German occupation until late in the War. This is a snapshot from a World War II album about a 1943 summer camp. It looks like it was located somewhere on the eastern or Baltic coast. The boys enjoyed beach and swimming ativities. They slept in a hayloft.

Living conditions in Denmark were better than anywhere else in NAZI occupied Europe. This was in large measure because of NAZI racial policy. Denmark like the Netherlands and Norway were countries tht Hitler eventually wanted to include in a an Aryan greater-Germany after the War. With no racial concerns, Hitler allowed the occupation authorities to pursue a pragmagtic policy designed to best use the country's economy to support the German war effort. For many Danes, life went on much like it did before the German invasion. The schools continued to function. We even see Danish children going to summer camps along the country's extensive coasts. That was something that did not happen in Britain. Danish politicans, especially after the fall of France, so no alternative, but to cooperate with the Germans. And they had some success in obtaining important concessions from the occupation authorities. The Danish Government was left in tact and largely able to function until late in the War. The Danes held the only democratic election permitted in the NAZI empire. Something not often mntioned is that the first serious discussions of European integration occurred during the NAZI occupation. The Danes considered, but ultimtely rejected a customs union with Germany, largely because the Germans insisted on emlininating the Danish kroner. [Meyer-Gohde] The Germans did not press the issue, concerned about destabilizing the political situation. The Danes had other successes, including dragging out negotiations over the return of South Jutland to the Reich, baning 'closed-rank uniformed marches' rejected includung National Socialists in the government, successfully conducting a relatively free election, and preventing actions against Jews for 3 years. One of the most devestating aspect of NAZI occupation in occupied countries was food policy. Occupation authorities were primarily concerned with exploiting the local economy and shipping food and other commodities back to the Reich. This was also true in Demark, but the German authorities exerciaed more restraint than in other countries. And the country's productive agricultural sector was able to keep food consumption levels higher than in other countries. We do not yet have details on rationing in Denmark. One of the mahor problems was inflation. This immediately arose with the German invasion. The German military made extensive purchases on military instalations and supplies after it moved into the country. They paid in military script which they simply printed. The National Bank of Denmark was required to convert the German currency for Danish kroner. This essentially meant the Danes had to finance the German occupation as the military script had no real value and could not be spent in the Reiuch even if German products wre available for purchase. The vast sums of military script never was redemed by the Germans. Eventually the Government negotiated a more realistic exchange rate. [Giltner, p. 488.] In addition to inflation and German exploitation of the economy, Denmark's principal economic problem was that manufacturers lost access to raw materials. Denmark had a range of industries, but very few raw materials, virtually all of which had to be imported. Coal and oil were especiially difficult to obtain. The Allied naval blockade cut off the ability of imports evedn if German occupation authorities would have permitted the exports needed to pay for imports. And Denmark lost its principal trading partner--Britain. Danish economic activity becamne essentially meeting demands made by the occupation authorities. Here there were a variety of manufacturing operations, especually the production of munitions, but the major German demands was for food produced by Danish farmers.

Living Conditions

Living conditions in Denmark were better than anywhere else in NAZI occupied Europe. One of the most devestating aspect of NAZI occupation in occupied countries was food policy. Occupation authorities were primarily concerned with exploiting the local economy and shipping food and other commodities back to the Reich. This was also true in Demark, but the German authorities exercized more restraint than in other countries. And the country's productive agricultural sector was able to keep food consumption levels higher than in other countries. We do not yet have details on rationing in Denmark.

Relatively Mild Occupation

The restraint of German occupation authorities was in large measure because of NAZI racial policy. Denmark like the Netherlands and Norway were countries tht Hitler eventually wanted to include in a an Aryan greater-Germany after the War. With no racial concerns and no real opposition, Hitler allowed the occupation authorities to pursue a pragmagtic policy designed to best use the country's economy to support the German war effort.

Personal Lives

For many Danes, life went on much like it did before the German invasion. The schools continued to function. We even see Danish children going to summer camps along the country's extensive coasts. That was something that did not happen in Britain. The British kept civilians away from the beaches and even mined the beaches along the eastern and siouthern Channel coast where a German invasion was expected in 1940. A British reader writes, "Such seaside pleasures were denied Btitish children, certainly on the east coast of Britain. Nearly all the beaches were mined, and clearance took quite a few months after the war."

Political Calculation

Danish politicans, especially after the fall of France, so no alternative, but to cooperate with the Germans. And they had some success in obtaining important concessions from the occupation authorities. The Danish Government was left in tact and largely able to function until late in the War. The Danes held the only democratic election permitted in the NAZI empire. Something not often mntioned is that the first serious discussions of European integration occurred during the NAZI occupation. The Danes considered, but ultimtely rejected a customs union with Germany, largely because the Germans insisted on emlininating the Danish kroner. [Meyer-Gohde] The Germans did not press the issue, concerned about destabilizing the political situation. The Danes had other successes, including dragging out negotiations over the return of South Jutland to the Reich, baning 'closed-rank uniformed marches' rejected includung National Socialists in the government, successfully conducting a relatively free election, and preventing actions against Jews for 3 years.

The Economy

One of the major economic problems in Semark during the occupation was inflation. This was also the case in other occupied countries. Inflation immediately arose with the German invasion. The German military made extensive purchases on military instalations and supplies after it moved into the country. They paid in military script which they simply printed. The National Bank of Denmark was required to convert the German currency for Danish kroner. This essentially meant the Danes had to finance the German occupation as the military script had no real value and could not be spent in the Reich even if German products wre available for purchase. The vast sums of military script never was redemed by the Germans. Eventually the Government negotiated a more realistic exchange rate. [Giltner, p. 488.] In addition to inflation and German exploitation of the economy, Denmark's principal economic problem was that manufacturers lost access to raw materials. Denmark had a range of industries, but very few raw materials, virtually all of which had to be imported. Coal and oil were especiially difficult to obtain. The Allied naval blockade cut off the ability of imports evedn if German occupation authorities would have permitted the exports needed to pay for imports. And Denmark lost its principal trading partner--Britain. Trade with other European trading partners was also disrupted. Trade was theoretically possible with Germany, but German occupation policy was not trade, but exploitation. Very few German products were shipped north to Denmark in exchange for the food and other Danisg products shipped to the Reich. One assessment suggests that the Germans essentially extracted a net balance of 6.9 billion kroner from Denmark to support the war effort. [Giltner] Danish economic activity becamne essentially meeting demands made by the occupation authorities. Here there were a variety of manufacturing operations, especually the production of munitions, but the major German demands was for food produced by Danish farmers. The shortage of raw material fed the inflation genrated by the Germans. The Government before the German invasion had stockpiled some coal and oil supplies. (They did not expect an invasion, but did after the War began expect supply dislocations because of the Allied naval blockade.) This and the rationing system helped prevent the most severe consequences of the hortages.

Collaboration

Denmark by any measure did well by pursuing a colabirationist policy toward the Germans. Living conditions certainly declined, but not nearly as much as in other occupied countries or for that matter even Germany itself. Some Danes if they had contracts with the Germans even pospered during the occupation. There were some pricecutions after the War, but this was more limited than in other countries. Most Danes understood that the country had no real option, but to acquiese in gthe German occupation. The level of collaboration can be debated, but the fact that the Danes had no real option can not bec realistically disputed.

Sources

Giltner, Phil. "The Success of Collaboration: Denmark's Self-Assessment of its Economic Position after Five Years of Nazi Occupation," Journal of Contemporary History Vol. 36, No. 3 (2001), pp. 483–506.

Meyer-Gohde, Ruth. "Dänemarks wirtschaftspolitische Reaktion auf die Besetzung des Landes 1940/41" NORDEUROPA Forum No. 2, (2006), pp. 51-70







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Created: 7:17 AM 9/23/2011
Last updated: 7:17 AM 9/23/2011