The Danish resistance movement, with the help of many Danish citizens, conducted one of the most remarkable rescue operations of World War II, successfully evacuating 7,220 out of Denmark's 7,800 Jews, along with 686 non-Jewish spouses, to nearby neutral Sweden. This effort began after German diplomat Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz leaked plans on September 28, 1943, for the impending deportation of Danish Jews to concentration camps, which had been ordered by Adolf Hitler.
The rescue is widely regarded as one of the largest acts of collective resistance to Nazi aggression in any German-occupied country during the war. Due to this operation and the subsequent intercession on behalf of the 464 Danish Jews captured and sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp, 99% of Denmark's Jewish population survived the Holocaust.
After the Danish government resigned in August 1943, the German occupiers began planning to deport the country's Jewish population. Duckwitz, who had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate safe harbor for Danish Jews in Sweden, decided to leak the Nazi plan to Hans Hedtoft, the chairman of the Danish Social Democratic Party. Hedtoft informed the Danish Resistance Movement and the head of the Jewish community, C. B. Henriques, who then alerted acting Chief Rabbi Marcus Melchior. During early morning services on September 29, one day before Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Melchior warned the Jewish community to go into hiding immediately. This warning allowed many Jews to evade the Nazi roundup.
The early phases of the rescue were uncoordinated and improvised. Danish civil servants, upon learning of the Nazi plan, independently began alerting Jews through personal contacts, urging them to go into hiding. Many Jews sought refuge for days or weeks, not knowing what their fate would be. As the threat intensified, the Danish resistance and numerous ordinary citizens organized efforts to hide Jews and arrange their escape to Sweden.
Sweden had previously offered sanctuary to Norwegian Jews and quickly agreed to accept Danish Jews as well. On October 2, 1943, the Swedish government made an official announcement declaring that it would welcome all Danish Jews seeking refuge. The passage across the Øresund strait to Sweden was dangerous and varied in length depending on weather and location, but on average, it took less than an hour. Jews were transported by fishing boats, rowboats, kayaks, and even hidden in freight rail cars. The Gerda III, a vessel of the Danish Lighthouse and Buoy Service, was one of the boats used to ferry refugees across to Sweden, transporting about 300 Jews to safety.
The cost of the journey varied, with fishermen charging anywhere from 1,000 to 50,000 Danish kroner per person, depending on perceived risk and demand. Despite the high fees, the Danish Resistance Movement, with financial support from wealthy Danes and Jewish families, managed to cover the expenses. Overall, the rescue effort is estimated to have cost around 20 million kroner.
In the early days of the rescue, Jews gathered in fishing harbors, waiting for transport. However, the Gestapo soon became suspicious of this activity, leading to a crackdown. On the night of October 6, 80 Jews were captured in Gilleleje after their hiding place was betrayed. Consequently, rescue operations shifted to more isolated coastal points, and many Jews hid in woods or cottages while awaiting their turn to cross.
Danish harbor police and civil authorities often cooperated with the resistance effort, and many local German commanders showed little enthusiasm for enforcing the deportation orders. As a result, about 116 Danish Jews managed to remain hidden in Denmark until the war ended, while only a few were captured, died in accidents, or committed suicide.
The rescue effort was an extraordinary success, and the casualties among Danish Jews during the Holocaust were among the lowest in any occupied country. Only 102 Danish Jews are recorded as victims of the Holocaust. This operation also marked a turning point in Danish resistance to the Nazi occupation, as it galvanized public opinion and linked broader anti-Nazi sentiments with the resistance movement.