At 4:15 on the morning of 9 April 1940

[Ltbear]

Small bit of history for those who like stuf like that. **small update**

At 4:15 on the morning of 9 April 1940, German forces crossed the border into neutral Denmark. A combined force of 40.000 men was tasked to take over Denmark. The Danish army was 8000 man strong with further 1800 recruits. The Danish army was structured to be small fast moving units. Motorcykles and bicykles was heawy used. The madsen recoil 20mm cannon was primary weapon, and it was werry effective against early war armour. There is a huge controversy in Denmark about the 9th of April. From a week before the Invasion the Danish politicians knew that the attack would come the 8th or 9th of april. Stil they send the coastal batteries personal on vacation and maintained peacetime status for most of the army.

Danish soldiers of Jyske brigade. Two of these was killed in combat against the Germans.

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2380.jpg

Danish 20mm madsen cannon Motorcykles.

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2384.jpg

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_army_2a_2054.jpg

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2386.jpg

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2385.jpg

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2384.jpg

Pioneers from Jyske brigade working on flooding areas to halt the Germans.

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2381.jpg

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/dan_spec_2382.jpg

Germany attacked by Air, sea and by land.

In Sønderjylland the worst combat happend when the Jyske brigade tryed to halt the German ground forces in the town Haderslev. At the same time German paratroopers attacked multible targets and secured the bridges needed to keep up the advance.

At 0420 The German ship Hansestadt Danzig docked at copenhagen harbour and a ,bataljon from the 308. Regiment landed. The Danish Garision was taken by suprice and Germans secured the Area without combat. The Germans advanced towards the Residence of The Danish king, but the Royal guards was warned and called in reinforcements. When the Germans arived heawy combat began. The Germans was haltet and the Germans send there diplomatic headfigure to the Kings residence with an ultimatum. Luftwaffe bombers began to cirkle Copenhagen to make sure that the King knew that further fighting would only lead to the death of many Danish soldiers.

At 0545 Two squardrons of ME110`s from I/ZG 1 attacked the main Danish airforce base.

commander for I/ZG1 Wolfgang Falck tells

I could se our target just in the outscirts of copenhagen. On the runway there was 10 old fokker recon planes and about two dusins Fokker D-21 fighters standing there in the morning sun. All of them apeared to be warming up. If they took of we would have our work cut out. Low level fighting against a D-21 is not easy. Right then i noticed one of the recon planes taking of I engaged him at around 100m while the rest engaged everything else on the ground. I came close and shot both with MG`s and cannons and he whent down in flames. When i turned around i could se multible targets destroyed. Mission succes.

http://www.helgegras.dk/militaerflyver.htm

http://www.helgegras.dk/militaerflyver.htm

The recon plane that was shbot down was on its way to Sønderjylland (Haderslev) to do recon. The crew C.F. Brodersen og V. Godtfredsen was both killed

The crew, before 9th of april

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/danfly_1_1465.jpg

The plane that was shot down

http://www.chakoten.dk/images/danfly_1_1466.jpg

Brodersen funeral

http://www.helgegras.dk/militaerflyver-filer/image066.jpg

Danish CW-21 with 20mm madsen Cannons

http://www.helgegras.dk/militaerflyver-filer/image071.jpg


Despite heawy AA fire 11 planes was destroyed, and 14 heawy damedged, The attack wiped out 90% of the Danish airforce.


http://www.milhist.dk/besattelsen/9april/vaerlose.jpg

http://www.steampunk.dk/wp-content/uploads/9-april-1940-paa-vaerloese.jpg

small note.05.30 landed the first German paratroppers in Aalborg. This might have been the first time in the world that someone used paratroopers in direct combat.


3 hours after the invasion began the Danish Goverment surrendered to The German forces. The 3 hours of combat had a price.

11 Danish soldiers was killed. 3 Boarder Policemen and two airmen was also killed. 20 Soldiers was wounded and some civilians was either killed or wounded.

German losses.

12 armoured vehicles and multible cars and motorcykles was destoyed. 4 tanks was heawy damedged. Many planes was hit by AA fire one HE-111 was shot down.

202 German soldiers and other personel was killed

2 German soldiers was captured and kept as POW`s for the duration of the battle.

This is not Omaha landing or BOB, but it is a small bit of history for the Danish people. Most of it is translatet by me, but hope you get a glimse of 9th of April 1940

LTbear

***************

random pictures

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Weser%C3%BCbung-S%C3%BCd_Army_Materials.PNG

http://slaegten.galster.dk/foto/fodfolkskanon2.jpg

http://www.dr.dk/NR/rdonlyres/50DF3BFA-F182-4A36-95DE-DD4557B86ECF/1688861/a95bc3f9e604460d94be0ef083e2c602_Billed_3.JPG

http://www.dr.dk/NR/rdonlyres/AB67BF9C-AEBF-4760-93FD-140BD8447B1E/1829648/edf53cfc649e4a57a8167106a4f3cd85_Dr%C3%A6bt_danske r.JPG

http://www.militaerhistorie.dk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/madsen.png

http://www.dr.dk/NR/rdonlyres/6F373645-37DB-4CC0-8273-6B608C079227/1829184/403cc86f43d74842bb46c8bb995243a6_Maskinkanon.JPG

http://www.dr.dk/NR/rdonlyres/AB67BF9C-AEBF-4760-93FD-140BD8447B1E/1837519/eee59604c8304f06aad39f4ae159100d_Billed_6.JPG

http://www.krokohunter.dk/stuff/pzkw1.jpg

http://www.milhist.dk/besattelsen/9april/ju52.jpg

http://spaerretid.natmus.dk/ill/46besat1.jpg

http://www.graenseforeningen.dk/albums/1920_1945/delagt_tysk_panservogn_i_Bredevad.thumb.jpg

http://www.historie-online.dk/nyt/ill/p4-9april.jpg

[oxygenthief]

interesting read thanks

[Sauf]

Thank you for that, also enjoyed the read.

[Rocka]

Wonderfull presentation!

Nothing like a piece of history in the morning! :)

[Flying_Nutcase]

Interesting, thanks. The small scale and time interval makes it quite a unique and personal situation - a battle I had not known any details about before.

[kimosabi]

Here's how Europe looked near the end of 1940, Brits look a bit lonely there:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Second_world_war_europe_1940_map_de.png

Operation Weserübung was a synchronized operation which included Denmark and Norway in one sweep. Norway fell two months later(june) and was after june, constantly the target of Allied sabotage, using northern UK as a base. They even had "partisan" training camps in Scotland for Norwegian soldiers which had managed to escape. Stockholm was also used as a HQ for Norwegian resistance.

We really don't see much info on the invasion of Denmark, so thanks for posting this, LtBear.

[Rickusty]

Very interesting piece of hystory! Thank you.

Cheers
Riccardo

[Triggaaar]

Thanks for the post, interesting

[SG1_Lud]

Thank you!

[Ltbear]

German armoured train in Kolding

http://www.avlg.dk/Billeder/BovBilleder/Pansertog%202%20Kolding%20banegård%2009%2004%2019 40.jpg

http://www.avlg.dk/Billeder/BovBilleder/Pz%2023%20Padborg%20Station%209%20april%201940%20n r%202%20lille.jpg

http://www.avlg.dk/Billeder/BovBilleder/PZ%2023%20Padborg%20Station%209%20april%201940%20l ille.jpg

http://www.avlg.dk/Billeder/BovBilleder/Pz%2023%20%20Padborg%20Station%209%20april%201940% 20nr%203%20lille.jpg

http://www.avlg.dk/Billeder/BovBilleder/Pansertog%203%20Kolding%20banegård%2009%2004%2019 40.jpg

Coastal batteries at Sjællands odde

http://videnskab.dk/sites/all/files/imagecache/300x/article_images/9bf85d53-69c1-435d-ac7d-1eb280739333.jpg

Copenhagen Harbour

http://www.denstoredanske.dk/@api/deki/files/2367/=21227106.jpg?size=webview

[HFC_Dolphin]

Here's how Europe looked near the end of 1940, Brits look a bit lonely there:......


Well, Greeks were there too, defeating Italians and forcing Germans to delay operation Barbarossa in order to conquer Greece.
Well fought war :)

[MD_Titus]

Good read that, thanks.

[Rickusty]

Well, Greeks were there too, defeating Italians and forcing Germans to delay operation Barbarossa in order to conquer Greece.
Well fought war :)

It should more correct to say "stopping the Italian's attack", not actually defeating the Italian Army.

Tactical defensive victory, yes. Decisive victory, not.

More of a stalemate in that campaign: roughly the same losses in both Armies too.
Apart from the aggressive counter-attack (with superior numbers) of the Greek Army between November-January, from February on , the war on that front resembled a static trench-warfare.

At first the Greek Army was able to stop the Italian attack into northern Epirus.
Then, the Italian Army was able to stop the Greek from advancing further and succesfully neglected the possibility to let the Greeks conquer either Valona or Tepeleni, their main objectives in that campaign.

The Italian rather big counter-attack on the 9th March of 1941 was quite a disaster, and the the front-line remained actually the same before the German intervantion.

I've been studying this campaign for years: it's probably the most idiotic and criminal act of either Mussolini and his little nephew Ciano.
A criminal war, without reason, without preparation, that cost a lot of good Greek and Italian young lives for... nothing really.
It's my (and others too) convinction, that this campaign was the main reason the Italian people stopped being supportive of either the Government, Mussolini itself, and the war in general.

The Italian generals were in general incompetents; the humble italian soldiers were actually the ones that saved their butt (and prestige) in stopping the Greeks from kicking us out in the adriatic sea...

Well, it's another thread so...

Cheers

[HFC_Dolphin]

Rickusty, I was pointing more to that British were not alone yet ;)
With regards to Italian's attack to Greece, in my point of view Italian army was defeated for the simple reason that they attacked Greece, failed and had to retreat under Greek army's counter-attack.
Simply said, Italian's objective failed, while Greek's objective was successful.

Anyway, this is history - now we're best friends and soon we'll be both allied against "enemies" in the Economic war taking place right now in Europe.
But that's another story.

By the way, getting back to original post, all I can say is thanks, it was a nice read and those photos were a nice addition!

[Rickusty]

Anyway, this is history - now we're best friends and soon we'll be both allied against "enemies" in the Economic war taking place right now in Europe.
But that's another story.
[/B]

So true! :cool:

Cheers
Rick

[FlyingShark]

Interesting lesson, thank you.

~S~

[stanford]

Outstanding. Thank you for posting.

[Meusli]

Cheers Ltbear, like others have said it's a good read. Could you explain this bit more?

There is a huge controversy in Denmark about the 9th of April. From a week before the Invasion the Danish politicians knew that the attack would come the 8th or 9th of April. Still they send the coastal batteries personal on vacation and maintained peacetime status for most of the army.

Is there an implication they did this on purpose or was it just incompetence?

[Ltbear]

Cheers Ltbear, like others have said it's a good read. Could you explain this bit more?



Is there an implication they did this on purpose or was it just incompetence?

Well thats the problem, its the Danish version of "why was the carriers not at pearl harbour"

When looking at it it seems the Danish goverment "aloved" the Germans in, but they said no no no after the war. In mid 1930`s the Danish army was over 30.000 man strong, but in 1940 that number was down to around 8800. No proof of anything has been found, and even today this affect Danish politics. One side say no one helped the Germans with an easy take over and the other side say yes you did.

What is interesting is that no scientists are alowed to the Danish national archives unless the do there researtch with a positive attitude towards the sitting goverment in 1940...

Ya its wierd, but some documents are stil top secret even today...

strange world we live in lol...

LT

[kimosabi]

Is there an implication they did this on purpose or was it just incompetence?

They had to do it. Denmark, like Norway, never had enough personell in 1940 to deal with the Germans. Initially, Operation Barbarossa alone amassed over 4 million German soldiers. Just to put some perspective on it. Doesn't matter how competent you are if you try to resist something like the German army in 1940 when all you have is 1/100 of their force. It would have been suicide.

I think it was a good call. Heck, even the British and French didn't have personell enough to deal with the German Army in 1940, Germans almost pushed the British back in the sea in France. Dunkirk was the last bastion. Germans cut them some slack at Dunkirk, a three day halt order was given.

Dolphin, the British were pretty much the only participating European country which was never invaded during WW2. Greece fell to Germany in 24 days once the Germans came to aid Mussodawg. ;)

[Ltbear]

They had to do it. Denmark, like Norway, never had enough personell in 1940 to deal with the Germans. Initially, Operation Barbarossa alone amassed over 4 million German soldiers. Just to put some perspective on it. Doesn't matter how competent you are if you try to resist something like the German army in 1940 when all you have is 1/100 of their force. It would have been suicide.

I think it was a good call. Heck, even the British and French didn't have personell enough to deal with the German Army in 1940, Germans almost pushed the British back in the sea in France. Dunkirk was the last bastion. Germans cut them some slack at Dunkirk, a three day halt order was given.

Dolphin, the British were pretty much the only participating European country which was never invaded during WW2. Greece fell to Germany in 24 days once the Germans came to aid Mussodawg. ;)

Again. The problem is how the Danish goverment worked from 1935 to 1940 is werry interesting. The party in power did all what they could to de militaraise Denmark. In 5 years the cut the strength down from 30.000 to 8800. The Danish airforce was mothballed, and quit a few planes was in wooden cases at the holmen sea base. Between 3 to 9th of april most Danish warships was ordered to port. All the big coastal batteries (and they where big) was either on vacation or only kept at peacetime man power.

Our problem is that not all documents are given free, and alot of quistions are unanswered.

Yes at the current state of 1940 the Danish army had little chanse of doing major damedge to the German warmachine. If we had the 30.000 man strong army the situation would be way different.

But history tell us what happend.

9th of april the Germans invaded Denmark. In 1943 the general population began an uprising, that alowed the Germans to take full control over the country. 4th of may 1945 late evening the Germans surrendered, we celebrate this may the 5th.

Only reson Denmark was invitet to Nato after the war was because of the Danish resistence and the ammount of sabotour jobs they did. They did 1900 missons from 1940 to 1945.

If it had not been for them Denmark would have been countet as an axis power and would also had to pay compensation like Germany.

lol abit more history lmao....

When we get to may 5th i create a new post about what happend around that date. Not all of it are flowers and monty, many dark secrets was trying to be kept away

[kimosabi]

I'm not denying that some forces within the governments had agendas. Norway is a clear example on that with the NS(Nasjonal Samling) party and Widqun Quisling spearheading the nationalist movement in Norway at the time. Hell, our whole government fled the country some time before the invasion started. Our King Haakon just made it out of Elverum before the Germans started bombing it, he and his cabinet was actually the last "government crew" to leave the country. All the politicians was already long gone and exiled in Britain.

Now there are many theories that NS actually was close to bargain the Germans into not invading, and that only 1/10 of every man was mobilized in april 1940. Our military force was, like Denmark, being decreased/cutback since WW1 and German paratroopers was escorted(!) by riding Police into Oslo. Norway was full of traitors at the time and I remember my grandfather saying that "You couldn't trust anyone. You never knew if even your neighbour was a Gestapo informant or not."

Talk about being labeled as axis, look at all the Norwegians, Danes and Swedes fighting on German side during operation Barbarossa. 5th SS Panzer Division Wiking got its name for a reason, Wiking had a whole regiment(SS Nordland) which was made up of Norwegians, Danes and Swedes plus a few ethnic German veterans. They took part in Barbarossa when invading through Ukraine in 1941.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101III-Altstadt-055-37%2C_Russland%2C_Panzer_III%2C_Waffen-SS-Division_%22Wiking%22.jpg/399px-Bundesarchiv_Bild_101III-Altstadt-055-37%2C_Russland%2C_Panzer_III%2C_Waffen-SS-Division_%22Wiking%22.jpg

Wiking insignia on the mudguard.

[Ltbear]

:) ya most ww2 gamers know Wiking, i even joined that squard in ww2 online (battleground europe) way bck....."infantry lag killed that game for me"

Deffently. Norway and Denmark have some remarkeble things that are almost identical in many ways.....

LTbear

[salmo]

Very interesting history and pics! Thank you.

[Squid_DK]

Cheers Ltbear, like others have said it's a good read. Could you explain this bit more?



Is there an implication they did this on purpose or was it just incompetence?

One thing not mentioned was the state of the Royal Danish navy and the attempt by the government to martyrise parts of the Navy during the german invasion, Denmark had employed minefields in its waters to control the shipping traffic and to protect danish ports and interests.
On the morning of April 9th a german naval force (Including the WW I era BB Sleswig Holstein) was heading towards Copenhagen, blocking the germans was a small force of the danish Navy, the danish units has asked for orders regarding the german surface units but they never got a response (Although later studies have shown that the politicians were well aware that the danish force was seriously outgunned. Fortunately for the danish Navy the german commander had the courtesy to give the danish commodore in charge time to retreat and save his forces (Most of which were later scuttled by the danish Navy).

Staffan

[Raggz]

Hitler threatened to flatten Oslo with bombers. Norwegian government didn't want to end up with a city like Warsaw and capitulated. I believe Denmark had the same fear. Secondly none of the Nordic country's had the resources to really put up a fight with the Germans. Norway fought for 3 weeks before caving in but did some significant damage during that period of time. Mostly Naval damage. Several city's got heavily bombed during the 3 weeks.


Anyways, if interested there are 2 great WWII movies about the resistance in Denmark and Norway called "Flammen og Citronen" and "Max Manus". Both good movies and worth the time :)

[Ltbear]

Hitler threatened to flatten Oslo with bombers. Norwegian government didn't want to end up with a city like Warsaw and capitulated. I believe Denmark had the same fear. Secondly none of the Nordic country's had the resources to really put up a fight with the Germans. Norway fought for 3 weeks before caving in but did some significant damage during that period of time. Mostly Naval damage. Several city's got heavily bombed during the 3 weeks.


Anyways, if interested there are 2 great WWII movies about the resistance in Denmark and Norway called "Flammen og Citronen" and "Max Manus". Both good movies and worth the time :)

Read the books instead of watching the above movies, the books are way way better....

[Hellbender]

Well, Greeks were there too, defeating Italians and forcing Germans to delay operation Barbarossa in order to conquer Greece.
Well fought war :)
Since years now, historians showed that the Operations against Greece and Yugoslavia didn´t delay the invasion of Russia, since 1st the weather condidtions were to "wet" and Rasputitsa (the wet spring whether periode) wasn´t over in 1941 and 2nd the basic logistic requirements weren´t finished to start the invasion earlier than June.
"According to Robert Kirchubel, "the main causes for deferring Barbarossa's start from 15 May 15-22 June were incomplete logistical arrangements, and an unusually wet winter that kept rivers at full flood until late spring" Kirchubel (2005), p. 16

[Raggz]

Read the books instead of watching the above movies, the books are way way better....

I've read the books and they are always better than the movies. But not everyone are into reading books. That's where movies come in ;)

[giovanni the ace]

Very interesting! Thanks for posting.

G.C.

[esavanah]

When we get to may 5th i create a new post about what happend around that date. Not all of it are flowers and monty, many dark secrets was trying to be kept away

I am pretty sure that a lot of things are not all flowers and monty but I wonder what kind of dark secrets you can spill that might be a shock for everyone (http://www.serenataflowers.com)? It is very interesting to hear new things that haven't been laid out or discussed before - not to point out, made visible for us!

[Red Dragon-DK]

Thanks Ltbear for putting this up. Great reading - well done Sir.

As you have mentioned, there is still speculation about what the motivation was, for Letting the Germann in at this time.

I saw a show yesterday where they belived, that the Goverment at that time strongly believed that the Germans would win the war and, therefore, was best interests, if they did not do too much resistance. This attitude hold right up to 43

It is debatable whether this was cowardly, but one thing is certain. It has saved many lives. Denmark did not have a real chance to provide enough resistance to stop the Germans. It would have been a slaughterhouse.

Unfortunately, this gave the Germans to quickly subsequent to occupy Norway. There was quite simply not enough time to prepare a warm welcome to the Germans in Norway, which the Allies would have wished they had.

But the Dane was fortunately not a bunch that went right down. There were subsequent many resistance groups taht did sabotage against the Germans. How effective it really was is not known with accuracy, but it is a fact that it was a great significant burdens for the occupation forces. (æøå) :-)