Danish war casualties

On April 9, 1940 Denmark was occupied by German forces. However, Germany presented the occupation as an offer of protection against British and French aggression and offered to continue to treat Denmark as a sovereign and neutral country. The Danish government chose to accept this offer and try to make the best of it. The following 3 years were characterised by Danish accommodation to German demands until finally the government ceased to function on August 29, 1943.

A resistance movement made itself felt from 1942 onwards with acts of sabotage against railroads and industrial plants producing for Germany. From 1944 the German occupation authorities retaliated with acts of terrorism directed against the population in an attempt to discourage the Resistance.

Denmark was affected very little by military operations. The German surrender on May 5, 1945 took place before Allied forces had reached the Danish border.

Due to all these circumstances, losses in Denmark were small in comparison with other countries occupied by Germany.

Some of the figures below represent rough estimates only.