The government refused to agree to this. Therefore, the German occupiers imposed a state of emergency and on 29 August the government ceased to function. Meanwhile the Germans disarmed the Danish army and also tried to take over the navy. This led to fighting between Danish and German soldiers and the Danish navy sinking several vessels to prevent them falling into German hands. Arrests and executions became more common. The German occupiers used such repression in order to maintain control in Denmark and to respond to the sabotage activities of the resistance movement.
Another consequence of the increase in German repression was the persecution of the Danish Jews. No Danish Jew was ever forced to wear the yellow star. Despite the protection received from Germany, Denmark grew weary of the Nazi presence in its country. By the summer of , outside pressure from Allied sources for the Danes to actively resist German occupation increased.
These calls for sabotage worried Nazi leaders; Germany waited for an opening to introduce stricter control. This opening in September , when Hitler sent King Christian a birthday telegram. Christian Rex. Their objective was simple: Help their Jewish friends and neighbors. Soon, Jewish people were sneaking out of Copenhagen and other towns, headed toward Danish shores and into the crowded holds of tiny fishing boats. Denmark was about to pull off a spectacular feat—the rescue of the vast majority of its Jewish population.
Within days, most of them had escaped Denmark to neutral Sweden. The miraculous-seeming rescue of over 90 percent of Danish Jews happened thanks to ordinary Danes, most of whom refused to accept credit for the lives they saved. Nazi soldiers marching through in Denmark on April 9, In April , German forces invaded Denmark.
Rather than suffer an inevitable defeat by fighting back, the Danish government negotiated to insulate Denmark from the occupation. In return, the Nazis agreed to be lenient with the country, respecting its rule and neutrality.
However by , tensions had reached a breaking point. Workers had begun to sabotage the war effort and the Danish resistance had ramped up efforts to fight the Nazis. In response, the Nazis told the Danish government to institute a harsh curfew, forbid public assemblies, and punish saboteurs with death. The Danish government refused, so the Nazis dissolved the government and established martial law.
They dissolved the parliament, took away King Christian's power, and placed him under house arrest. Denmark's main source of guidance was now the Danish Freedom Council. This group served openly as the main body of the Danish resistance, and Denmark now looked to its members for leadership.
During the spring of , Germany was losing its control over most of Europe. On May 5, the Nazis finally surrendered to the Allies.
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