Short Rounds

The monthly newsletter of the Scott Hosier WWII Roundtable

Season 9, Number 5 January 2013

The Nazi Invasion of Denmark

Denmark in WWII
7PM, Monday, January 14, 2013
Rochester Assembly Church 4240 18th Ave NW, Rochester, MN Come early to get a good seat and enjoy the music!

Happy New Year!

The Scott Hosier WWII Roundtable is pleased to present Denmark in WWII, the experiences of Borge Christensen and Holocaust survivor Jerry Valfer, two men forced to endure the Nazi occupation of Denmark during World War II. The program starts promptly at 7PM, on Monday, January 14, 2013 at the Rochester Assembly Church, 4240 18th Ave NW, Rochester, MN. Come early to enjoy music from the 40s. A $3 donation is requested, but students are admitted for free.

Even before the shooting war started, Adolf Hitler had managed to threaten and bully his way to annexing Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Second World War in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 when German forces crashed into Poland and forced a surrender in only six weeks. Britain and France, having signed mutual defense treaties with Poland, quickly declared war on Germany. However, for the remainder of 1939 and into the spring of 1940, the Western Front remained relatively quiet. In April 1940, Hitler turned his attention northwards. The country of Norway was of strategic importance to both Germany and the Allies due to its rich iron ore deposits. Additionally, German control of Norwegian ports would ensure access to the Atlantic Ocean by the Kriegsmarine (German navy), while Allied control of those same ports would threaten Germany with a complete blockade at sea. Denmark, because of its relatively small size and population, was of less importance to the Germans, but airfields and ports in Denmark had to be secured in order for the German invasion of Norway to succeed. (continued next page)
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Museum Update
The planning committee for the Minnesota Veterans and Emergency Services Museum (MVESM) has been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that the museum has been granted exemption from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code. Donations or contributions to the MVESM are now tax deductible under section 170 of that code. The first step in any museum building project is to conduct a feasibility study. The MVESM needs to raise a significant amount of money to commission this study, and we need your help. Please visit the MVESM table in the foyer where volunteers are ready to answer questions, accept your donations, and issue you tax receipts. For more information about the Minnesota Veterans and Emergency Services Museum, visit the website at www.mvesm.org, or contact Jane Bisel at (507) 280-6888.

SWEDEN
Aalborg

Aarhus

DENMARK
Jutland
Esbjerg Odense

Gilleleje

Copenhagen

Fyn

Zealand

GERMANY

Lolland

Falster

NEXT MONTH:

Support Mission in Korea

7PM Monday February 11, 2013
Speakers:

Ken Thamert and author/historian Tom Ostrom

Operation Weserbung, the German plan to capture and occupy Denmark and Norway, went into action on April 9, 1940. The Germans launched nine divisions, an artillery battalion, and a motorized rifle brigade (about 120,000 men in total) against the six divisions of Norway (60,000 men) and the two divisions of Denmark (14,000). While the Kriegsmarine landed German troops in Norway, one division and a motorized brigade of the Heer (German army) crossed the border into Denmark, and another division disembarked from ferries and warships in Danish ports. In the first use of airborne troops in history, German Fallschirmjger (paratroopers) captured the fortress on the island of Masned. German paratroopers also landed in northern Jutland to secure the airfield at Aalborg and open it to additional German soldiers arriving in military transports. Despite having little chance in fending off the invasion, some elements of the Danish army fought bravely against the Germans, suffering 36 dead and wounded while inflicting over 200 casualties on the Germans. The German ambassador to Denmark met with the Danish Foreign Minister and demanded that all opposition to the invasion cease. The Danes were told that the Luftwaffe (German air force) would bomb the capital city of Copenhagen if German demands were not met. To emphasize this point, formations of German bombers flew over Copenhagen and released leaflets that deceptively claimed that the German occupation was intended to preserve the neutrality of Denmark and to protect them against invasion by the British. Faced with no other choice, Christian X, the King of Denmark, capitulated to the Germans only six hours after the start of the invasion. During the first three years of occupation, the Germans were lenient and allowed the Danish government to continue control over domestic matters in their country. Nevertheless, Danish resistance to Nazi rule gradually grew and included acts of sabotage and covert collection of intelligence that was

passed on to Allied forces. In 1943, the terror of the Nazi "Final Solution" reached Denmark when Hitler ordered that Danish Jews be rounded up and deported to concentration camps. Fortunately by then, in one of the largest examples of organized resistance against the Holocaust, nearly the entire Jewish population of Denmark over 8,000 men, women, and children had been covertly transported to safety in nearby neutral Sweden. Despite these efforts, 500 Danish Jews were part of the 144,000 Jews sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp. German control effectively ended by May 5, 1945 after the capitulation of German forces in the Netherlands, northwestern Germany, and Denmark. Three days later, the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of all German armed forces. The Third Reich, declared by Hitler to last one thousand years, lasted only thirteen, but not before over 75 million military personnel and civilians lost their lives. Dave Allen Scale Model Show The Hope It Dont Snow show features hundreds of amazing scale model aircraft, armor, ships, spacecraft, figures, and more on display. The show is free and open to the public. Join the fun from 9AM to 4PM at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, 1517 16th St SW, Rochester, on Saturday, February 2th, 2013.

Paul Kreter
Paul J. Kreter, 92, passed away Sunday, November 18, 2012 at his home. Paul was a speaker at the Scott Hosier WWII Roundtable in May 2010. He was born November 3, 1920 and was a graduate of Rochester High School. On October 12, 1946, Paul married Alice Marge Molda at Trinity Lutheran Church in Rochester. He was a veteran of the US Air Force, proudly serving his country during WWII. Paul was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church for 65 years and a member of the American Legion Post 92 in Rochester. Paul worked as a contractor for many years, building many of the homes in Rochester. He enjoyed fishing, hunting and being active in church. Paul also loved planes and attending air shows. Above all, Paul loved spending time and making memories with his family.
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