Hitler's Savage Canary: A History of the Danish Resistance in World War II

by David Lampe, Birger Riis-Jørgensen (Foreword)

After Adolf Hitler made plans to create a “model protectorate” out of Denmark, Winston Churchill predicted that the nation would become the Führer’s tame canary. Isolated from the Allies and fueled only by a sense of human decency and national pride, the Danes created an extraordinary resistance movement that proved a relentless thorn in the side of the Nazis. By 1945, they had published twenty-six million issues of illegal newspapers. They set up radio guides for Allied aircraft on the coasts and proved invaluable in penetrating Nazi defenses.

Regular boat services ran between Sweden, Denmark, and Britain. German ships could not move out of ports, and troops were stymied again and again by the sabotage of railways and air bases. Most amazing of all was the transportation of some 7,000 Danish Jews to safety in Sweden. They were not trained; they were not soldiers. They were simply ordinary citizens who refused to stand idly by and witness an atrocity.

The story of the selfless courage and daring should inspire countless future generations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Denmark, War, World War II, Military Fiction, European History

264 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2010

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borrowed this while up in NW Wisconsin. Dad's third wife was Danish and the closest of my stepbrothers is very proud of his Danishness so, being interested in WWII and particularly interested in partisan struggles against the Nazis in Scandinavia, I read the stories of resistance to German occupation with avidity.

This is not a scholarly overview nor is it a coherent history of events. Rather, it's like listening to the reminiscences of some of the 30,000 or so Danes who actively opposed the Nazis. Most interesting to me was the account of the efforts, generally successful, to save Denmark's Jewish population. I'd read about it before, but never in such detail.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Nazis entered Denmark, the small country didn't have the military power to stand a chance fighting; to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, Denmark was forced to accept status as a protectorate of the Reich, allowed to keep their own government, but really under German control. Because of this, much of the world dismissed Denmark as 'Hitler's Canary'--you just sit in your cage singing whatever Hitler tells you to. But literally from Day One, tens of thousands of ordinary Danes--from snot-nosed high school kids to old pastors to policemen, journalists, shopkeepers and labourers--started a campaign of stubborn resistance to Nazi rule.
This book is a collection of some of the amazing true stories of Danish resistance--not just as organized Resistance groups, but ordinary citizens resisting, defying and generally making life difficult for Nazi authorities, at great risk to themselves.
Some chapters are collections of short vignettes--the mailman who, when delivering mail to German hearquarters, would pick out and destroy letters from informants; the blacksmith who kept his illegal explosives openly on a shelf in his shop *in a canister marked 'Explosives'*; the film director who, when sent to a concentration camp for making and showing illegal films, somehow got a camera smuggled into camp so he could film the inside of the camp; and the communist saboteur who, unable to get explosives from the Allies, waltzed into Nazi headquarters to place official requests for German explosives ‘for construction demolitions work’ and thereby kept his crew supplied completely legally (LOL!).
Other chapters cover larger plots and incidents—including the incredible story of how, over a 10-day period, the Danish people managed to smuggle almost every Jew in Denmark (seven thousand people!) out of the country before the Nazis could ‘disappear’ them; and the story of how, when the Nazis set an 8pm curfew one summer, the people of Copenhagen all stopped work at noon (“so we can tend our vegetable gardens before curfew”...yeah...) and the city had a sudden epidemic of ‘sleepwalkers’ out past curfew, and when the angry Germans shot into the curfew-breaking crowds, some civilians started a game of ‘who can stand on the corner longest before ducking out of fire’ while others started bonfires in the streets (breaking blackout rules) and, during this chaos, some Resistance people decided this is the perfect cover for us to experiment with the minimum amount of explosive needed to blow up railway lines on the city tram system!
I spent a lot of this book wondering “Why isn’t there a MOVIE about this?!” Had several episodes of laughing out loud at how so many people managed to get away with so many incredible acts of defiance, and how several others managed to get out of trouble in sometimes frankly miraculous ways. And quite a few moments of “Denmark, I freakin’ LOVE you guys!!!”
The book was published in the late 1950’s, so the writing does assume that readers will already know something about WW2 as a matter of course (ie, you know what they’re talking about when they mention the Gestapo, the SS, the Luftwaffe, etc). There is also the 1950’s writing style, though I didn’t find that problematic, since I did take this book in small bites. The book doesn’t make Denmark’s story to be all sunshine, either: there are several mentions, and one full chapter, dealing with the Resistance’s Liquidation Corps, whose unpleasant job it was to kill traitors. Not all stories end in success, though some failures still make a good story (and a few are even funny).
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good adventure or a little-known part of history. It's a great look at how ordinary people could make such a huge difference in such a terrible time, and get through with wit and dignity. If you don't know about this part of WW2, you definitely should.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about sneaking around defeating Nazis really should have been more interesting. Hitler's Savage Canary is written as a series of anecdotes, so the structure and complexity of the Resistance was only mentioned occasionally, and nothing tied together. The writing was dry and boring. The Resistance's feats were incredible, but they all came together here in a bluh. Only recommended if you really, really love the Danes.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is an collection of oral histories of the Danish resistance to the Nazis during World War II. Various aspects of the resistance are covered and some photographs are included. A good index is included.

[Peter James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it! The danish resistance were badass. Denmark is often over looked whilst talking about ww2, but they were vital to winning the war. Please read it and pass these amazing people's stories on to others, so that they can appreciate their sacrifices for a free world.

[Bigtam45 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good stories, but poorly written with tons of editing errors. Really wanted to like this book but it was a chore to read it for book club.

[Kate Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this one is a bit misleading: it isn't really a history of the resistance, more a collection of anecdotes about specific people's involvement, types of resistence or of groups organising against the Germans. However, this doesn't detract from the story of a massive number of Danes finding any and all means to resist and despite patchy assistance from England, doing a pretty bang up job. Need explosives and London won't air-drop any in? Fine, we'll just ask the Germans for some! Find out the Germans are going to round-up Danish Jews? Not on our watch, lets just ship them out to Sweden! It was funny, dramatic and sometimes sad but it's also a brilliant record of a part of the war that we aren't taught about, and that's a real shame.

[Jens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Danish ingenuity and character are shown off throughout this. I never knew much of Denmark’s involvement in WWII besides they were occupied for the majority of it. Very cool learning about the Danish Resistance and their part in ending the war (Sweden also). Need to make a family tree.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I recently learned that I have some Danish ancestry via my biological father's line, things related to Denmark catch my attention more I recently learned about how the Danish people saved 90% of the Danish Jews in Denmark and was fascinated with this story. I wanted to learn more---which led me to this book. Very fascinating book. I learned so much!!!

[Idwer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but it is less a history of the Danish resistance and more a collection of loosely connected stories about the resistance in Denmark.

[Kristian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Danish Resistance pulled off some amazing feats during the second world war, especially for the size of the country. Many other countries which were occupied by the National Socialists didn't save a very large proportion of their Jewish populations, but this certainly wasn't the case for Denmark, as is covered thoroughly in this book. Furthermore, the Danish Resistance was so effective at bombing military factories, headquarters, and airfields that no major bombing raids had to occur on Copenhagen as they simply weren't needed. Throughout the late war, they also disrupted the rail systems and allowed for some operations, such as The Battle of The Bulge to not have full reinforcements on the Axis side, tipping the favor to the Allies. They were so successful, that there was one time the Germans had to put Copenhagen on lockdown, to try and prosecute the resistance. The stories are incredible, but this book puts them together much like how a Wikipedia article would, taking some of the excitement out of them. This could be a great resource if you were researching the Danish Resistance, but if you want to read it casually, it may bore you at times. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and the stories were fascinating, but the book was slow.

[Jenny T · Rating 4 out of 5]

The History of the Danish Resistance during the German Occupation in World War 2. I was greatly impressed by the bravery and community spirit shown by the Danish people as they worked to evacuate refugees to Sweden, sabotage German factories making weapons, and spread news of the Resistance's exploits in the most successful underground news network in the world.

Originally published in 1957, these pages are so filled with tales of ingenious Danish victories over foolish and/or oblivious Germans that one wonders if many may be apocryphal.

For example, in one case, the British wanted to bomb the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen, but all the buildings in the city looked alike. "Not so," reply the Danes. The Germans had "camouflaged" their building--so it was the only one in the city painted with green and brown stripes.

Which isn't to say these stories aren't based on truth. Regardless, this was a fun, eye-opening read that really helped put Denmark on the map for me.

[Foxthyme · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's true, this book was written in '57 so the writing isn't as snappy as it is nowadays. However, I'm surprised at how not dry it is. A bit of editing to smooth out some sentences, sure. Perhaps that was a translation issue.

However the content of the book is amazing. The Danes were able to safely get most of the Jewish people in Denmark to safe land before the Nazis sent them to concentration camps. That is but one thing they did amongst so many. They had so numerous ways and methods to sabotage the Nazis. The read is hair raising. Especially when you think, this really happened. This was real.

Regular people took responsibility for doing the right thing. They risked their lives to do it. And they did it with dogged determination, ingenuity, and downright originality. A great read.

[Katrina Christiansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is collection of resistance stories that are truly heroic. The writing is amatuer and sometimes meandering and not completely explanatory for someone with limited knowledge. I was surprised to learn all the amazing things the Danes accomplished to help the Allied forces.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great chronicle on all the ways the Danes resisted the Nazis during the German occupation 1940-1945. I especially enjoyed learning about the resistance groups BOPA and Holger Danske and their many activities to thwart the Germans at every opportunity. Learning about the RAF's precision bombing missions on Gestapo buildings in key Danish cities was amazing. Rather than being Hitler's model occupation, the Danes provided the Allies with a textbook case on how to run an incredibly effective and resourceful insurgency that rivaled all the Nazi-occupied countries.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, but also frustrating, book. The stories of Danish resistance efforts during the years of Nazi occupation are often incredible. But they aren't strung together in any coherent fashion in this book. Some chronology and better organization would have made this an even more powerful work. Having said that, the story of the RAF's bombing raid of the Gestapo HQ in the center of Copenhagen is exciting enough that it could have been a small book on its own. One thing is certain: You'll come away from this book with immense respect for the bravery of the Danes.

[Laura Valenziano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because Denmark is a small country and it was quickly overrun by the Germans you don't hear much about the country in World War II history. This book is a short and easy read about Danish resistance and tells you much about the the character of the Danish people. Very interesting and quite a good read!

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting history of the Danish resistance to Nazi rule in world war 2. Not a very well known story. Deserves to be more widely known. The Danish did an incredible amount of damage to the Nazi war effort.

[Daniel Pearse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done look at the Danish resistance movement against the Fascists' and Nazis during WWII. The stories are colorful and intriguing and only briefly mentions liquidation. My only gripe is that I would have liked to see footnotes or an index to show the sources used to compile the book.

[Erika Boncz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting but got a bit repetitive by the end.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting element of ww2, rarely covered in pop culture.

[Carolyn Lawry · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars not so much for the writing (and non-existent sub-editing) but 10 stars for the wildly entertaining stories of the Danish resistance.

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, jumps around a lot with many characters & stories.

[Elgin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading personal accounts of war experiences. There was nothing in the way of historical analysis here, but the stories
were exciting and well written. The Danish situation was not at the top of the allies priorities, but nonetheless the Danish resistance worked hard for the allies and were an impressive organization. It was inspiring to read about the courageous men and woman who risked their (and their families) lives to save the Danish Jews (very very few were sent to concentration camps) and make life as difficult as possible for the Germans. Anyone who likes WWII history should read this book....it reminds us that there was a lot more to the war than what happened on the battlefield.

[Jon Levinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a quaint mid-century style this book is refreshingly straightforward in its depiction of Danish resistance activities. It focuses on anecdotes that illustrate the activities of Danish resistance figures rather than approaching The subject matter in a more academically rigorous and systematic fashion. This leads to an entertaining and quick read, even if the relative importance of these activities is hard to put in perspective.

[Sean Patrix · Rating 2 out of 5]

• Hitler’s Savage Canary: A history of the Danish Resistance in World War II. By David Lampe. I’m a big history buff, so wanted to like this book. But the writing is not very good and I couldn’t finish it. Can’t recommend.

[Art · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard stories about the Danish resistance for years but this was the first book that I've read devoted to the subject, and it didn't disappoint. A very interesting history of a occupation and the resistance to it, worth reading.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of the Danish resistance in World War II. Anyone interested in reading about WW II history will enjoy this book. It includes an account of Denmark's saving of 7,00 Jewish citizens by clandestinely sending them to neutral Sweden.

[Eliot · Rating 1 out of 5]

An amazing story of courage. However, the book is not well written and a bore to read.

[Mindy Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great stories. I just wish it had been written and translated better.