The Danish Army on April 9^th, 1940, Part 1

Introduction

Information, in English, regarding the Danish resistance to the German invasion on April 9^th, 1940 seems to be scarce. I have written the following article, in order to help filling this gap.

The Danish Forces at the border

The Danish forces at the Danish-German border consisted of:

4^th Battalion

The 4^th Battalion were heavily engaged in the early hours of April 9^th.

The battalion was grouped into various detachments, as shown in the tables.

The troops went on full alert at 13:30 on April 8^th, and were held ready to take up positions in event of a German invasion.

A thorough reconnaissance had been made regarding the positions, but in order not to provoke the Germans, all digging and fortification had however been strictly forbidden.

At 04:17 the alarm was sounded, at the troops left their barracks at 04:35, heading for their positions.

The Korskro and Bredevad Detachments

Just a few minutes ahead of the arrival of first German troops, the Bredevad Detachment took up positions at 06:30.

German armoured cars and motorcyclist were observed 300 metres to the south, and the 20mm auto cannons commenced firing, disabling the armoured car in front.

Danish soldiers and a disabled German armoured car at Bredevad. From Source 2.

German infantry dismounted and attacked on foot, accompanied by 3 armoured cars.

Heavy fighting followed, with dead and wounded on both sides, and a further 2 armoured cars were put out of action.

At 07:15 a large German motorized column marched from Tinglev towards Bredevad, thus preventing the detachment here from retiring. It was consequently disarmed by the Germans.

The Korskro Detachment made a halt in Rabsted, which was occupied at 06:45.

From two captured German dispatch riders it was learned that a German armoured unit was marching from Korskro, and that Bredevad had already been captured.

The detachment resumed the march via secondary roads, and learned about the cease-fire when they reached Hellevad (approximately 18 kilometres to the north-east).

At Bredevad Privates Poul Søgaard and Peder Jørgen Andersen were killed, and Sergeant J. Løvgreen, Corporal B.A. Larsen and Privates P. Jespersen, N.E. Bak and C.J. Hansen were wounded.

The Gaardeby, Perbøl, Oksekær, Vilsbæk and Kliplev Detachments

The detachments from 3^rd Company drove off from their quarters, situated in Kliplev, and reached their positions before the German troops.

The Gaardeby Detachment however was the only one from 3^rd Company which saw action.

It arrived at their positions at 04:45 and made a roadblock with various implements from a nearby farm.

Two German armoured cars observed the roadblock (at 05:30) but drove off before the detachment could open fire. In order to avoid being outflanked, the auto cannon were ordered into a new position.

A little later more German armoured cars turned up, and started shelling the gun crew, which desperately were trying to get the gun into its new position. Finally they succeeded, and opened fire on the armoured cars, presumably scoring some hits.

Before further action could take place, the detachment was ordered to evacuate their positions and move to the north.

The Lundtoftebjærg Detachment

The 2 auto cannons and the light machinegun from the anti-tank platoon arrived at their positions in the nick of time, and at 04:50 a column of armoured cars, motorcycles and other vehicles arrived. From improvised positions the auto cannons opened fire, disabling 2 armoured cars. When the enemy motorcyclists dismounted they were fired up from the light machinegun.

Stray bullets started a fire in a farm building. The smoke slowed down the German fire.

Some time after 05:00 the Germans mounted an attack, supported by terrain-going vehicles (type unknown), and the anti-tank platoon withdrew towards Aabenraa.

The bicycle platoon took up positions at the railway bridge, approximately 1.5 kilometres to the north of the anti-tank platoon. Shortly afterwards, the German column continued it advance and reached the platoon. Fire from armoured cars and low flying fighter planes forced the platoon to make a fighting withdrawal. One section was taken prisoner, but the platoon commander and to sections escaped.

From the bicycle platoon Private Karl Gunnar Jørgensen was killed and Private H. Hansen was wounded.

The Kværs Detachment

The 2 platoons from 2^nd Company arrived at their position at 05:05 and started digging in, just south of Kværs.

Shortly after, heavy firing was heard form Lundtoftebjærg, and the platoons were attacked by low flying German fighter planes.

No enemy troops were observed before 08:00 when German armoured cars showed up in the rear of the positions. The platoons were disarmed in Kværs.

The Hokkerup and Rønshoved Detachments

The detachments took up their positions at 05:10 and 05:20.

At Hokkerup an improved roadblock was erected in great haste, and at 05:30 German armoured cars and motorcyclists attacked the position. The auto cannon opened fire, thus hitting the first 3 armoured cars in the column.

The German motorcyclists dismounted and attacked. The attack was supported by a 37 mm gun (perhaps a 3.7 cm FLAK 36), which however was quickly dealt with, by two direct hits on the gun, from one of the auto cannons.

The Danish positions were also attacked by low flying fighter planes.

At 06:15 the Hokkerup Detachment was surrounded and taken prisoner.

Sergeant C.H. Vous and Private J. Jørgensen were killed; Second-lieutenant A. Olsen and Privates B.I. Jensen and L.O.M.K. Jepsen were wounded.

Before reaching their positions the Rønshoved Detachment was attacked by low flying fighter planes. Upon learning that the Hokkerup Detachment had surrendered they withdrew towards Sønderborg, arriving at 10:15.

The Bjærgskov Detachment

The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-colonel S.E. Clausen, and the battalion reserve - 2 bicycle platoons (from 1^st and 2^nd Company) and a motorcycle platoon (from 4^th Company) took up positions at Bjærgskov, around 05:00.

The platoon from 1^st Company was positioned along the southern edge of the wood, with the auto cannons and machineguns further to the north. The platoon from 2^nd Company was in the northern part of the woods.

At 06:30 enemy armoured cars showed up 300 metres south of the wood. The front sections were ordered to fight their way back towards the auto cannons, which very soon started firing at the armoured cars.

One armoured car drove over one of the auto cannons, and the gunner Private Bjarne Christian Poulsen was killed. One armoured car however, was damaged.

The Danish troops were scattered in the woods during the fighting, and the woods were finally surrounded by German armoured cars and tanks (unknown type, but perhaps a Pz I or Pz II), thus forcing the Danish soldiers to surrender.

Privates M.L. Andersen, J.C. Fredensborg , B. Jørgensen and stretcher-bearer H.Finseth were wounded.

Further developments - at Sdr. Hostrup and Aabenraa

At 05:40 the CO ordered the platoon from 2^nd Company towards Stubbæk Skov (4 kilometres south of Aabenraa).

At Sdr. Hostrup the bicycle platoon was attacked by low flying fighter planes; Private Frode Peter Christensen was killed, and Corporal H. Mathiesen and Privates E. Hindsgaul and J.M. Vestergaard were wounded. Having reached their positions, the platoon sustained heavy automatic fire. It seemed likely that the Germans were preparing to attack, and consequently the platoon withdrew, through Aaabenraa towards Knivsbjerg.

The anti-tank platoon from the Lundtoftebjærg Detachment was ordered to Aabenraa and took up positions in the southern outskirts. Shortly afterwards a column of about 15 enemy vehicles drove up along the Highway 10.

The auto cannons fired at the German vehicles, disabling the leading tank and scoring hits on other vehicles in the column. The Germans fired back, and the motorcycles withdrew under heavy fire towards Knivsbjerg, where they meet with the bicycle platoon.

At Knivsbjerg the CO ordered the platoons towards Haderslev and to take up positions in the northern part of this town. When German tanks later arrived, it was however impossible to fight, due to a large number of civilians crowding around the Danish soldiers. War was still novel to the Danes, and most people were unaware of the actual situation...

In conclusion

Part 2, dealing with the other infantry units in Haderslev, Tønder and Sønderborg.

Part 3, dealing with the German forces involved in the fighting.

Most of the text regarding the various detachments is an abridged translation of Source 1, whereas the tables regarding the composition of 4^th Battalion derives form information from various sources, including the 3 mentioned.

For information regarding Danish army uniforms refer to The Danish Infantry Uniforms and Equipment through-out The Past 200 Years; for information regarding organization (in wargame format) refer to The Danish Army 1940.

Colour illustrations

The colour illustrations of the Danish Army used in this article are drawn by Christian Würgler Hansen and derive from a sheet (A4 format) which came as enclosure with the magazine Chakoten, in the early 1990'ies.

Today, the sheet is sold at The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum in Copenhagen. Further, some of the drawings are available as postcards too.

Text to colour illustrations of Danish soldiers

Sources

1. Den danske Hær IV, 9. april 1940 by Helge Klint og J. Leisner, Sixtus Publications, Copenhagen 1978.
2. Soldaterne den 9. april 1940 by Kay Søren Nielsen, The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum, Copenhagen 1990, ISBN 87-7233-847-4.
3. 9. April skildret i breve fra danske soldater edited by Arne Stevns, København 1940.

Further reading

Command and Control of the First Modern Campaign; The German Invasion of Denmark and Norway - April, 1940 by Robert W. Strahan, LtCol USMC

Further about the fighting at Hokkerup