The German diplomat who a dozen years ago alerted the Danish resistance movement about the Gestapo’s intention of arresting all Jews, and deporting them to German concentration camps, is returning here this month as West Germany’s newly-appointed Ambassador to Denmark.
George Ferdinand Duckwitz, now commercial attache of the German diplomatic mission in Helsinki, was a 33-year-old merchant-marine specialist at the Copenhagen Nazi Embassy in 1943. When he heard that all Jews were to be rounded up in the early morning hours of October 2, he passed the word to the Danishunder-ground. Its leaders, prominent among whom is the current Premier, Hans Hedtoft, were able to swing into action before the Gestapo struck. With the active and gallant support of hundreds of Danes, 6,500 Jews out of 7,000 were spirited away to safety in Sweden.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
