| A Heer (“Nazi German Army”) Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausführung (“Model”) G Sonderkraftfahrzeug (“special purpose vehicle”) 161/1 passes Rådhuspladsen 16. On December 11, 1942, a strike was held at the Burmeister and Wain shipyard in Copenhagen in protest against the Nazi guards on the ships. The strike quickly spread to the Nordhavnsværftet (“North Harbor Shipyard”), and the demand for the removal of the guards was met. These strike victories had an impact on companies in other parts of the country, as the total number of strike days – especially in the metal industry – rose dramatically in 1943. This gave confidence in the Danish government’s own forces, and in conjunction with information about the situation in Denmark and the course of the war in the world, which the illegal newspapers and radio broadcasts from London and Moscow brought in Danish: the German defeat at Stalingrad, the Allied landing in Italy, and the major strikes in Belgium, France, and Greece, unrest finally broke out in Denmark in August 1943. The wave of strikes began in Esbjerg on August 9 with a city-wide strike against the curfew between 2200 Hours and 0500 Hours. The city was paralyzed for 3 days, and it ended in victory. After a week of standstill, the strikes broke out again, this time in Odense, and then spread throughout Funen. A week later, the spark spread to the cities of Aalborg, Nørresundby, and Frederikshavn in North Jutland. Later, the strikes spread throughout the country. The strikes were spontaneous in the sense that they were not initiated by the union leadership – but, on the contrary, by the rank and file in the individual factories. They began with the best-organized factories – the shipyards and ironworks – taking the lead. But it was of great and decisive importance that the illegal Danish Communist Party (DKP), which was tightly organized and had relatively great influence in the factories and thus had its finger on the pulse, helped organize the strikes. It also contributed significantly to the formation of strike committees, which became a countervailing force in the current situation. Pressure from the factories forced the government to resign on August 29, 1943. The reason for the government’s resignation on August 29 was not out of solidarity with the Danish people. Rather, to put it crudely, the reason was the fear that the war would soon be over. Politicians feared that if they continued to collaborate with the Germans, they would be unable to restore their authority after a quick end to the war. The Germans use tanks on the streets as a show of force against the strikes. They occupied key places around Copenhagen, like the City Hall and the Royal Theatre. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2414.jpg |
| Image Size | 993.10 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 4254 x 2695 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Forsners |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 1, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Copenhagen |
| State or Province | Hovedstaden |
| Country | Denmark |
| Archive | Det Kgl. Bibliotek |
| Record Number | DH005778 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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