Download Background Information about World War II in

Background Information about World War II in Denmark
and Europe
√ Use the glossary to define the all cap words.
The book, Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, is about a
ten-year-old girl named Annemarie Johansen and her best
friend, Ellen Rosen, who live in COPENHAGEN, DENMARK in
the year 1943. Their lives are filled with school, food
shortages, and the NAZI soldiers marching through their
town. All of a sudden, the Jews of Denmark, including
Annemarie's friend, Ellen, start being "RELOCATED"
outside of Denmark. Ellen, a Jewish citizen, moves in
with Annemarie's family and pretends to be Annemarie's
sister in order to prevent her from being taken by the
Nazi soldiers. Eventually, Annemarie and her family
reunite Ellen with her Jewish parents and then they are
smuggled safely out of the country.
Why did this all happen? Where did it all begin? Read
the following history to learn more about World War II
and how it came to Denmark.
Number the Stars is set in the year 1943 in EUROPE.
During this time, a war was raging in Europe and in
some parts of ASIA. The German army, lead by their
leader, ADOLF HITLER, was invading countries
surrounding GERMANY. Also, during this time, JAPAN was
attacking nations along the PACIFIC OCEAN, including
the United States. GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, the United
States, and the SOVIET UNION joined together as ALLIES
to fight Germany, Japan, and the other opposing forces.
Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany in the year
1933 when he was appointed REICH CHANCELLOR. Hitler
believed that the German people were a superior race
and that the German people should rule the world. He
believed that all NON-ARYAN people, such as Africans,
SLAVICS, and JEWISH people were of an INFERIOR RACE.
Shortly after Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany,
he began a CAMPAIGN to rid Germany and the rest of
Europe of Jews. In 1935, Jews were stripped of their
CITIZENSHIP and other basic rights. Jews could no
longer vote in German elections. Nazis began to BOYCOTT
shops and businesses owned by Jewish people. By 1938,
over 1,000 SYNAGOGUES were burned. In 1938, on
KRISTALLNACHT, the "Night of the Broken Glass," Nazis
terrorized Jews throughout Germany and 30,000 Jews were
arrested. Jewish children could no longer attend school
and had to carry ID cards and Jewish passports marked
with a "J." In 1938, Hitler ordered that Jews could not
have radios and had to wear a yellow STAR OF DAVID so
that they could be easily recognized. Soon the Nazis
began their most horrible PERSECUTION of the Jews. They
took Jews from their homes and moved them into GHETTOS
where living conditions were horrible. There were too
many people living in a small area and there was not
enough food. Jews could not leave their houses without
permission from the police and could not longer use
telephones. By 1942, Jews were forbidden to subscribe
to newspapers, keep dogs, cats, or birds, keep
electrical equipment including typewriters, own
bicycles, buy meat or eggs, and use public
transporation.
To learn more about the Nazi's Anti-Jewish Laws, click
here.
In 1942, Nazi officials decided on the "FINAL
SOLUTION," a plan to kill all the Jews in Europe. Jews
were taken to CONCENTRATION CAMPS where they were
forced to work for the German government against their
will. Some Jews were murdered in GAS CHAMBERS. The
destruction of the Jewish people was called a GENOCIDE.
The HOLOCAUST had begun.
What was happening in Denmark during this time?
Before the Nazi soldiers came to Denmark, it was a
small, quiet, NEUTRAL country who supported its Jewish
citizens. Denmark had laws that stopped people from
DISCRIMINATING against the Jews. These laws were called
the ANTI-SEMITISM laws.
On April 9, 1940, Germany attacked Denmark even though
they had signed a PACT the year before that said that
Germany would not invade Denmark. At this time, the
Jewish population was about 7,500 people. About 6,000
Jews had been born in Denmark. The rest of the Jews had
moved to Denmark in the early 1930's when Hitler became
the leader of Germany and began to persecute Jews. They
allowed the Danish government to continue governing the
country, but took control of Denmark's FOREIGN POLICY.
Also, Nazi troops were placed in towns throughout the
country.
Over time, as the allies began to attack Germany,
people began to oppose the Nazi soldiers in Denmark.
Many Danish citizens began a RESISTANCE movement in
their country. The Germans tried to make Jews wear
yellow stars of David on their clothing and the Danish
government told Germany that they would not allow it.
Germany got angry and took over full control of Denmark
in August of 1943.
The Danish government could no longer protect its
Jewish citizens. The Germans decided that all Jews from
Denmark would be rounded up and DEPORTED out of the
country on October 1, 1943.
However, things did not happen as the Germans planned
they would. GEORG FERDINAND DUCKWITZ, a German
DIPLOMAT, secretly told the Danish Resistance that the
Nazis were planning on deporting the Jews. The Danish
people responded quickly. They organized a nationwide
effort to smuggle the Jews by sea to SWEDEN. Warned of
the German plans, Jews began to leave Denmark by train,
car, and on foot. Along the way, the people of Denmark
hid them in homes, hospitals, and churches. Within a
two-week period, Danish fisherman helped carry 7,220
Jews to safety across the channel to Sweden. The Jews
were safe in Sweden because it was a neutral country.
The Danish rescue effort was special because it was
nationwide. Denmark was the only country to stand up
for its Jewish citizens. However, not all the Danish
Jews were saved. About 500 Danish Jews were deported
from Denmark and put into the THERESIENSTADT ghetto in
CZECHOSLAVAKIA. The Danish government demanded to be
able to talk to the Danish Jews in the concentration
camp and kept them from being sent to death camps. Only
about 100 Danish Jews died in the Theresienstadt ghetto
or in escape during the war. It was the highest Jewish
survival rate of any country.