Hitler's Savage Canary
A History of the Danish Resistance in World War II
Foreword by Birger Riis-Jørgensen
After Adolph Hitler made plans to create a “model protectorate” out of Denmark, Winston Churchill predicted the nation would become the Fuhrer’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 Nazis’ side. German troops were stymied again and again by the sabotage of railways and airbases and some 7,000 Jews were carried to safety in Sweden. They were not soldiers—they were simply ordinary citizens who refused to stand idly by and witness an atrocity. The story of their selfless courage and daring should inspire countless future generations.
Birger Riis-Jørgensen holds a master’s degree from the University of Copenhagen. He joined the Foreign Service in 1976 and now serves as the Danish ambassador to London.