Wherever the Nazis invaded, Jews and other minorities were exterminated, with one exception. Among those responsible for this deviation was – a Nazi.
Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz was born on September 29, 1904, in Bremen, Germany. By the 1930s, he was a businessman dealing with Scandinavian countries. He listened to Hitler speaking passionately about the suffering and humiliation of the German people. Hitler promised to address those issues and vowed to build a mighty empire for all Germans.
Duckwitz agreed and joined the Nazi Party in 1932. He secured a post with the foreign policy office, but as the regime’s brutality developed, Duckwitz’s became disillusioned. He left to work for a shipping company.
In 1939, he was asked to return to government. As he spoke Danish fluently and understood the country, he was assigned to the German embassy in Copenhagen as a maritime attaché. He was pleased as Germany had signed a Treaty of Non-Aggression with Denmark on May 31, 1939.
Then on April 9, 1940, Germany invaded Denmark. Fortunately for most Danes, they were deemed “Aryan” – which made them human in German eyes. They were allowed to keep their government, retain control over their media, and their king (Christian X) was allowed to stay on as the titular head.
Germany wanted to use Denmark as a “model protectorate” to show the world how wonderful it was to be under German rule. Although the Danish population was allowed to continue as before, not all were happy. The government discouraged active resistance, fearing violent reprisals against its citizens. Although resistance groups sprang up, they limited themselves to spying on the occupiers and reporting to the Allies.
The Danes refused to treat their Jewish population differently. Jews were allowed to keep their jobs and go about their lives. Nor would the Danish government consent to their expulsion.
Events changed on June 22, 1941, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. They also banned the Danish Communist Party and arrested all its members. That sparked protests nationwide, as well as the beginning of sabotage operations against German forces and factories supplying Germany.
Germany declared a state of emergency and took over the government. The king responded by resigning and declaring himself a POW in his own country.
From 1942 Duckwitz worked with Karl Rudolf Werner Best – the Nazi civilian administrator of France and Denmark. Best was also a member of the Schutzstaffel (SS) – the Nazi party’s paramilitary wing in charge of Germany’s racial policies. He was also a co-founder of the Gestapo – the secret state police.
It was Best who told Gestapo trainees to think of themselves as doctors. Nazi Germany was their patient. To keep the country healthy, they had to get rid of “pathogens” and “diseases” – meaning Communists, Freemasons, and of course, Jews.
On September 11, 1943, Best asked Hitler for permission to begin rounding up Danish Jews.
Duckwitz protested, so Best told him to speak to Hitler about it. The attaché flew to Berlin but with predictable results failed to stop the planned deportations. Desperate, he traveled to neutral Sweden on September 22 and began the deal of his life. Fortunately, it worked.
Swedish president Per Albin Hansson was determined to keep his country neutral. However, if by chance Danish Jews happened to make it across the Øresund Strait to his country, then Swedish immigration officials would be happy to look the other way.
Duckwitz then warned the Danish resistance and high-ranking members of the Jewish community. He also had help from an unlikely source – Best, who told him the date of the roundup.
It was set for October 1, 1943 – Rosh Hashanah, the first of the two-day celebrations which mark the Jewish New Year. Traditionally, Jews spend time at home with family and friends. Due to Duckwitz, hardly any were in when the Gestapo went knocking.
Members of the resistance, some police, and other sympathetic Danes, had taken them to hiding places. Taxi drivers armed with phone books looked for addresses of Jewish-sounding surnames to drive entire families to safety. The rest of Denmark protested in the streets, as did the king and several churches, while universities closed their doors for a week.
For the next three weeks, fishing vessels took off from the Danish coastline at night. They crossed the roughly five-mile Øresund Strait where they were met by Swedes who helped unload the Danish Jews.
Most Jews paid their way, while others had their passage paid for by members of the resistance and donations from the Danish public. Not all made it. A few were caught by Nazi patrol boats and sent back to Denmark, while some fishermen paid a heavier price. Some boats capsized due to overcrowding – perhaps 23 drowned that way.
Of Denmark’s almost 8,000 Jews, some 7,200 made it to Sweden together with about 700 non-Jews who needed to flee. About 580 were caught by the Gestapo dragnet and sent to the Theresienstadt camp in Czechoslovakia – but the Danes did not give up on them.
The Danish Foreign Ministry visited the camp to check on the detainees armed with food parcels provided by the public. It was followed by frequent visits from the Danish Red Cross. The Swedish Red Cross later managed to bring over the remaining Jews. By the end of the war, some 423 of them had survived, the rest succumbing to disease, old age, or suicide.
On March 21, 1979, Duckwitz was recognized as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. The Danish Resistance and King Christian were also recognized at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial with an honorary tree and an authentic Danish fishing boat.
Mahali popote ambapo Wanazi walivamia, Wayahudi na watu wengine wachache waliangamizwa, isipokuwa mtu mmoja. Miongoni mwa wale waliohusika na kupotoka huko kulikuwa na <unk> Mnazi. Ferdinand Georg Duckwitz alizaliwa mnamo Septemba 29, 1904 huko Bremen, Ujerumani. Katika miaka ya 1930 alikuwa mfanyabiashara wa nchi za Skandinavia. Alimsikiliza Hitler akizungumza kwa shauku juu ya mateso na udhalilishaji wa watu wa Ujerumani. Hitler aliahidi kushughulikia masuala hayo na kuahidi kujenga milki yenye nguvu kwa ajili ya Wajerumani wote. Duckwitz alijiunga na chama cha Nazi mwaka 1932. Alipata nafasi katika ofisi ya sera za kigeni, lakini kadiri ukatili wa utawala ulivyozidi kuongezeka, Duckwitz alivunjika moyo. Aliondoka kwenda kufanya kazi katika kampuni ya usafirishaji. Mwaka 1939 alipewa nafasi ya kurudi katika serikali. Kwa kuwa alizungumza Kidenmark kwa ufasaha na alielewa nchi hiyo, alipewa mgawo katika ubalozi wa Ujerumani huko Copenhagen akiwa msaidizi wa baharini. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, Ujerumani ilitia saini mkataba wa ""kutoshambulia"" na Denmark mnamo Mei 31, 1939."" Kisha, Aprili 9, 1940, Ujerumani ilivamia Denmark. Kwa bahati nzuri kwa Wadanimaki wengi, walionwa kuwa <unk>Aryan<unk> <unk> ambayo iliwafanya kuwa wanadamu machoni pa Wajerumani. Waliruhusiwa kudumisha serikali yao, kudumisha udhibiti juu ya vyombo vya habari vyao, na mfalme wao (Christian X) aliruhusiwa kubaki kama mkuu wa jina. Ujerumani ilitaka kutumia Denmark kama "mfano wa ulinzi" kuonyesha ulimwengu jinsi ilikuwa ya ajabu kuwa chini ya utawala wa Ujerumani. Ingawa watu wa Denmark waliruhusiwa kuendelea kama zamani, si wote waliokuwa na furaha. Serikali ilikataza upinzani wenye bidii, ikimwogopa raia wake waadhibiwe kwa jeuri. Ingawa vikundi vya upinzani vilitokea, vilijizuia kuwa wapelelezi wa washambuliaji na kutoa ripoti kwa Washirika. Wadanimaki walikataa kuwatendea Wayahudi wao kwa njia tofauti. Wayahudi waliruhusiwa kudumisha kazi zao na kuendelea na maisha yao. Wala serikali ya Denmark haikukubali kufukuzwa kwao. Mambo yalibadilika mnamo Juni 22, 1941, wakati Ujerumani ilipovamia Muungano wa Sovieti. Pia waliipiga marufuku Chama cha Kikomunisti cha Denmark na kuwakamata washiriki wake wote. Maandamano hayo yalichochea maandamano nchini kote na kuanza kwa shughuli za uharibifu dhidi ya majeshi ya Ujerumani na viwanda vinavyotoa vifaa kwa Ujerumani. Ujerumani ilitangaza hali ya dharura na kuchukua serikali. Mfalme alijibu kwa kujiuzulu na kujiita mfungwa wa vita katika nchi yake mwenyewe. Kuanzia mwaka 1942 hadi mwaka 1942, Duckwitz alifanya kazi na Karl Rudolf Werner Best, msimamizi wa kijeshi wa Nazi wa Ufaransa na Denmark. Best pia alikuwa mwanachama wa Schutzstaffel (SS) - mrengo wa kijeshi wa chama cha Nazi unaohusika na sera za rangi za Ujerumani. Pia alikuwa mmoja wa waanzilishi wa Gestapo - polisi wa siri wa serikali. Best ndiye aliyewashauri wanafunzi wa Gestapo wajione kuwa madaktari. Ujerumani ya Nazi ilikuwa mgonjwa wao. Ili kuhifadhi afya ya nchi, walihitaji kuondoa "vimelea" na "ugonjwa" - yaani Wakomunisti, Freemasons, na bila shaka, Wayahudi. Mnamo Septemba 11, 1943, Best alimwomba Hitler ruhusa ya kuanza kukamata Wayahudi wa Denmark. Duckwitz alipinga, kwa hiyo Best akamwambia azungumze na Hitler kuhusu jambo hilo. Mjumbe huyo alisafiri kwa ndege hadi Berlin lakini kwa matokeo yanayoweza kutabirika alishindwa kuzuia uhamisho uliopangwa. Kwa kukata tamaa, alisafiri hadi Sweden iliyo na msimamo wa kutokuwamo Septemba 22 na kuanza biashara ya maisha yake. Kwa bahati nzuri, ilifanikiwa. Rais wa Sweden Per Albin Hansson alikuwa ameazimia kuweka nchi yake bila upande wowote. Hata hivyo, ikiwa kwa bahati mbaya Wayahudi wa Denmark wangepita Mlango-Bahari wa Øresund hadi nchi yake, basi maofisa wa uhamiaji wa Sweden wangekuwa na furaha kutazama upande mwingine. Kisha Duckwitz akaonya wapinzani wa Denmark na washiriki wa cheo cha juu wa jumuiya ya Kiyahudi. Pia alikuwa na msaada kutoka chanzo kisichowezekana <unk> Best, ambaye alimwambia tarehe ya roundup. Mwaka huo ulikuja tarehe 1 Oktoba 1943, Rosh Hashanah, siku ya kwanza ya maadhimisho ya siku mbili ya Mwaka Mpya wa Kiyahudi. Kwa kawaida, Wayahudi hutumia wakati nyumbani pamoja na familia na marafiki. Kwa sababu ya Duckwitz, ni vigumu kuwa na yeyote ndani wakati Gestapo akaenda kugonga. Washiriki wa upinzani, baadhi ya polisi, na Wadenemarki wengine wenye huruma, walikuwa wamewapeleka kwenye mahali pa kujificha. Madereva wa teksi waliokuwa na vitabu vya simu walitafuta anwani za watu wenye majina ya familia ya Kiyahudi ili kuendesha familia nzima hadi mahali salama. Denmark ilishiriki katika maandamano ya kuondoa sheria hiyo, na serikali ya Denmark ilifunga vyuo vikuu kwa wiki moja. Kwa majuma matatu yaliyofuata, meli za uvuvi ziliondoka kwenye pwani ya Denmark usiku. Walivuka Mlango-Bahari wa Øresund, ambao ulikuwa umbali wa maili tano hivi, ambako walikutana na Wasweden waliosaidia kuondoa Wayahudi wa Denmark. Wayahudi wengi walilipa njia yao, huku wengine wakilipwa na washiriki wa upinzani na michango kutoka kwa umma wa Denmark. Si wote waliofanikiwa. Baadhi yao walikamatwa na mashua za ulinzi za Nazi na kurudishwa Denmark, huku wengine wakilipia gharama kubwa zaidi. Meli kadhaa zilipinduka kwa sababu ya watu wengi sana - labda watu 23 walikufa kwa njia hiyo. Kati ya Wayahudi 8,000 wa Denmark, 7,200 walifika Sweden pamoja na wasio Wayahudi 700 waliohitaji kukimbia. Gestapo iliwafunga katika kambi ya Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia, lakini hawakuvunjika moyo. Wizara ya Mambo ya Nje ya Denmark ilitembelea kambi hiyo ili kuangalia wafungwa waliokuwa na vifurushi vya chakula vilivyotolewa na umma. Ilifuatwa na ziara za mara kwa mara kutoka Msalaba Mwekundu wa Denmark. Baadaye, Shirika la Msalaba Mwekundu la Sweden lilifaulu kuwaleta Wayahudi waliobaki. Kufikia mwisho wa vita, karibu watu 423 kati yao walikuwa wameokoka, wengine wakakufa kwa sababu ya magonjwa, uzee, au kujiua. "Mwezi Machi 21, 1979 Duckwitz alitangazwa kuwa ""Mwenye Haki Kati ya Mataifa.""" Msaada wa Denmark kwa ajili ya uasi na Mfalme Christian pia ulitambuliwa katika ukumbusho wa yale Maangamizi Makubwa ya Wayahudi huko Yad Vashem kwa mti wa heshima na mashua halisi ya uvuvi ya Denmark.