Germans Occupy Copenhagen

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1943, Page 3

Germans Occupy Copenhagen

(Rec. 11.30 a.m.) LONDON. Aug. 24. Forty thousand German soldiers, with tanks and armoured vehicles, have completely occupied Copenhagen, says a message from Stockholm. The Germans have also proclaimed a state of emergency in six Danish cities as a result of sabotage, strikes and riots between Danes and German soldiers, in which there were at least 50 deaths. S.S. police have sent 500 picked agents to Denmark to better safeguard industries working for Germany, following the latest outbreak of sabotage, according to news reaching Zurich from Berlin. Another 500 are being sent tomorrow. Wilhelmstrasse circles believe that the Danish Government's recent proclamation is insufficient to prevent further sabotage. Reuter's Stockholm correspondent says that further reports on the tension at Odanse have been received from Denmark. A German officer was trampled to death by an angry crowd during recent troubles.

A crowd of more than 1000 Danes killed a German soldier who fired on them. The Gestapo restored order after using pistols, bayonets and handgrenades, killing a number of persons. Clashes between Germans and Danes also occurred at Copenhagen, when a group of the Free Corps, composed of so-called Danish volunteers, provoked trouble. . Danish radio announced that an explosion, which was heard throughout the city, wrecked the Forum Hall of Copenhagen. The glass roof and most of the circular walls collapsed. The Forum Hall is the largest in Copenhagen and lias a capacity for 16,000 persons.