#augustuprising

August 28th, 1943: The riots in Denmark during August of 1943 – the so-called August uprising – put an end to the collaboration between the Danish Government and the German occupiers. The Nazi leadership with Adolf Hitler at its top lost its patience with the Danes and especially the chief civil administrator (Reichsbevollmächtigter) Werner Best. After a reprimand by Adolf Hitler and the German foreign secretary Joachim von Ribbentrop Best returned to Denmark with an ultimatum to the Danish government led by Prime Minister Erik Scavenius. The Germans demanded that the Danish government immediately should declare a state of emergency in Denmark. As a result, gathering of groups of more than five persons in the streets should be forbidden. Strikes and the support of strikes should be forbidden. A nightly curfew should be declared. All firearms should be surrendered. Harassment against Danes, who cooperated with the occupational forces, should be forbidden. German press censorship and special courts should be imposed. Finally, the Germans demanded the death penalty for sabotage and the possession of weapons. The Danish government rejected the German demands. The government argued that it would not be able to maintain peace and order in Denmark, if it should enforce the requirements posed by the occupation forces. After this, the Danish government’s official policy of collaboration against the German occupiers ended.

German chief civil administrator Werner Best and Danish Prime Minister Erik Scavenius.