Number the Stars
Lois Lowry, author of “Number the Stars” begins her novel in Denmark in the year 1943. World War II is now into its fourth year and the Nazi military has occupied Denmark for three of them. The Danish Jews are about to be arrested and the Danish Resistance is determined to smuggle their Jewish countrymen to the safety of Sweden. Lois Lowry gives us only a glimpse of what happened the day the Nazi Armies invaded Denmark
and why the Danes did not offer much resistance to the invading forces. Surrendering as they did wasn’t easy and most Danes had no love of the soldiers that now controlled their country and threatened their freedom.
At the beginning of World War II, the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Sweden and Norway declared their neutrality, they would not take part in the conflict. With memories of the devastation of World War I still fresh in the memories of many Danes, the governments thought that by being neutral their citizens would be spared the horrors of this new crisis. At first, life under German occupation was not that different from pre-war times. Schools remained opened as did the theaters and parks. Food remained plentiful and the Danes were free to travel the countryside. Their King, Christian X, was allowed to move freely too. He rode daily through the streets of Copenhagen to support his people and to ridicule the occupiers. The Danish Jews were largely left alone, unlike elsewhere in Europe where they were not allowed to keep their jobs, homes and personal belongings and where they were placed in ghettos and concentration camps. Even the German soldiers liked the relative peace of occupied Denmark. But, as the war continued, things slowly began to change. With the battles now turning in favor of the Allies, Danish citizens became less tolerant of the German presence in their country. Increased demands for food meant the staples of the Danish diet were being rationed. Curfews were imposed to keep Danish citizens inside at night. Relations between the Danes and the Nazis worsened greatly when it was learned that the Nazis’ were going to arrest Jews and relocate them to other parts of Europe. Unlike other European countries, Denmark guaranteed its Jewish citizens the same rights as all other Danes.
On October 1-2, 1943, the Nazis began arresting Danish Jews. Informed of the plan by a spy inside the German forces, the Danish government alerted the Jewish population. Within days nearly all of them were in hiding in churches and homes along the east shore of Denmark. Under the cover of darkness, the Jews were moved to fishing boats. With their human cargo hidden in secret compartments under the fish holds,
the boats sailed for the fishing grounds. Hours later and after evading German patrols, the boats arrived safely in Sweden. In just three weeks, all but 481 of Denmark’s 8000 Jews were smuggled to safety.