Georg Duckwitz, a resident of Bremen, Germany, died the month before spring began in 1973. He was 68 years old.
"It Was A World War II Miracle -- Seventy-five years ago, a legendary act of heroism unfolded across the Oresund, the narrow body of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Over a fortnight in October 1943, the Danes defied their Nazi occupiers and smuggled to safety more than 7,200 of their Jewish neighbors, making trip after trip across the waterway.
Almost unknown, however, is the story of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German bureaucrat in Copenhagen who risked his life to warn the Danish Jews of the impending roundup and made crucial arrangements to ensure their escape. Were it not for Duckwitz, who would later become West Germany's ambassador to Denmark, the miracle on the Oresund would not have been possible. An economist and lawyer from an affluent Bremen family, Duckwitz first came to Denmark as a 25-year-old coffee trader and fell in love with his 'chosen fatherland,' as he called it. The Nazis tapped his knowledge of Scandinavian shipping, and he was in Copenhagen working for them when German troops crossed the border in April 1940.
To the Nazis, Danes were Aryans, and their nation's location was of such strategic importance that Berlin decided to rule them with a light touch. The Danish government and King Christian X remained in place, and even the military and police were left more or less intact. As a condition of their cooperation, the Danes demanded the Germans leave their small Jewish community, which dated back to 1622, unharmed. The well-known story of King Christian wearing a yellow Star of David in solidarity with his subjects is apocryphal, because Christian did not permit such persecutions . . .
Despite Denmark's outward calm, resentment of the Germans simmered. The Danes conducted themselves with cold politeness. This worked for two years, until Christian responded tersely to a long birthday greeting from Adolf Hitler . . . The Fuhrer was enraged. In retaliation, he appointed SS General Werner Best--known from his time in France as the 'Bloodhound of Paris'--to take charge in Copenhagen. The arrival of Best was positive for Duckwitz's standing. Duckwitz was a halfhearted Nazi, but Best needed his knowledge and contacts among the Danes, especially once the local situation deteriorated. After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Danish resistance grew bolder, engaging in daring acts of sabotage and encouraging mass strikes. In March, in a nearly unanimous vote, an anti-fascist coalition won the Danish parliamentary election. In August, after the bombing of a German barracks, martial law was declared.
Best then moved against the Jews. On September 8, he cabled Berlin [that] the state of emergency provided a perfect opportunity to apply the Final Solution to Denmark. Duckwitz tried to resign, but Best wouldn't have it. Duckwitz then began a frenzied campaign to try to stop the deportation. He first flew to Berlin in a fruitless attempt to intercept Best's cable to Hitler. He was back in Copenhagen on September 17 when Hitler approved Best's plan. German police began arriving. They broke into the Jewish Community Center and seized a list of Jews. On September 19, Duckwitz learned from Best that deportation was imminent.
He wrote in his diary, 'Now I know what I have to do.' When he was told by a fellow sympathetic official that he would risk Gestapo wrath if he were caught trying to countermand Hitler, Duckwitz responded he would do whatever it took to stop the deportation. The next day, Duckwitz contacted two Swedish diplomats and traveled to Stockholm where he met with Prime Minister Albin Hansson, who agreed to propose to the Germans that his neutral nation would intern the Danish Jews. The Nazis didn't even bother to respond. On September 28, Best received the go-ahead to launch the roundup strategically planned for October 1, [the day the Jews would begin celebrating their High Holy Day] Rosh Hashanah. Duckwitz immediately telephoned Danish political leaders, one of [whom] later recalled that, when they met, Duckwitz looked pale with shame and shock. 'Now the disaster is at hand,' Duckwitz said. Ships were waiting in the harbor to take the Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp [in German-occupied Czechoslovakia] . . .
The Danes moved quickly, warning the leaders of the Jewish community. On September 29, the chief rabbi of Copenhagen, Marcus Melchior, spoke in the synagogue. 'Go home now and hide,' he said. That night, on Duckwitz's 39th birthday, he wrote about Germany's tawdry enterprise. 'They will not find many victims.' Over the next few days, millions of Danes would shelter, protect and smuggle their Jewish neighbors to Sweden. They were delivered to the harbor in free taxis and hospital ambulances. Fishermen and ship captains made more than 700 trips across the Oresund. Duckwitz had tipped off his Swedish contacts, who were waiting to assist the refugees. And in a final critical action, he convinced German harbormasters he knew to ensure the coast guard sent out no patrols. In the end, only 481 Danish Jews were arrested and taken to Theresienstadt. Denmark authorities relentlessly inquired after them, sending food and medicine and demanding inspections. At war's end, 99% of Danish Jews had survived. When they returned to their homes, they largely found them cleaned, their plants watered, their pets cared for, and their belongings in place.
Many ask themselves whether it is possible to stand up to pervasive evil. The Danes showed that when a nation--from the king to the taxi drivers and fishermen--decide they will not permit atrocities in their midst, even the Nazis could be hamstrung. And Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. This week, we should remember and honor them all." [Written by Richard Hurowitz and originally published in the Los Angeles Times (CA) on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.]
Father: Arnold Duckwitz, Sr.
{5/18/1870 - 9/8/1939}
Mother: Gretchen Henriette Christina Bautz Duckwitz
{12/15/1881 - 8/15/1954}
Brothers: Arnold Duckwitz, Jr. {9/29/1902 -12/13/1973}
Carl August Duckwitz {1903 - unknown}
Spouse: Annemarie Rynert Duckwitz {8/19/1912 - 3/25/1995}, m. unknown
"It Was A World War II Miracle -- Seventy-five years ago, a legendary act of heroism unfolded across the Oresund, the narrow body of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Over a fortnight in October 1943, the Danes defied their Nazi occupiers and smuggled to safety more than 7,200 of their Jewish neighbors, making trip after trip across the waterway.
Almost unknown, however, is the story of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German bureaucrat in Copenhagen who risked his life to warn the Danish Jews of the impending roundup and made crucial arrangements to ensure their escape. Were it not for Duckwitz, who would later become West Germany's ambassador to Denmark, the miracle on the Oresund would not have been possible. An economist and lawyer from an affluent Bremen family, Duckwitz first came to Denmark as a 25-year-old coffee trader and fell in love with his 'chosen fatherland,' as he called it. The Nazis tapped his knowledge of Scandinavian shipping, and he was in Copenhagen working for them when German troops crossed the border in April 1940.
To the Nazis, Danes were Aryans, and their nation's location was of such strategic importance that Berlin decided to rule them with a light touch. The Danish government and King Christian X remained in place, and even the military and police were left more or less intact. As a condition of their cooperation, the Danes demanded the Germans leave their small Jewish community, which dated back to 1622, unharmed. The well-known story of King Christian wearing a yellow Star of David in solidarity with his subjects is apocryphal, because Christian did not permit such persecutions . . .
Despite Denmark's outward calm, resentment of the Germans simmered. The Danes conducted themselves with cold politeness. This worked for two years, until Christian responded tersely to a long birthday greeting from Adolf Hitler . . . The Fuhrer was enraged. In retaliation, he appointed SS General Werner Best--known from his time in France as the 'Bloodhound of Paris'--to take charge in Copenhagen. The arrival of Best was positive for Duckwitz's standing. Duckwitz was a halfhearted Nazi, but Best needed his knowledge and contacts among the Danes, especially once the local situation deteriorated. After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Danish resistance grew bolder, engaging in daring acts of sabotage and encouraging mass strikes. In March, in a nearly unanimous vote, an anti-fascist coalition won the Danish parliamentary election. In August, after the bombing of a German barracks, martial law was declared.
Best then moved against the Jews. On September 8, he cabled Berlin [that] the state of emergency provided a perfect opportunity to apply the Final Solution to Denmark. Duckwitz tried to resign, but Best wouldn't have it. Duckwitz then began a frenzied campaign to try to stop the deportation. He first flew to Berlin in a fruitless attempt to intercept Best's cable to Hitler. He was back in Copenhagen on September 17 when Hitler approved Best's plan. German police began arriving. They broke into the Jewish Community Center and seized a list of Jews. On September 19, Duckwitz learned from Best that deportation was imminent.
He wrote in his diary, 'Now I know what I have to do.' When he was told by a fellow sympathetic official that he would risk Gestapo wrath if he were caught trying to countermand Hitler, Duckwitz responded he would do whatever it took to stop the deportation. The next day, Duckwitz contacted two Swedish diplomats and traveled to Stockholm where he met with Prime Minister Albin Hansson, who agreed to propose to the Germans that his neutral nation would intern the Danish Jews. The Nazis didn't even bother to respond. On September 28, Best received the go-ahead to launch the roundup strategically planned for October 1, [the day the Jews would begin celebrating their High Holy Day] Rosh Hashanah. Duckwitz immediately telephoned Danish political leaders, one of [whom] later recalled that, when they met, Duckwitz looked pale with shame and shock. 'Now the disaster is at hand,' Duckwitz said. Ships were waiting in the harbor to take the Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp [in German-occupied Czechoslovakia] . . .
The Danes moved quickly, warning the leaders of the Jewish community. On September 29, the chief rabbi of Copenhagen, Marcus Melchior, spoke in the synagogue. 'Go home now and hide,' he said. That night, on Duckwitz's 39th birthday, he wrote about Germany's tawdry enterprise. 'They will not find many victims.' Over the next few days, millions of Danes would shelter, protect and smuggle their Jewish neighbors to Sweden. They were delivered to the harbor in free taxis and hospital ambulances. Fishermen and ship captains made more than 700 trips across the Oresund. Duckwitz had tipped off his Swedish contacts, who were waiting to assist the refugees. And in a final critical action, he convinced German harbormasters he knew to ensure the coast guard sent out no patrols. In the end, only 481 Danish Jews were arrested and taken to Theresienstadt. Denmark authorities relentlessly inquired after them, sending food and medicine and demanding inspections. At war's end, 99% of Danish Jews had survived. When they returned to their homes, they largely found them cleaned, their plants watered, their pets cared for, and their belongings in place.
Many ask themselves whether it is possible to stand up to pervasive evil. The Danes showed that when a nation--from the king to the taxi drivers and fishermen--decide they will not permit atrocities in their midst, even the Nazis could be hamstrung. And Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. This week, we should remember and honor them all." [Written by Richard Hurowitz and originally published in the Los Angeles Times (CA) on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.]
Father: Arnold Duckwitz, Sr.
{5/18/1870 - 9/8/1939}
Mother: Gretchen Henriette Christina Bautz Duckwitz
{12/15/1881 - 8/15/1954}
Brothers: Arnold Duckwitz, Jr. {9/29/1902 -12/13/1973}
Carl August Duckwitz {1903 - unknown}
Spouse: Annemarie Rynert Duckwitz {8/19/1912 - 3/25/1995}, m. unknown
Georg Duckwitz, a resident of Bremen, Germany, died the month before spring began in 1973. He was 68 years old.
"It Was A World War II Miracle -- Seventy-five years ago, a legendary act of heroism unfolded across the Oresund, the narrow body of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Over a fortnight in October 1943, the Danes defied their Nazi occupiers and smuggled to safety more than 7,200 of their Jewish neighbors, making trip after trip across the waterway.
Almost unknown, however, is the story of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German bureaucrat in Copenhagen who risked his life to warn the Danish Jews of the impending roundup and made crucial arrangements to ensure their escape. Were it not for Duckwitz, who would later become West Germany's ambassador to Denmark, the miracle on the Oresund would not have been possible. An economist and lawyer from an affluent Bremen family, Duckwitz first came to Denmark as a 25-year-old coffee trader and fell in love with his 'chosen fatherland,' as he called it. The Nazis tapped his knowledge of Scandinavian shipping, and he was in Copenhagen working for them when German troops crossed the border in April 1940.
To the Nazis, Danes were Aryans, and their nation's location was of such strategic importance that Berlin decided to rule them with a light touch. The Danish government and King Christian X remained in place, and even the military and police were left more or less intact. As a condition of their cooperation, the Danes demanded the Germans leave their small Jewish community, which dated back to 1622, unharmed. The well-known story of King Christian wearing a yellow Star of David in solidarity with his subjects is apocryphal, because Christian did not permit such persecutions . . .
Despite Denmark's outward calm, resentment of the Germans simmered. The Danes conducted themselves with cold politeness. This worked for two years, until Christian responded tersely to a long birthday greeting from Adolf Hitler . . . The Fuhrer was enraged. In retaliation, he appointed SS General Werner Best--known from his time in France as the 'Bloodhound of Paris'--to take charge in Copenhagen. The arrival of Best was positive for Duckwitz's standing. Duckwitz was a halfhearted Nazi, but Best needed his knowledge and contacts among the Danes, especially once the local situation deteriorated. After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Danish resistance grew bolder, engaging in daring acts of sabotage and encouraging mass strikes. In March, in a nearly unanimous vote, an anti-fascist coalition won the Danish parliamentary election. In August, after the bombing of a German barracks, martial law was declared.
Best then moved against the Jews. On September 8, he cabled Berlin [that] the state of emergency provided a perfect opportunity to apply the Final Solution to Denmark. Duckwitz tried to resign, but Best wouldn't have it. Duckwitz then began a frenzied campaign to try to stop the deportation. He first flew to Berlin in a fruitless attempt to intercept Best's cable to Hitler. He was back in Copenhagen on September 17 when Hitler approved Best's plan. German police began arriving. They broke into the Jewish Community Center and seized a list of Jews. On September 19, Duckwitz learned from Best that deportation was imminent.
He wrote in his diary, 'Now I know what I have to do.' When he was told by a fellow sympathetic official that he would risk Gestapo wrath if he were caught trying to countermand Hitler, Duckwitz responded he would do whatever it took to stop the deportation. The next day, Duckwitz contacted two Swedish diplomats and traveled to Stockholm where he met with Prime Minister Albin Hansson, who agreed to propose to the Germans that his neutral nation would intern the Danish Jews. The Nazis didn't even bother to respond. On September 28, Best received the go-ahead to launch the roundup strategically planned for October 1, [the day the Jews would begin celebrating their High Holy Day] Rosh Hashanah. Duckwitz immediately telephoned Danish political leaders, one of [whom] later recalled that, when they met, Duckwitz looked pale with shame and shock. 'Now the disaster is at hand,' Duckwitz said. Ships were waiting in the harbor to take the Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp [in German-occupied Czechoslovakia] . . .
The Danes moved quickly, warning the leaders of the Jewish community. On September 29, the chief rabbi of Copenhagen, Marcus Melchior, spoke in the synagogue. 'Go home now and hide,' he said. That night, on Duckwitz's 39th birthday, he wrote about Germany's tawdry enterprise. 'They will not find many victims.' Over the next few days, millions of Danes would shelter, protect and smuggle their Jewish neighbors to Sweden. They were delivered to the harbor in free taxis and hospital ambulances. Fishermen and ship captains made more than 700 trips across the Oresund. Duckwitz had tipped off his Swedish contacts, who were waiting to assist the refugees. And in a final critical action, he convinced German harbormasters he knew to ensure the coast guard sent out no patrols. In the end, only 481 Danish Jews were arrested and taken to Theresienstadt. Denmark authorities relentlessly inquired after them, sending food and medicine and demanding inspections. At war's end, 99% of Danish Jews had survived. When they returned to their homes, they largely found them cleaned, their plants watered, their pets cared for, and their belongings in place.
Many ask themselves whether it is possible to stand up to pervasive evil. The Danes showed that when a nation--from the king to the taxi drivers and fishermen--decide they will not permit atrocities in their midst, even the Nazis could be hamstrung. And Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. This week, we should remember and honor them all." [Written by Richard Hurowitz and originally published in the Los Angeles Times (CA) on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.]
Father: Arnold Duckwitz, Sr.
{5/18/1870 - 9/8/1939}
Mother: Gretchen Henriette Christina Bautz Duckwitz
{12/15/1881 - 8/15/1954}
Brothers: Arnold Duckwitz, Jr. {9/29/1902 -12/13/1973}
Carl August Duckwitz {1903 - unknown}
Spouse: Annemarie Rynert Duckwitz {8/19/1912 - 3/25/1995}, m. unknown
"It Was A World War II Miracle -- Seventy-five years ago, a legendary act of heroism unfolded across the Oresund, the narrow body of water separating Denmark and Sweden. Over a fortnight in October 1943, the Danes defied their Nazi occupiers and smuggled to safety more than 7,200 of their Jewish neighbors, making trip after trip across the waterway.
Almost unknown, however, is the story of Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German bureaucrat in Copenhagen who risked his life to warn the Danish Jews of the impending roundup and made crucial arrangements to ensure their escape. Were it not for Duckwitz, who would later become West Germany's ambassador to Denmark, the miracle on the Oresund would not have been possible. An economist and lawyer from an affluent Bremen family, Duckwitz first came to Denmark as a 25-year-old coffee trader and fell in love with his 'chosen fatherland,' as he called it. The Nazis tapped his knowledge of Scandinavian shipping, and he was in Copenhagen working for them when German troops crossed the border in April 1940.
To the Nazis, Danes were Aryans, and their nation's location was of such strategic importance that Berlin decided to rule them with a light touch. The Danish government and King Christian X remained in place, and even the military and police were left more or less intact. As a condition of their cooperation, the Danes demanded the Germans leave their small Jewish community, which dated back to 1622, unharmed. The well-known story of King Christian wearing a yellow Star of David in solidarity with his subjects is apocryphal, because Christian did not permit such persecutions . . .
Despite Denmark's outward calm, resentment of the Germans simmered. The Danes conducted themselves with cold politeness. This worked for two years, until Christian responded tersely to a long birthday greeting from Adolf Hitler . . . The Fuhrer was enraged. In retaliation, he appointed SS General Werner Best--known from his time in France as the 'Bloodhound of Paris'--to take charge in Copenhagen. The arrival of Best was positive for Duckwitz's standing. Duckwitz was a halfhearted Nazi, but Best needed his knowledge and contacts among the Danes, especially once the local situation deteriorated. After Germany's defeat at Stalingrad in February 1943, the Danish resistance grew bolder, engaging in daring acts of sabotage and encouraging mass strikes. In March, in a nearly unanimous vote, an anti-fascist coalition won the Danish parliamentary election. In August, after the bombing of a German barracks, martial law was declared.
Best then moved against the Jews. On September 8, he cabled Berlin [that] the state of emergency provided a perfect opportunity to apply the Final Solution to Denmark. Duckwitz tried to resign, but Best wouldn't have it. Duckwitz then began a frenzied campaign to try to stop the deportation. He first flew to Berlin in a fruitless attempt to intercept Best's cable to Hitler. He was back in Copenhagen on September 17 when Hitler approved Best's plan. German police began arriving. They broke into the Jewish Community Center and seized a list of Jews. On September 19, Duckwitz learned from Best that deportation was imminent.
He wrote in his diary, 'Now I know what I have to do.' When he was told by a fellow sympathetic official that he would risk Gestapo wrath if he were caught trying to countermand Hitler, Duckwitz responded he would do whatever it took to stop the deportation. The next day, Duckwitz contacted two Swedish diplomats and traveled to Stockholm where he met with Prime Minister Albin Hansson, who agreed to propose to the Germans that his neutral nation would intern the Danish Jews. The Nazis didn't even bother to respond. On September 28, Best received the go-ahead to launch the roundup strategically planned for October 1, [the day the Jews would begin celebrating their High Holy Day] Rosh Hashanah. Duckwitz immediately telephoned Danish political leaders, one of [whom] later recalled that, when they met, Duckwitz looked pale with shame and shock. 'Now the disaster is at hand,' Duckwitz said. Ships were waiting in the harbor to take the Jews to the Theresienstadt concentration camp [in German-occupied Czechoslovakia] . . .
The Danes moved quickly, warning the leaders of the Jewish community. On September 29, the chief rabbi of Copenhagen, Marcus Melchior, spoke in the synagogue. 'Go home now and hide,' he said. That night, on Duckwitz's 39th birthday, he wrote about Germany's tawdry enterprise. 'They will not find many victims.' Over the next few days, millions of Danes would shelter, protect and smuggle their Jewish neighbors to Sweden. They were delivered to the harbor in free taxis and hospital ambulances. Fishermen and ship captains made more than 700 trips across the Oresund. Duckwitz had tipped off his Swedish contacts, who were waiting to assist the refugees. And in a final critical action, he convinced German harbormasters he knew to ensure the coast guard sent out no patrols. In the end, only 481 Danish Jews were arrested and taken to Theresienstadt. Denmark authorities relentlessly inquired after them, sending food and medicine and demanding inspections. At war's end, 99% of Danish Jews had survived. When they returned to their homes, they largely found them cleaned, their plants watered, their pets cared for, and their belongings in place.
Many ask themselves whether it is possible to stand up to pervasive evil. The Danes showed that when a nation--from the king to the taxi drivers and fishermen--decide they will not permit atrocities in their midst, even the Nazis could be hamstrung. And Georg Duckwitz, who put his career and even his life on the line, offers an object lesson on how one person can save thousands. This week, we should remember and honor them all." [Written by Richard Hurowitz and originally published in the Los Angeles Times (CA) on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.]
Father: Arnold Duckwitz, Sr.
{5/18/1870 - 9/8/1939}
Mother: Gretchen Henriette Christina Bautz Duckwitz
{12/15/1881 - 8/15/1954}
Brothers: Arnold Duckwitz, Jr. {9/29/1902 -12/13/1973}
Carl August Duckwitz {1903 - unknown}
Spouse: Annemarie Rynert Duckwitz {8/19/1912 - 3/25/1995}, m. unknown
