The Danish Army had lived a quiet life up until the German occupation of Denmark 9th of April 1940 and was due to lack of funding during the 1930s not prepared for repelling a German attack on Denmark.
9th of April 1940:
The attack began 4.15 the morning 9th of April when German troops crossed the border between Germany and Denmark. Parachute attacks were made in Ålborg and by the Masnedø fort. German aircraft destroyed the military airfield Værløse and its aircraft on the ground. German troops were landed from a ship in Copenhagen. The only real fighting on the ground took place in the southern part of Jutland where Danish troops tried to stop the enemy which had a vast numerical and material advantage.
The German general von Kaupisch commanded the attack. His evalutation of the Danish defence was:
The Danish soldier was not well prepared in any of the situations. There was on the Danish side no leadership basis for conducting any defence like preparing defensive positions and concentrating the numerically not insignificant forces the operationally and tactically important places. A decisive leadership - which could have inspired the officers and soldiers - was lacking. The human resources are good.
16 Danish soldiers were killed and 23 wounded.
9th of April 1940 to 29th of August 1943:
The Danish Army and Navy was allowed to exist after the Danish occupation. Some members of the Danish armed forces even joined the Germans in their frustration over the 9th of April. After the occupation the Danish Army was reduced to 2200 armed soldiers, 1100 unarmed soldiers for working and 2000 cadre. These were concentrated in 4 cities with only Danish garrisons and in 4 cities with both a German and a Danish garrison.
The relationship between the Danish and German soldiers was bad and deterioating. There were even occurences where German and Danish soldiers exchanged fire.
The German supreme commander in Denmark von Hanneken ordered in 1942 Jutland free of Danish soldiers. This was accepted by the Danish government. Later he demanded the mobilisation depots of the Danish Army transferred to the German armed forces - this was also agreed to by the Danish government. 60,000 rifles and 1000 machine guns were handed over to the Germans. The depots of the Danish Army still held equipment for 25,000 soldiers.
29th of August 1943:
The relationship between the Danish government and the German occupiers deteriorated up to the 29th of August 1943. The German Army attacked the Danish garrions at 400 hours by surprise. All thus attacked garrisons defended themselves. 17 Danish soldiers were killed, 40 wounded. The Danish troops were captured and released after 2 months.
The Danish Navy had ordred that in case of an attack the ships should either sail to Sweden or be sunk by the crew. 7 Danish sailors were killed, 10 wounded. In the main naval base "Holmen" (by Copenhagen) 29 ships were sunk by their crew. Three mine sweepers escaped to Sweden.