Introduction:
The Danish Brigade was formed in Sweden in 1943. It should help liberate Denmark from the Germans.
History:
The brigade was formed shortly before Christmas 1943 in Sweden under General Knudtzon. Out of about 18000 Danish refugees in Sweden (members of the Danish resistance, jews and Danish officers and NCOs) about 5000 joined the brigade (about 3400 as soldiers and 200 in a naval detachment).
Among those who joined the brigade was Arne Melchior (member of the Danish parliament and minister several times) and Erik Hoffmeyer (director of the Danish National Bank).
The brigade was still in Sweden when the German forces in the Netherlands, northwest Germany and Denmark surrendered to Fieldmarshal Montgomery at Lüneburger Heide the 4th May 1945. The capitulation would be in force from 0800 5th May 1945.
The brigade was ordered to arrive in Denmark the 5th May at Helsingør (Elsinore) north of Copenhagen. The brigade was prepared to meet German opposition but they were just greated by excited and happy civilians.
The brigade moved south the 6th May. When the troops marched into Copenhagen all went well in the beginning, but later the brigade was met with fire from HIPOs (HIPO = Hilfspolizei - auxiliary police, Danes recruited to assist German police) and a few Germans. 5 soldiers from The Danish Brigade were killed. In general did the German occupation forces remain in their garrisons waiting to return home to Germany.
The 8th May the brigade was split up and sent to different parts of the country - a part of the force were to control the columns of German soldiers returning to Germany across the Danish-German border. Here the Germans were stripped of everything except their clothes. There were also some cases of Danes beating up or maltreating the returning German soldiers.
DANFORCE was disbanded 10th July 1945.