Forskellige krige i tidens løb har været medvirkende til udformningen og udviklingen af Frederikshavn og omegn
(Tekster er hentet fra Wikipedia, og linkene henviser dertil for yderligere information)
Christian 4.'s deltagelse i Trediveårskrigen kaldes også Kejserkrigen. Kongen havde flere motiver til at blande sig i 30-årskrigen: dels ønskede han at styrke sin stilling i Nordtyskland, dels var han af prestigemæssige og strategiske grunde interesseret i at forhindre, at den svenske konge skulle lede alliancen mod den tyske kejser og kunne bringe sig i en situation, hvor kan kunne "indkredse" Danmark fra syd. Men Christian 4. frygtede også kejserens trusler mod Danmark, Slesvig-Holsten og Den protestantiske union
Trediveårskrigen er en række militære konflikter i Centraleuropa, hovedsageligt i Tyskland. Som udgangspunkt var krigen en religionskrig mellem katolikker og protestanter inden for det Tysk-romerske rige, selvom intern politik og magtbalance i riget også spillede en stor rolle. Gradvist udviklede krigen sig til en mere generel konflikt, der involverede de fleste europæiske stormagter.
Habsburgerne i Østrig og Spanien og deres forbundsfæller i Tyskland kæmpede mod Frankrig, Holland, Sverige og Danmark.
Felttogene og slagene foregik fortrinsvis inden for grænserne af det Tysk-romerske rige, omend det meste af Jylland en overgang blev besat som følge af Christian den 4.s' indblanding og nederlag.
Krigshandlingerne og dens hungersnød og epidemier lagde store landområder øde. I Sydtyskland overlevede kun ca. en tredjedel af befolkningen. Nogle steder tog det over 100 år, før økonomi og erhvervsliv kom sig oven på krigens ødelæggelser.
Konsekvens i Frederikshavn: Tyske tropper (lejesoldater) drog hærgende op gennem Jylland og nåede helt op til Vendsyssel, hvor Fladstrand blev forsynet med Nordre Skanse til beskyttelse mod danske angreb fra søsiden (og fra Læsø)
Torstensonkrigen mellem Sverige og Danmark-Norge foregik mellem 1643 og 1645. Initiativtager til krigen var Axel Oxenstierna (svensk rigskansler og reel regent i Sverige) med målsætningen at slippe fri af den danske Øresundstold og opnå strategiske landvindinger for at svække muligheden for fremtidige danske angreb mod Sverige.
Her er det måske mere Sæby der er relevant med historien om borgmester Hans Gram indlagde sig under Torstenssonkrigen fortjeneste af fædrelandet, da han i 1644 omdirigerede en tvangsudskrevet båd med brevskaber fra den fjendtlige svenske besættelsesstyrke til hjemlandet til København, hvor den danske krigsledelse så kunne orientere sig om fjendens planer.
"Karl Gustav-Krigene" var to krige mellem Danmark-Norge og Sverige i perioden 1657-1660. De udgjorde den 5. og 6. krig i de 12 krige, der kaldes Svenskekrigene. Krigene endte med, at Danmark afgav landskaberne Skåne, Halland og Blekinge til Sverige, og Norge afgav Bohuslen til Sverige.
Bornholm, som også blev overdrag et til Sverige ved den første fredsslutning i 1658 (Freden i Roskilde), kom tilbage til Danmark ved den anden fredsslutning i 1660 (Freden i København).
Konsekvens i Frederikshavn: Søtrafikken til og fra Norge måtte nu foregå langs Jyllands kyst, hvilket krævede beskyttelse af flåden. 1686-90 Citadellet og Krudttårnet med hornværk bygges
Den Store Nordiske Krig var en krig i Nordeuropa, der startede som en reaktion mod Sveriges stormagtsdrømme, ved at Rusland og Danmark indgik en alliance for at reducere svenskernes magt omkring Østersøen. I begyndelsen havde svenskerne store fremgange, men krigen trak ud og endte med at betyde enden på den svenske stormagtstid.
Frederikshavn: Den dansk/norske søhelt Peder Jansen Wessel, adlet Tordenskjold anvender Fladstrand som base og eskorterer konvojer til Norge og angriber svenske skibe. (Tordenskjold blev kun 30 år og blev dræbt i en duel)
Englandskrigene er den almindelige betegnelse for Danmark-Norges deltagelse i Napoleonskrigene. Danmark valgte fransk side, og England indledet et bombardement af København i 1801 (Lord Nelson). I 1807 tabte vi endnu et slag og England tager hele den danske flåde. Som følge af den manglende flåde, begyndte Danmark en kanonbådskrig mod englænderne (kanonbåde og kaperbåde). Som følge at stor inflation gik Danmark i 1813 statsbankerot.
Statsbankerot. Ved krigens afslutning i 1814 må vi afstå Norge
Betydning for Frederikshavn: Fladstrand var base for de danske kanonbåde og de private kaperbåde. Den Nørrejyske Roflotille.
2. Slesvigske Krig blev udkæmpet mellem på den ene side Preussen og Østrig og på den anden Danmark i tiden 1. februar – 20. juli 1864. Krigen førte til, at Danmark måtte afstå hertugdømmerne Holsten, Lauenborg og Slesvig (≈ Sønderjylland). Det nordlige Sønderjylland blev efter en folkeafstemning genforenet med Danmark i 1920
Frederikshavn: Efter denne krig var der ikke længere behov for befæstningerne i Frederikshavn og disse blev delvist nedtaget.
1. verdenskrig (oprindeligt Den store krig) var en global militær konflikt, der varede fra 1914-1918 og fandt sted på slagmarker hovedsageligt i Europa, men også i Mellemøsten og Afrika. Krigen kostede over ni millioner menneskeliv og blev dermed en af de blodigste konflikter i verdenshistorien dengang.
Danmark var neutralt, men danske gullaschbaronen tjente godt på krigen ved salg af tvivlsom gullasch.
2. verdenskrig var en militær konflikt i Europa fra 1939 til 1045 og i Asien fra 1937 til 1945.
Krigen i Asien begyndte i 1937 med den japanske invasion af Kina og sluttede den 2. september 1945 med Japans overgivelse.
Krigen i Europa begyndte, da Nazi-Tyskland invaderede Polen, og endte med Nazi-Tysklands betingelsesløse overgivelse den 8. maj 1945.
Danmark var besat af Tyskland fra 9. april 1940 til 5. maj 1945, undtagen Bornholm, (10. april 1940 til tyskerne overgav sig til Sovjetunionen 9. maj 1945). Sovjetunionen forlod Bornholm 11 måneder senere.
I Frederikshavn bygger tyskerne som en del af Atlantvolden Bangsbo Fort beliggende i den sydlige del af Frederikshavn. Fortet ligger i 82 m's højde med Kattegat. Fortet består af 80 betonanlæg, hvoraf de 70 blev bygget under 2. verdenskrig. De sidste 10 bunkere blev bygget i 1950 af søværnet, som stadigvæk ejer og anvender en mindre del af fortet.
Den kolde krig er betegnelsen for de konflikter i international politik, der opstod mellem landene i NATO og Warszawapagten (særligt USA og Sovjetunionen) i perioden fra 2. verdenskrigs afslutning til Sovjetunionens opløsning i 1991.
Den kolde krig sluttede delvist med Berlinmurens fald 9. november 1989 og endeligt med Sovjetunionens sammenbrud i 1991.
Frederikshavn: Efter krigen overtog Søværnet området. I begyndelsen anvendte man hovedsaglig de efterladte tyske installationer. Derudover blev området udvidet med en flåderadiostation samt en kystradarstation. Efter en udbygning og modernisering blev fortet i 1952 taget i brug under det nye navn Bangsbo Fort. Nu som et Kold Krigs fort. Set ud fra de store investeringer på stedet i begyndelsen af 1950'erne fik fortet dog en kort levetid. Allerede i 1962 blev det nedlagt som følge af et stort forsvarsforlig. Samtidig blev dog Flådestation Frederikshavn taget i brug. Tilbage på området forblev flåderadiostationen og kystradarstationen samt Kattegat Marinedistrikt.
I dag råder Søværnet stadigvæk over det 35 hektar store område. I det
sydlige er Kattegat Marinedistrikt - som overvåger de nordlige danske farvande - beliggende på et lukket område. Det øvrige område, som er på 27 hektar, har siden 1960'erne ligget øde hen og er kun blevet brugt til øvelsesområde i et begrænset omfang.
Various wars over the years have contributed to the shape and development of Frederikshavn and the surrounding area
(Texts are taken from Wikipedia, and the links refer to it for further information)
Christian IV's participation in the Thirty Years' War is also called the Imperial War. The king had several motives for getting involved in the Thirty Years' War: on the one hand, he wanted to strengthen his position in northern Germany; on the other hand, he was interested, for reasons of prestige and strategy, in preventing the Swedish king from leading the alliance against the German emperor and from putting himself in a position to "encircle" Denmark from the south. But Christian IV also feared the Emperor's threats to Denmark, Schleswig-Holstein and the Protestant Union.
The Thirty Years' War is a series of military conflicts in Central Europe, mainly in Germany. At its core, the war was a religious war between Catholics and Protestants within the Holy Roman Empire, although internal politics and the balance of power within the empire also played a major role. Gradually, the war developed into a more general conflict involving most of the major European powers.
The Habsburgs in Austria and Spain and their allies in Germany fought against France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.
The campaigns and battles took place mainly within the borders of the Holy Roman Empire, although most of Jutland was occupied for a time as a result of Christian IV's intervention and defeat.
The warfare and its famine and epidemics laid waste to large areas of land. In southern Germany, only about a third of the population survived. In some places it took over 100 years for the economy and business to recover from the devastation of war.
Consequence in Frederikshavn: German troops (mercenaries) rampaged through Jutland and reached as far as Vendsyssel, where Fladstrand was provided with the Nordre Skanse to protect against Danish attacks from the sea (and from Læsø)
The Torstenson War between Sweden and Denmark-Norway took place between 1643 and 1645. The initiator of the war was Axel Oxenstierna (Swedish Chancellor and actual Regent of Sweden) with the objective of escaping the Danish Øresund toll and achieving strategic land gains to weaken the possibility of future Danish attacks against Sweden.
Here it is perhaps more Sæby that is relevant with the story of mayor Hans Gram interposed during the Torstensson War merit of the fatherland, when he in 1644 diverted a forcibly expelled boat with letters from the hostile Swedish occupying force to the homeland to Copenhagen, where the Danish war command could then inform itself of the enemy's plans.
The "Karl Gustav Wars" were two wars between Denmark-Norway and Sweden in the period 1657-1660. They constituted the 5th and 6th wars of the 12 wars known as the Swedish Wars. The wars ended with Denmark ceding the counties of Skåne, Halland and Blekinge to Sweden, and Norway ceding Bohuslen to Sweden.
Bornholm, which was also ceded to Sweden at the first peace settlement in 1658 (the Peace of Roskilde), returned to Denmark at the second peace settlement in 1660 (the Peace of Copenhagen).
Consequence in Frederikshavn: Sea traffic to and from Norway now had to pass along the coast of Jutland, which required protection of the fleet. 1686-90 The Citadel and the Powder Tower with its hornwork are built
The Great Northern War was a war in northern Europe that started as a reaction against Sweden's great power dreams, by Russia and Denmark forming an alliance to reduce the power of the Swedes around the Baltic Sea. Initially the Swedes made great gains, but the war dragged on and ended in the end of the Swedish great power era.
Frederikshavn: The Danish/Norwegian naval hero Peder Jansen Wessel, noble Tordenskjold uses Fladstrand as a base and escorts convoys to Norway and attacks Swedish ships. (Tordenskjold was only 30 years old and was killed in a duel)
The English Wars is the general term for Denmark-Norway's participation in the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark chose the French side, and England launched a bombardment of Copenhagen in 1801 (Lord Nelson). In 1807 we lost another battle and England takes the entire Danish fleet. Due to the lack of a fleet, Denmark started a gunboat war against the English (gunboats and privateer boats). Due to high inflation, Denmark went bankrupt in 1813.
State bankruptcy. At the end of the war in 1814 we have to cede Norway
Significance for Frederikshavn: Fladstrand was the base for the Danish gunboats and the private privateer boats. The Nørrejyske Roflotille.
2. The Second Schleswig War was fought between Prussia and Austria on the one hand and Denmark on the other between 1 February and 20 July 1864. The war led to Denmark having to cede the duchies of Holstein, Lauenburg and Schleswig (≈ Southern Jutland). Northern Southern Jutland was reunited with Denmark after a referendum in 1920
Frederikshavn: After this war, the fortifications in Frederikshavn were no longer needed and were partially dismantled.
World War I (originally The Great War) was a global military conflict that lasted from 1914-1918 and took place on battlefields mainly in Europe, but also in the Middle East and Africa. The war cost over nine million lives, making it one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history at the time.
Denmark was neutral, but the Danish goulash barons profited from the war by selling dubious goulash.
World War II was a military conflict in Europe from 1939 to 1045 and in Asia from 1937 to 1945.
The war in Asia began in 1937 with the Japanese invasion of China and ended on 2 September 1945 with Japan's surrender.
The war in Europe began when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and ended with Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945.
Denmark was occupied by Germany from 9 April 1940 to 5 May 1945, except for Bornholm (10 April 1940 until the Germans surrendered to the Soviet Union on 9 May 1945). The Soviet Union left Bornholm 11 months later.
In Frederikshavn, the Germans build Bangsbo Fort as part of the Atlantic Wall, located in the southern part of Frederikshavn. The fort is located 82 m above the Kattegat. The fort consists of 80 concrete structures, 70 of which were built during World War II. The last 10 bunkers were built in 1950 by the Navy, which still owns and uses a small part of the fort.
The Cold War is the term used to describe the conflicts in international politics that arose between the countries of NATO and the Warsaw Pact (particularly the United States and the Soviet Union) in the period from the end of World War II to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Cold War ended partly with the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989 and finally with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Frederikshavn: After the war, the area was taken over by the Navy. Initially, the German installations left behind were mainly used. In addition, the area was extended with a naval radio station and a coastal radar station. After expansion and modernisation, the fort was put into use in 1952 under the new name Bangsbo Fort. Now as a Cold War fort. However, given the large investments made on the site in the early 1950s, the fort had a short life. Already in 1962 it was dismantled as a result of a major defence settlement. At the same time, however, the Frederikshavn naval station was put into use. The naval radio station and the coastal radar station and the Kattegat Marine District remained on the site.
Today, the 35-hectare area is still in the hands of the Danish Navy. In the
south, the Kattegat Marine District - which monitors northern Danish waters - is located on a closed area. The remaining 27 hectares have lain deserted since the 1960s and have only been used for exercises to a limited extent.
Kilde: Nordjyske Stifttidende den 8. marts 2017, Anders Sønderup
Hvilken mission, den tyske pilot Bruno Krüger - hvis det altså var ham - blev sendt afsted med, da han en novemberdag i 1944 lettede fra den ganske lille lufthavn, Fliegerhorst Aalborg Ost ved Rørdal i en Messerschmitt Bf 109, er der ingen der ved. Måske var det simpelthen bare en træningstur - han var nemlig stadig under uddannelse som pilot - eller også var det med ordre om at flyve ned til Tyskland og forsøge at ramme et af de utallige engelske bombefly, der i vintermånederne 1944/1945 dagligt fløj togter indover det faldne rige. Oftest kom de tyske piloter aldrig tilbage, for Luftwaffe - det tyske luftvåben - kunne ikke længere matche de allierede.
Men han kom aldrig tilbage - af ukendte årsager styrtede flyet ned tæt på landingsbanerne ved den kæmpestore Fliegerhorst Aalborg West.
Hans død var - som millioner af andre unge soldaters og endnu flere civiles - helt forgæves og meningsløs. For i november 1944 var det for alle udenfor førerbunkerne i Berlin helt klart, at det kun et spørgsmål om tid, før krigen var slut. Det Tredje Rige var presset på alle fronter - på østfronten knuste Stalins røde hær al tysk modstand, på vestfronten var nazisterne på tilbagetog, efter at de allierede var gået i land i Normandiet 6. juni.
Men i Danmark fungerede den tyske hær stadig - godt nok gjorde modstandsbevægelsen livet noget mere besværligt for tyskerne, men Danmark var et af de steder, de tyske soldater allerhelst ville til, for det var stadig et af de allermest fredelige steder i det krigsramte Europa, og blandt de tyske soldater gik det under navnet flødeskumsfronten. Men for de unge piloter var jobbet farligt - uanset hvor de blev sendt hen. Under krigens første år havde mange mere erfarne piloter mistet livet, og de nye, der blev hentet ind, var ikke meget mere end store drenge, der ofte kun fik en mangelfuld træning, inden de blev sendt afsted. Hvor gammel, Bruno Krüger blev, er uvist - men næppe mere end 19-20 år. Bare 14 dage før hans død mistede en anden pilot-elev livet - Frank Kowalski var kun 20, da han styrtede nær ved Vadum.
- Lige efter besættelsen oprettede tyskerne en pilotskole ved Fliegerhorst Aalborg Ost i Rørdal. Her havde Gunnar Larsen, der var direktør for cementfabrikken, i 1936 lavet en landingsbane, som tyskerne så overtog. Det var også her, at alle jagerflyene holdt til, fordi de ikke havde problemer med at bruge landingsbanen, der blev bygget af 2,4 millioner græstørv og stod klar allerede i juni 1940, fortæller Arne Sloth Kristoffersen, der har forsket og skrevet flere bøger om Nordjylland under krigen.
Mange skudt ned
Fra 9. april 1940 til 4. maj 1945 var der masser af fly i det nordjyske luftrum, og i 1944 var det tæt på en hverdagsbegivenhed, at et tysk fly styrtede eller blev skudt ned over Jylland. Især over Nordjylland, for Aalborg Fliegerhorst West - der hvor Aalborg Lufthavn og Flyvestation Aalborg i dag ligger - var dengang en af Europas største og til sidst i krigen også en af tyskernes få fungerende lufthavne.
Lufthavnen blev indviet i 1938 og startede som en lille civil, lokal lufthavn, der kun havde en fast rute - nemlig maskinen til København. Landingsbanen var en 1,2 kilometer lang græsstribe. Men det blev der lavet drastisk om på 9. april 1940.
For tyskerne var lufthavnen i Nørresundby nemlig yderst strategisk vigtig - faktisk en af de vægtigste grunde til, at Danmark blev besat 9. april. For tyskerne var Norge - og især jernmalmen i de norske bjerge - meget mere vigtig end noget, Danmark havde at byde på. Men dengang kunne flyene ikke klare turen fra Tyskland til Norge uden en mellemlanding for at tanke op.
Derfor var Aalborg udpeget som et vigtigt mål på tegnebrættet i Berlin, da planerne for invasionen blev lagt.
Faktisk blev der skrevet verdenshistorie, da tyskerne indtog Aalborg Lufthavn tidligt om morgenen. Det var nemlig første gang nogensinde, at et angreb skete ved brug af faldskærmstropper. Klokken 6.30 kom soldaterne ned fra himlen, og uden kamp besatte de lufthavnen.
Tyskerne var hurtigt på plads, og allerede 10. april opererede flere end 50 tyske transportfly fra lufthavnen. Umiddelbart efter besættelsen gik de i gang med en kraftig udbygning, og allerede 13. juli 1940 var den første af to nye beton-landingsbaner klar.
Senere fulgte 19 træhangarer, barakker, bunkers til nærforsvar og luftværnsbatterier. Der blev endda også bygget kopier af lufthavnsbygningerne, så englænderne ikke helt så let kunne ramme de rigtige mål. Ammunitionen blev gemt i en attrap-landsby nær Birkelse - fra luften lignede det en helt almindelig landsby.
Den største arbejdsplads
Under besættelsen var lufthavnen i særklasse den største arbejdsplads i Nordjylland - op til 16.000 nordjyder havde i løbet af de fem år arbejde på lufthavnen. Der var mange, der gerne ville have arbejdet - tyskerne betalte godt, og arbejdsløsheden var høj, så tyskerne havde aldrig problemer med at få arbejdskraften. Ved befrielsen dækkede flyvestationen mere end 30 kvadratkilometer, og over 270 landbrugsejendomme var blevet tvangsinddraget til projektet. På den bekostning blev herregården Rødslet jævnet med jorden.
Flyvestationens funktion var gennem krigen at holde forbindelsen med forsynings- og troppetransportflyvninger åben til og fra Norge. Derudover skulle basens fly overvåge Nordsøen, yde jagerstøtte til luftangreb på Nordengland og Skotland samt stå for omskoling og træning af natflyvninger.
Det største luftslag over Aalborg fandt sted allerede i august 1940. Englænderne - der på det tidspunkt var alene om at yde modstand mod Hitler, alle andre europæiske landet var faldet - havde også øje på lufthavnens strategiske betydning. De var først og fremmest nervøse for, at lufthavnen ville blive brugt som flybase ved en tysk invasion af England - englænderne var i besiddelse af efterretninger, der fortalte, at der i Aalborg var placeret et stort antal Junkers Ju 88-bombefly, der skulle sendes ind over England. Sekundært var målet at få stoppet de tyske transportfly mod Norge.
Derfor planlagde Royal Air Force et bombetogt mod Aalborg - selvom englænderne godt var klar over, at de på det tidspunkt slet ikke kunne matche tyskerne i luftkamp.
Englændernes bombefly af Blenheim-modellen var lette mål for de tyske jagere - de var langsomme og ikke videre manøvredygtige i luftkamp. Normalt blev de kun sendt på togt, når vejrudsigten lovede tæt skydække, men i august 1940 var situationen så desperat, at der ikke var råd til at tage hensyn.
Så selvom vejrudsigten lovede skyfri himmel, blev flyverne fra 82. squadron sendt af sted tidlig morgen 12. august.
Da de 12 Blenheim-maskiner nærmede sig Jyllands kyst, vendte det ene fly om, angiveligt på grund af motorvanskeligheder, men de øvrige 11 nåede kysten ved Søndervig og ikke som planlagt ved Limfjorden.
Derfor havde tyskerne for længst fået øje på dem, og da briterne ved middagstid nåede til Aalborg, var de parate. Antiluftskytskanoner var i stilling, og otte Messerschmitt-jagerfly, der dagen før var kommet tilbage fra Norge, var klar til at blive sendt på vingerne.
Alle britiske fly skudt ned
De britiske fly havde ingen chancer. De, der ikke blev skudt ned, forsøgte at flygte, men de blev hurtigt fanget ind af Messerschmitt-maskinerne. Samtlige 11 fly blev skudt ned omkring Aalborg den dag.
Af de i alt 33 flyvere var der kun 13, der overlevede det, der senere blev døbt luftslaget over Aalborg. De 20 dræbte blev kort tid efter begravet på Vadum Kirkegård, mens et kompagni tyske soldater gjorde fuldt honnør.
Efter luftslaget var tyskerne hurtige til at udvide beskyttelsen af lufthavnen, og derfor stod den intakt tilbage, da tyskerne forlod Danmark.
Efter krigen blev lufthavnen i de følgende fire år brugt til at huse de mange tusinde tyske flygtninge, der kom til fra det sønderbombede naboland.
Source: Nordjyske Stifttidende, 8 March 2017, Anders Sønderup
The Nazis' giant airport
What mission the German pilot Bruno Krüger - if it was him - was sent on when he took off one November day in 1944 from the tiny airport, Fliegerhorst Aalborg Ost near Rørdal in a Messerschmitt Bf 109, no one knows. Perhaps it was simply a training trip - he was still training to be a pilot - or perhaps it was with orders to fly down to Germany and try to hit one of the countless British bombers that flew daily raids over the fallen Reich in the winter months of 1944/1945. More often than not, the German pilots never returned, for the Luftwaffe - the German air force - could no longer match the Allies.
But he never came back - for unknown reasons the plane crashed close to the runways at the huge Fliegerhorst Aalborg West.
His death - like that of millions of other young soldiers and even more civilians - was completely futile and pointless. For in November 1944 it was quite clear to everyone outside the command bunkers in Berlin that it was only a matter of time before the war was over. The Third Reich was under pressure on all fronts - on the Eastern Front Stalin's Red Army was crushing all German resistance, on the Western Front the Nazis were in retreat after the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June.
But in Denmark, the German army still functioned - the Resistance may have made life a little more difficult for the Germans, but Denmark was one of the places German soldiers wanted to go, because it was still one of the most peaceful places in war-torn Europe, and among German soldiers it was known as the cream front. But for the young pilots, the job was dangerous - no matter where they were sent. During the first years of the war, many more experienced pilots had lost their lives, and the new ones brought in were little more than big boys who often received only inadequate training before being sent off. How old Bruno Krüger was is unknown - but probably not more than 19-20. Just 14 days before his death, another student pilot lost his life - Frank Kowalski was only 20 when he crashed near Vadum.
- Just after the occupation, the Germans set up a pilot school at Fliegerhorst Aalborg Ost in Rørdal. Here Gunnar Larsen, the director of the cement factory, had built a runway in 1936, which the Germans then took over. It was also here that all the fighter planes stayed, because they had no problems using the runway, which was built from 2.4 million turfs and was ready as early as June 1940, says Arne Sloth Kristoffersen, who has researched and written several books about North Jutland during the war.
Many shot down
From 9 April 1940 to 4 May 1945 there were plenty of planes in North Jutland airspace, and in 1944 it was almost an everyday occurrence that a German plane crashed or was shot down over Jutland. Especially over North Jutland, because Aalborg Fliegerhorst West - where Aalborg Airport and Aalborg Air Base are located today - was one of Europe's largest airports at the time and, by the end of the war, also one of the few functioning German airports.
The airport was inaugurated in 1938 and started as a small civilian local airport with only one fixed route - the machine to Copenhagen. The runway was a 1.2 kilometre long grass strip. But this was drastically changed on 9 April 1940.
For the Germans, the airport at Nørresundby was extremely strategically important - in fact one of the most important reasons why Denmark was occupied on 9 April. For the Germans, Norway - and especially the iron ore in the Norwegian mountains - was much more important than anything Denmark had to offer. But at the time, planes couldn't make the trip from Germany to Norway without a stopover to refuel.
That's why Aalborg was identified as a key target on the Berlin drawing board when plans for the invasion were laid.
In fact, world history was made when the Germans captured Aalborg Airport early in the morning. It was the first time ever that an attack was carried out using paratroopers. At 6.30 am, the soldiers descended from the sky and without a fight they occupied the airport.
The Germans were soon in place, and by 10 April more than 50 German transport planes were operating from the airport. Immediately after the occupation, they began a major expansion, and by 13 July 1940 the first of two new concrete runways was ready.
This was followed by 19 wooden hangars, barracks, bunkers for close defence and anti-aircraft batteries. Copies of the airport buildings were even built so that the British could hit the right targets less easily. The ammunition was stored in a dummy village near Birkelse - from the air it looked like an ordinary village.
The biggest workplace
During the occupation, the airport was by far the largest workplace in North Jutland - up to 16,000 North Jutlanders worked at the airport during the five years. Many people wanted to work there - the Germans paid well and unemployment was high, so the Germans never had any problems getting the workforce. By the time of liberation, the airfield covered more than 30 square kilometres, and more than 270 agricultural properties had been compulsorily requisitioned for the project. At that cost, the manor of Rødslet was razed to the ground.
The air station's function throughout the war was to keep the supply and troop transport flights to and from Norway open. In addition, the base's aircraft were to monitor the North Sea, provide fighter support for air attacks on northern England and Scotland, and provide retraining and training for night flights.
The largest air strike over Aalborg took place already in August 1940. The British - who were alone in resisting Hitler at the time, all other European countries having fallen - also saw the strategic importance of the airport. First of all, they were nervous that the airport would be used as an airbase in the event of a German invasion of England - the British had intelligence that a large number of Junkers Ju 88 bombers were based at Aalborg and were to be sent in over England. The secondary aim was to stop German transport planes heading for Norway.
The Royal Air Force therefore planned a bombing raid on Aalborg - even though the British were well aware that they were no match for the Germans in air combat at that time.
The British Blenheim bombers were easy targets for the German fighters - they were slow and not very manoeuvrable in aerial combat. Normally they were only sent out when the weather forecast promised dense cloud cover, but by August 1940 the situation was so desperate that there was no room for complacency.
So even though the forecast promised clear skies, the 82nd Squadron pilots were sent out early on the morning of 12 August.
As the 12 Blenheim machines approached the coast of Jutland, one aircraft turned back, allegedly due to engine trouble, but the other 11 reached the coast at Søndervig rather than the Limfjorden as planned.
The Germans had therefore long since spotted them, and by midday the British were ready for Aalborg. Anti-aircraft guns were in position and eight Messerschmitt fighters, which had returned from Norway the day before, were ready to be launched.
All British planes shot down
The British planes had no chance. Those that were not shot down tried to escape, but they were quickly caught by the Messerschmitt machines. All 11 aircraft were shot down around Aalborg that day.
Of the total of 33 airmen, only 13 survived what was later dubbed the air battle over Aalborg. The 20 killed were buried shortly afterwards in Vadum Cemetery, while a company of German soldiers paid full tribute.
After the air raid, the Germans were quick to extend protection of the airport, leaving it intact when the Germans left Denmark.
For the next four years after the war, the airport was used to house the many thousands of German refugees who arrived from the bombed-out neighbouring country.
ANDEN VERDENSKRIG HISTORIE
Den ustabilitet, som Første Verdenskrig (1914-18, også kaldet Den Store Krig) skabte i Europa, lagde grunden til en anden international konflikt - Anden Verdenskrig - som brød ud to årtier senere og skulle vise sig at blive endnu mere ødelæggende.
Adolf Hitler og hans nationalsocialistiske (nazistiske) parti, der kom til magten i et økonomisk og politisk ustabilt Tyskland, oprustede nationen og underskrev strategiske traktater med Italien og Japan (aksemagterne) for at fremme sine ambitioner om verdensherredømme.
Hitlers invasion af Polen i september 1939 fik Storbritannien og Frankrig til at erklære krig mod Tyskland, og Anden Verdenskrig var begyndt.
I løbet af de næste seks år ville konflikten koste flere menneskeliv og ødelægge mere land og ejendom rundt om i verden end nogen tidligere krig. Blandt de anslået 45-60 millioner dræbte mennesker var 6 millioner jøder, der blev myrdet i nazisternes koncentrationslejre som led i Hitlers djævelske "Endlösung", der nu er kendt som Holocaust.
OPTAKTEN TIL ANDEN VERDENSKRIG
Den store krigs ødelæggelser (Første Verdenskrig) havde i høj grad destabiliseret Europa, og på mange måder voksede Anden Verdenskrig ud af de problemer, som den tidligere konflikt ikke havde løst.
Især den politiske og økonomiske ustabilitet i Tyskland og den vedvarende vrede over Versailles-traktatens hårde betingelser gav næring til Adolf Hitlers og hans nationalsocialistiske partis (nazisternes) magtovertagelse.
Efter at være blevet rigskansler i 1933 konsoliderede Hitler hurtigt sin magt og udnævnte sig selv til Fører (øverste leder) i 1934.
Hitler mente, at krig var den eneste måde at opnå det nødvendige "Lebensraum" (livsrum) for at udvide den ariske race.
Hitler sendte tropper til at besætte Østrig i 1938 (Ansluss) og annekterede året efter Tjekkoslovakiet. Hitlers åbne aggressioner blev ikke kontrolleret, da USA og Sovjetunionen på det tidspunkt var koncentreret om indenrigspolitik, og hverken Frankrig eller Storbritannien (de to andre nationer, der var mest ødelagt af den store krig) var ivrige efter en konfrontation.
UDBRUDDET AF 2. VERDENSKRIG (1939)
I 1939 underskrev Hitler og den sovjetiske leder Josef Stalin den tysk-sovjetiske ikke-angrebspagt
Hitler havde længe planlagt en invasion af Polen, en nation, som Storbritannien og Frankrig havde garanteret militær støtte til, hvis den blev angrebet af Tyskland.
Pagten med Stalin betød, at Hitler ikke ville stå over for en krig på to fronter, når han invaderede Polen, og at han ville få sovjetisk hjælp til at erobre og opdele selve nationen.
Den 1. september 1939 invaderede Hitler Polen fra vest; to dage senere erklærede Frankrig og Storbritannien Tyskland krig og indledte dermed Anden Verdenskrig.
Stalins styrker rykkede frem for at besætte de baltiske lande (Estland, Letland og Litauen) og besejrede et modstandsbevidst Finland i den russisk-finsk krig.
2. VERDENSKRIG I VESTEN (1940-41)
Den 9. april 1940 invaderede Tyskland samtidig Norge og besatte Danmark, og krigen begyndte for alvor.
Den 10. maj fejede de tyske styrker gennem Belgien og Nederlandene i det, der blev kendt som "blitzkrieg" eller lynkrig. Tre dage senere krydsede Hitlers tropper Meuse-floden og slog franske styrker ved Sedan, der ligger i den nordlige ende af Maginot-linjen, en udførlig kæde af befæstningsanlæg, der blev bygget efter Første Verdenskrig og anset for at være en uigennemtrængelig forsvarsbarriere.
I virkeligheden brød tyskerne igennem linjen med deres kampvogne og fly og fortsatte bagud og gjorde den ubrugelig.
Den britiske ekspeditionsstyrke (BEF) blev evakueret ad søvejen fra Dunkerque i slutningen af maj, mens de franske styrker i den sydlige del af landet gjorde en dømt modstand. Da Frankrig var på randen af sammenbrud, erklærede Italiens Benito Mussolini den 10. juni 1940 krig mod Frankrig og Storbritannien
Hitler vendte nu sin opmærksomhed mod Storbritannien, som havde den defensive fordel, at det var adskilt fra kontinentet af Den Engelske Kanal.
For at bane vejen for en amfibieinvasion (Operation Sea Lion) bombede tyske fly Storbritannien intensivt hele sommeren 1940, herunder natangreb på London og andre industricentre, der forårsagede store civile tab og skader.
Royal Air Force (RAF) besejrede til sidst Luftwaffe (det tyske luftvåben) i slaget om Storbritannien, og Hitler udsatte sine planer om at invadere.
OPERATION BARBAROSSA (1941-42)
I begyndelsen af 1941 havde Ungarn, Rumænien og Bulgarien sluttet sig til aksen, og tyske tropper indtog Jugoslavien og Grækenland i april samme år.
Hitlers erobring af Balkan var en forløber for hans egentlige mål: en invasion af Sovjetunionen, hvis enorme territorium ville give den tyske herrefolks race det "Lebensraum", den havde brug for.
Den anden halvdel af Hitlers strategi var udryddelsen af jøderne i hele det tyskbesatte Europa. Planerne for "den endelige løsning" blev indført omkring tidspunktet for den sovjetiske offensiv, og i løbet af de næste tre år ville mere end 4 millioner jøder omkomme i de dødslejre, der blev oprettet i det besatte Polen.
Den 22. juni 1941 beordrede Hitler invasionen af Sovjetunionen med kodenavnet Operation Barbarossa. Selv om de sovjetiske kampvogne og fly var langt flere end tyskerne, var deres flyteknologi stort set forældet, og virkningen af den overraskende invasion hjalp tyskerne med at nå op til 200 miles fra Moskva i midten af juli. Stridigheder mellem Hitler og hans befalingsmænd forsinkede den næste tyske fremrykning indtil oktober, hvor den blev bremset af en sovjetisk modoffensiv og det begyndende hårde vintervejr.
DEN ATLANTISKE MUR
Atlanterhavsvolden var et omfattende system af kystforsvar og befæstninger, som Nazi-Tyskland byggede mellem 1942 og 1944 langs den kontinentaleuropæiske kyst fra Frankrig til Nordkap i Norge som et forsvar mod en forventet allieret invasion.
Først blev havnene befæstet og senere de strategiske kyststrækninger.
Muren blev ofte nævnt i den nazistiske propaganda, hvor dens størrelse og styrke normalt blev overdrevet. Befæstningsanlæggene omfattede kolossale kystkanoner, batterier, morterer og artilleri, og tusindvis af tyske tropper var stationeret i forsvaret. Faktisk var befæstningsanlægget bevæbnet med forskellige typer kanoner, nogle fra første verdenskrig, andre erobret fra andre nationer. Og soldaterne var meget unge eller gamle soldater, krigsfanger, som var blevet overtalt til at kæmpe på tysk side.
Da de allierede endelig invaderede strandene i Normandiet i 1944, blev de fleste af forsvarsværkerne stormet inden for få timer. I dag findes der ruiner af muren i alle de lande, hvor muren blev bygget, selv om mange strukturer er faldet i havet eller er blevet revet ned i årenes løb.
I vores region (Vendsyssel)
var lufthavnen i Aalborg af stor betydning, da det tyske luftvåben ikke kunne nå Norge uden et stop undervejs.
Havnen i Hirtshals ville også være af betydning, fordi den er isfri om vinteren
Befæstninger i Skagen og Frederikshavn (østkysten) var nødvendige for at sikre passagen til Norge.
Norge (Narvik) var vigtigt, fordi det var skibshavn for jernmalm fra Sverige, som tyskerne havde brug for til at bygge bunkere og krigsmateriel (stål).
Bunkerne i Danmark blev bygget af danske entreprenører og af dansk arbejdskraft - på grund af den høje arbejdsløshed var dette det eneste job, der var at få. Det blev endda betalt af den danske regering på vegne af den tyske Wehrmacht.
2. VERDENSKRIG I STILLEHAVET (1941-43)
Den 7. december 1941 angreb 360 japanske fly den store amerikanske flådebase i Pearl Harbor på Hawaii, hvilket overraskede amerikanerne fuldstændigt og kostede mere end 2.300 soldater livet.
Angrebet på Pearl Harbor tjente til at samle den amerikanske offentlighed til fordel for at gå ind i Anden Verdenskrig, og den 8. december erklærede Kongressen Japan krig.
Tyskland og de andre aksemagter erklærede straks USA krig. Det eneste land, som Hitler faktisk erklærede krig mod.
D-DAG
Den 6. juni 1944 - fejret som "D-dag" - indledte de allierede en massiv invasion af Europa og landede 156.000 britiske, canadiske og amerikanske soldater på strandene i Normandiet i Frankrig. Som svar herpå sendte Hitler hele sin resterende hærstyrke ind i Vesteuropa og sikrede Tysklands nederlag i øst.
Et intensivt luftbombardement i februar 1945 gik forud for de allieredes landinvasion af Tyskland, og da Tyskland formelt overgav sig den 8. maj, havde sovjetiske styrker besat store dele af landet. Hitler var allerede død, da han den 30. april begik selvmord i sin bunker i Berlin.
2. VERDENSKRIG SLUTTER (1945)
De store tab under kampagnerne ved Iwo Jima (februar 1945) og Okinawa (april-juni 1945) og frygten for en endnu dyrere landinvasion af Japan fik Truman til at give tilladelse til at bruge et nyt og ødelæggende våben - atombomben - mod de japanske byer Hiroshima og Nagasaki i begyndelsen af august. Dermed sluttede krigen.
Arven efter krigen ville omfatte kommunismens spredning fra Sovjetunionen til Østeuropa og dens endelige triumf i Kina samt det globale magtskifte fra Europa til to rivaliserende supermagter - USA og Sovjetunionen - som snart ville stå over for hinanden i den kolde krig.
Dokumenter omkring Anden Verdenskrig (søg efter emnet):
Bunkermuseum Hirtshals
Aalborg Lufthavn
ANDEN VERDENSKRIG
Flugten til Sverige
Skagen besat 1940-1945
Fæstningen Skagen
Bunkerne i Skagen (Atlantvolden)
Krige i relation til Frederikshavn
NEPS
Projekt Hangar
Tyske flygtninge
Bangsbo Fort Bunkermuseum
Den Jydske Modstandsmuseum
The instability created in Europe by the First World War (1914-18, also referred to as The Great War) set the stage for another international conflict – World War II – which broke out two decades later and would prove even more devastating.
Rising to power in an economically and politically unstable Germany, Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi Party) rearmed the nation and signed strategic treaties with Italy and Japan (the Axis Powers) to further his ambitions of world domination.
Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, and World War II had begun.
Over the next six years, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more land and property around the globe than any previous war. Among the estimated 45-60 million people killed were 6 million Jews murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of Hitler’s diabolical “Final Solution,” now known as the Holocaust.
LEADING UP TO WORLD WAR II
The devastation of the Great War (World War I) had greatly destabilized Europe, and in many respects World War II grew out of issues left unresolved by that earlier conflict.
In particular, political and economic instability in Germany, and lingering resentment over the harsh terms imposed by the Versailles Treaty, fueled the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist (Nazi) Party.
After becoming Reich Chancellor in 1933, Hitler swiftly consolidated power, anointing himself Führer (Supreme Leader) in 1934.
Hitler believed that war was the only way to gain the necessary “Lebensraum,” or living space, for the aryan race to expand.
Hitler sent troops to occupy Austria in 1938 (Ansluss) and the following year annexed Czechoslovakia. Hitler’s open aggression went unchecked, as the United States and Soviet Union were concentrated on internal politics at the time, and neither France nor Britain (the two other nations most devastated by the Great War) were eager for confrontation.
OUTBREAK OF WORLD WAR II (1939)
In 1939, Hitler and Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Hitler had long planned an invasion of Poland, a nation to which Great Britain and France had guaranteed military support if it was attacked by Germany.
The pact with Stalin meant that Hitler would not face a war on two fronts once he invaded Poland, and would have Soviet assistance in conquering and dividing the nation itself.
On September 1, 1939, Hitler invaded Poland from the west; two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany, beginning World War II.
Stalin’s forces moved to occupy the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and defeated a resistant Finland in the Russian-Finish War.
WORLD WAR II IN THE WEST (1940-41)
On April 9, 1940, Germany simultaneously invaded Norway and occupied Denmark, and the war began in earnest.
On May 10, German forces swept through Belgium and the Netherlands in what became known as “blitzkrieg,” or lightning war. Three days later, Hitler’s troops crossed the Meuse River and struck French forces at Sedan, located at the northern end of the Maginot Line, an elaborate chain of fortifications constructed after World War I and considered an impenetrable defensive barrier.
In fact, the Germans broke through the line with their tanks and planes and continued to the rear, rendering it useless.
The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was evacuated by sea from Dunkirk in late May, while in the south French forces mounted a doomed resistance. With France on the verge of collapse, Benito Mussolini of Italy declared war against France and Britain on June 10 1940
Hitler now turned his attention to Britain, which had the defensive advantage of being separated from the Continent by the English Channel.
To pave the way for an amphibious invasion (Operation Sea Lion), German planes bombed Britain extensively throughout the summer of 1940, including night raids on London and other industrial centers that caused heavy civilian casualties and damage.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) eventually defeated the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in the Battle of Britain, and Hitler postponed his plans to invade.
OPERATION BARBAROSSA (1941-42)
By early 1941, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria had joined the Axis, and German troops overran Yugoslavia and Greece that April.
Hitler’s conquest of the Balkans was a precursor for his real objective: an invasion of the Soviet Union, whose vast territory would give the German master race the “Lebensraum” it needed.
The other half of Hitler’s strategy was the extermination of the Jews from throughout German-occupied Europe. Plans for the “Final Solution” were introduced around the time of the Soviet offensive, and over the next three years more than 4 million Jews would perish in the death camps established in occupied Poland.
On June 22, 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa. Though Soviet tanks and aircraft greatly outnumbered the Germans’, their air technology was largely obsolete, and the impact of the surprise invasion helped Germans get within 200 miles of Moscow by mid-July. Arguments between Hitler and his commanders delayed the next German advance until October, when it was stalled by a Soviet counteroffensive and the onset of harsh winter weather.
THE ATLANTIC WALL
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe from France to the North Cape in Norway as a defence against an anticipated Allied invasion.
At first the harbours were fortified and later the strategic coastlines.
The wall was frequently mentioned in Nazi propaganda, where its size and strength were usually exaggerated. The fortifications included colossal coastal guns, batteries, mortars, and artillery, and thousands of German troops were stationed in its defences. As a matter of fact, the fortifications were armed with various types of canons, some from the first world war, some captured from others nations. And the soldiers were the very young or the old soldiers, POW's who had been persueded to fight on german side.
When the Allies eventually invaded the Normandy beaches in 1944, most of the defences were stormed within hours. Today, ruins of the wall exist in all of the nations where the wall was built, although many structures have fallen into the ocean or have been demolished over the years.
In our region (Vendsyssel)
the airport in Aalborg was of significant importance as the german airforce couldn't reach Norway without a stop on the way.
The harbour at Hirtshals would also be of importance because it is ice-free in winter
Fortifications at Skagen and Frederikshavn (East coast) was needed to secure the passage to Norway.
Norway (Narvik) was important because it was shipping port for IRON ORE from Sweden, which the german needed for building bunkers and war material (steel)
The bunkers in Denmark were build by danish contractors and by danish labourforces - due to the high rate of unemployment - this was the only job to have. It was even paid for by the danish goverment on behalf of the germen wehrmacht.
WORLD WAR II IN THE PACIFIC (1941-43)
On December 7, 1941, 360 Japanese aircraft attacked the major U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, taking the Americans completely by surprise and claiming the lives of more than 2,300 troops.
The attack on Pearl Harbor served to unify American public opinion in favor of entering World War II, and on December 8 Congress declared war on Japan.
Germany and the other Axis Powers promptly declared war on the United States. The only country that Hitler actually did declare war on.
D-DAY
On June 6, 1944–celebrated as “D-Day”–the Allied began a massive invasion of Europe, landing 156,000 British, Canadian and American soldiers on the beaches of Normandy, France. In response, Hitler poured all the remaining strength of his army into Western Europe, ensuring Germany’s defeat in the east.
An intensive aerial bombardment in February 1945 preceded the Allied land invasion of Germany, and by the time Germany formally surrendered on May 8, Soviet forces had occupied much of the country. Hitler was already dead, having committed suicide on April 30 in his Berlin bunker.
WORLD WAR II ENDS (1945)
Heavy casualties sustained in the campaigns at Iwo Jima (February 1945) and Okinawa (April-June 1945), and fears of the even costlier land invasion of Japan led Truman to authorize the use of a new and devastating weapon – the atomic bomb – on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August. Thereby ending the war.
The legacy of the war would include the spread of communism from the Soviet Union into eastern Europe as well as its eventual triumph in China, and the global shift in power from Europe to two rival superpowers–the United States and the Soviet Union–that would soon face off against each other in the Cold War.
Documents related to World War II (search for topic):
Hirtshals Bunker Museum
Aalborg Airport
WORLD WAR II
Flight to Sweden
Skagen occupied 1940-1945
Skagen Fortress
The bunkers in Skagen (Atlantvolden)
Wars related to Frederikshavn
NEPS
Project Hangar
German refugees
Bangsbo Fort Bunker Museum
The Jydske Resistance Museum