Forskellige krige i tidens løb har været medvirkende til udformningen og udviklingen af Frederikshavn.

(Tekster er hentet fra Wikipedia og Hans Gregersens bog "Nordjylland i krig", og linkene henviser dertil for yderligere information)

1086 Oprør mod kongen (Drabet på Knud den Hellige 1086)

Relation til Børglum Kloster som dengang var kongegård.

1534-36 Grevens Fejde - blodig borgerkrig

Grevens Fejde var en borgerkrig i Danmark i 1534-1536. Den foregik under reformationsoprøret. Ved borgerkrigens afslutning indførtes Reformationen i Danmark. Krigen brød ud i 1534, da hansestaden Lübeck efter kong Frederik 1.'s død søgte at øge sin magt i Norden ved at genindsætte Christian 2. på tronen. Det medførte flere bonde- og borgeroprør, da Christian 2. nød stor støtte blandt almuen i Danmark. Blandt andre støttede København og Malmø den tidligere konge. Sit navn fik fejden efter Grev Christoffer af Oldenburg, som anførte Lübecks styrker.

På den modsatte side stod den danske adel og den højere præstestand. De ville ikke have Christian 2. tilbage og støttede Frederik 1.'s søn Hertug Christian (3.). Borgerkrigen endte i 1536 med sejr til Christian 3. og adelsvældet, som gik styrket ud af konflikten.

Igen relation til Børglum Kloster og biskop Stygge Krumpen samt Voergård Slot som Skipper Clement angriber og sætter ild til, men biskop Stygge Krumpen og hans vedsoverske Elsebeth Gyldenstjerne lykkes med at flygte - måske gennem en hemmelig udgang.

1625 - 1629 Kejserkrigen

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

Wallensteins tyske kejserlige tropper, ledet af von Hatzfeldt, trænger op gennem Jylland og anlægger skanser i Vendsyssel, blandt andet i Fladstrand (Nordre Skanse)

1618-1648 Trediveårskrigen

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)

1643-45 Torstensonkrigene

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.

1660 Karl Gustav krigene

"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

1700-21 Den Store Nordiske Krig

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)

1801-1814 Englandskrigene

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 til Sverige

Betydning for Frederikshavn: Fladstrand var base for de danske kanonbåde og de private kaperbåde. Den Nørrejyske Roflotille.

1864 Anden slesvigske krig

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.

1914-18 Første Verdenskrig (the Great War)

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.

1940-45 Anden Verdenskrig

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.

1945-1991 Den kolde krig

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.

Kilde: Hans Gregersen: Nordjylland i krig, forlaget Tommeliden, 2001

Various wars over the years have contributed to the shape and development of Frederikshavn.

(Texts are taken from Wikipedia and Hans Gregersen's book "Nordjylland i krig", and the links refer there for further information)

1086 Rebellion against the king (The killing of Canute the Holy 1086)

Relation to Børglum Monastery which was a royal estate at the time.

1534-36 Count's Feud - bloody civil war

The Count's Feud was a civil war in Denmark in 1534-1536. It took place during the Reformation. At the end of the civil war, the Reformation was introduced in Denmark. The war broke out in 1534, when the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, after the death of King Frederik I, sought to increase its power in the North by restoring Christian II to the throne. This led to several peasant and civil uprisings, as Christian II enjoyed strong support among the commoners in Denmark. Among others, Copenhagen and Malmö supported the former king. The feud was named after Count Christopher of Oldenburg, who led Lübeck's forces.

On the opposing side were the Danish nobility and the higher clergy. They did not want Christian II back and supported Frederik I's son Duke Christian (III). The civil war ended in 1536 with victory for Christian III and the nobility, which emerged from the conflict stronger.

Again related to Børglum Monastery and Bishop Stygge Krumpen as well as Voergård Castle which Skipper Clement attacks and sets on fire, but Bishop Stygge Krumpen and his consort Elsebeth Gyldenstjerne manage to escape - perhaps through a secret exit.

1625 - 1629 The Imperial War

Christian IV's participation in the Thirty Years' War is also known as the Imperial War. The king had several motives for getting involved in the Thirty Years' War: firstly, he wanted to strengthen his position in northern Germany, and secondly, for reasons of prestige and strategy, he was interested in preventing the Swedish king from leading the alliance against the German emperor and 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.

Wallenstein's German imperial troops, led by von Hatzfeldt, penetrate Jutland and establish redoubts in Vendsyssel, including Fladstrand (Nordre Skanse)

1618-1648 Thirty Years' War

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)

1643-45 The Torstenson Wars

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 leadership could then inform itself of the enemy's plans.

The 1660 Carl Gustav Wars

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

1700-21 The Great Northern War

The Great Northern War was a war in northern Europe that began as a reaction against Sweden's great power dreams, with Russia and Denmark forming an alliance to reduce Swedish power 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)

1801-1814 The English Wars

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 to Sweden

Significance for Frederikshavn: Fladstrand was the base for the Danish gunboats and the private privateer boats. The Nørrejyske Roflotille.

1864 Second Schleswig War

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.

1914-18 First World War (the Great War)

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.

1940-45 World War II

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.

1945-1991 The Cold War

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 as well as 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.

Source: Hans Gregersen: Nordjylland i krig, Tommeliden, 2001

WW2 Bunkerne i Danmark (af Bent Ejner Thomsen)

Kilde: Claus Bundgård Christensen et al, Dansk arbejde – tyske befæstningsanlæg, Blåvandshuk Egnsmuseum, 1997

I løbet af krigen arbejdede omkring 100.000 mand på det kæmpestore bygningsprojekt, Danmarkshistoriens største byggeplads nogensinde svarende til i perioder 1/10 af den samlede danske arbejdsstyrke

WW2 Bunkers in Denmark (by Bent Ejner Thomsen)

Source: Claus Bundgård Christensen et al, Danish work - German fortifications, Blåvandshuk Egnsmuseum, 1997

During the war, about 100,000 men worked on the huge building project, the largest construction site ever in Danish history, corresponding at times to 1/10 of the total Danish workforce

Det tredje rige – da det var størst – gik fra det sovjetiske Kaukasus mod sydøst over dele af Nordafrika til det nordvestlige Skandinavien.

Det var først og fremmest den nazistiske racetænkning, som afgjorde behandlingen af civilbefolkningen i de enkelte lande. Dette sammen med den danske samarbejdspolitik gjorde, at den tyske okkupation forløb relativt fredeligt i Danmark.

Samarbejdspolitikken, som blev indledt allerede 9. april 1940, betød, at Danmark udadtil skulle optræde neutralt som Sverige, mens Folketinget, politiet og domstolene indadtil kunne opretholde styringen af det danske samfund. Hermed kunne man undgå den nazificering af samfundet, som fandt sted i Norge, Holland og Frankrig, f.eks. Man kan også sige, at samarbejdspolitikken var lig med en gradvis opgivelse af en lang række af de demokratiske spilleregler, som udgjorde det danske samfunds grundvold. Eksempler er den danske regerings fordømmelse af strejkevåbenet, det danske politis jagt på og nedskydning af modstandsfolk (f.eks. Christian Michael Rottbøll), interneringen af danske kommunister i 1941 – alene på grund af deres politiske overbevisning, og det tyske krav om indførelse af dødsstraf i 1943, som blev den direkte årsag til samarbejdspolitikkens fald i august 1943.

Samarbejdspolitikken betød, at både under krigen og i retsopgøret efter krigen blev befæstningsarbejde på de danske bunkers og tysklandsarbejde ikke betragtet som statsskadelig virksomhed i modsætning til soldater- og vagttjeneste for tyskerne.

Hvorfor arbejdede så mange danskere på bygningsværkerne – især fra efteråret 1943 og til maj 1945? Arbejdsløsheden var høj under krigen, og arbejdsløshed betød virkelig en mærkbar forringelse af leveforholdene. I krigens første år var arbejdsløsheden gennemsnitligt på 25%, og 58% af alle organiserede var arbejdsløse på ét eller andet tidspunkt af året. Pristalsreguleringen af lønnen blev annulleret, så mens alle priser steg rigtig meget, forblev lønnen låst fast. Dette betød, at 1938 realløns-niveauet var blevet reduceret med 1/6 i 1942.

Allerede midt i april 1940 blev danske entreprenørvirksomheder opfordret af regeringen til at påtage sig tyske byggeprojekter. De første blev Wright, Thomsen og Kier, som bød ind på udbygningen af Aalborg Lufthavn. Regeringen så hellere dette end tyske indblanding i det danske arbejdsmarked, tyske overbud på løn, nazificering af fagforeningerne, og underminering af inflationsbekæmpelsen. Denne holdning fra regeringens side blev ikke revideret resten af krigen.

Det typiske entreprenørfirma på de store projekter før august 1943 var et stort, landsdækkende medlem af danske entreprenørforening. Efter august 1943 bød disse ikke ind på opgaverne, som i stedet gik til nystartede firmaer eller små, eksisterende, som alle stod uden for entreprenørforeningen.

Man forsøgte fra regeringens side at regulere lønningerne med vejledende avanceregler, som i oktober 1943 blev lovpligtige, men ingen overholdt dem – hverken tyskerne eller entreprenørerne. Da byggerierne blev betalt over den såkaldte værnemagtskonto i nationalbanken, var det reelt Danmark, som betalte byggeriet. Derfor var tyskerne ligeglade med priserne – blot leveringstid og -kvalitet blev overholdt. Entreprenørerne blev betalt med en procentvis avance på lønsummen. Altså jo højere løn, jo større avance. Ergo var entreprenøren heller ikke interesseret i at overholde avancereglerne. Dette betød, at befæstningsarbejde blev det mest vellønnede job, en almindelig faglært eller ufaglært arbejder kunne få. I gennemsnit fik en værnemagtsarbejder godt det dobbelte af den gennemsnitlige faglærte løn (238kr/uge ctr 110kr/uge)

I alt kom byggerierne til at koste 2 milliarder i datidens priser. En gennemsnitlig årsløn for en faglært arbejder var 6.000kr. I dag en den vel 400.000. Pristalsreguleres byggeriernes pris med dette bliver prisen i nutidskroner omkring 130 mia. Til sammenligning kostede Øresundsbroen i nutidspriser omkring 25 mia – altså svarede bunkerbyggerierne til godt 5 Øresundsbroer!

Kilde: Claus Bundgård Christensen et al, Dansk arbejde – tyske befæstningsanlæg, Blåvandshuk Egnsmuseum, 1997

Danish Work – Nazi fortifications

During the war, app. 100.000 people worked on the huge building project – the biggest ever in the history of Denmark. At times, one tenth of all Danish labourers were engaged in the project.

At its greatest, The Third Reich spanned from Caucasus in the south east over North Africa to the most northern point of Scandinavia.

It was primarily Nazi racial thinking that determined how the civilian population of a subdued nation was treated. Together with the official Denmark’s policy of collaboration, this meant that the German occupation was relatively peaceful in Denmark.

The policy of collaboration - sanctioned already on April 9, 1940 - meant that in foreign matters Denmark should act as a neutral country like Sweden, while parliament, police and courts internally could uphold the administration of Denmark. The official Denmark saw this as a means to avoiding the Nazification of society that had been seen in Norway, Holland and France. It could also be said that the policy of collaboration meant a gradual elimination of the pillars of democracy that formed the back of Danish society. The Danish government was forced to introduce a ban on strikes in 1940, to intern Danish communists in 1941 whether active in resistance or not, to call for Danish Police to hunt down, arrest and kill – if necessary - Danish resistance fighters (Christian Michael Rottbøll 1942). The policy of collaboration ended in August 1943 when the Danish government resigned due to the Nazi demands of introducing the death penalty for sabotage and armed resistance.

The policy of collaboration meant that during the war and in the legal cases of transitional justice after the war fortification work and work in factories in Germany was never looked upon as “activities against the state” contrary to signing up for German military service or for guard services in German installations in Denmark.

Why did so many Danes sign up for fortification work – especially from autumn 1943 till May 1945? Unemployment rose to the skies during the war, and unemployment meant real deterioration of living conditions. In the first year of the war, the unemployment rate rose to 25%, and 58% of all organized labour was unemployed at some time during 1940. Wage indexation was abolished, so while inflation was fierce, wages and salaries were constant, meaning that 1938 real income had decreased by one sixth in 1942.

Already mid-April 1940, Danish entrepreneurial companies were called upon to take Nazi building projects in. The first company to accept one was Wright, Thomsen and Kier, who accepted a request to enlarge Aalborg Airport. The government preferred Danish companies for the job instead of having Germans interfering in the Danish labour market, Germans outbidding Danish companies in terms of wages, Nazification of the trade unions and undermining of the fight against inflation. This government stand was not changed during the rest of the war.

It was typically large entrepreneurial companies that won the contracts before August 1943, but after the collapse of the policy of collaboration, they refrained from putting in offers. Instead, new companies created for the purpose or small existing companies won the bids – all of them not organized in the Contractors Union.

Government tried to regulate wages through indicative profit rates, which in 1943 became compulsory by law. But they were not respected – neither by Germans nor by entrepreneurs. As fortification work was paid over the so-called Wehrmacht account in the Danish National Bank, it was Denmark who paid the bill. So, Nazi authorities did not care about prices - as long as delivery and quality terms were met. The entrepreneurs were paid with a rate based on the actual salary + a percentage profit, which meant the higher the wages, the higher the profit. So, the entrepreneur did not respect the indicative profit rates, either. All in all, fortification work developed into the most well-paid job any skilled or unskilled worker could sign up for. On average, a skilled fortification worker earned the double compared to the average national rate (238 DKK/week as compared to 110 DKK/week).

In total, fortification work amounted to 2 billion DKK in historical prices. An average annual salary for a skilled worker was 6.000 DKK compared to app 400.000 DKK today. If we use that indexation on the price of the fortifications, the present cost would be app 130 billion DKK – which amounts to more than 5 bridges across the Sound between Denmark and Sweden!