Denmark was occupied by German forces on April 9, 1940. After the fall of France later that year and still during the first part of the Russian campaign in 1941, Germany appeared invincible. Danish society adapted to a state of German supremacy on the European continent.
A New Order?
During the autumn of 1940, there was fear that Germany would bring the Danish Nazis to power, but the danger passed. In 1941, Danish authorities placed leading Communist in an internment camp, and Danes volunteered for the Eastern front.
Germs of Resistance
Public opinion was predominantly pro-British, but seldom found an outlet in actions directed against the occupying power. Late in 1941 the first illegal pamphlets appeared.