Countrymen

In the entire ghastly history of the Holocaust, only two "good" stories stand out, and this is one of them. Denmark, under German Occupation, but with its King and government intact, did something no other country in Western Europe even tried to do. Knowing that German command was coming in 1943 to round up their Jews
(there were 7,000 of them) for deportation to the camps, they said no. The King, his ministers, and parliament were all in agreement--those 7,000 people were theirs, they were Danes who happened to be Jewish, and nobody was going to assist in their round-up and certain death. While the government used its limited but formidable powers to manoeuver and to impede matters in Berlin, the warning went out to the Jewish community that crisis was at hand.
     Over the next 14 days, assisted, helped, hidden, and protected by ordinary people who came together spontaneously to the aid of their countrymen who were suddenly refugees, an incredible 6,500 out of the 7,000 total escaped -- smuggled on big boats, little boats, fishing boats, anything that floated -- to Sweden.
     The bare facts of this exodus have been known for decades but, astonishingly, no full history of it has ever been researched or written. The refugees kept diaries, letters, family accounts which have now been brought together and form the basis of this riveting account. After a powerful historical introduction, the book follows the story on a day-by-day basis. We watch and share the heartstopping experiences of real people during those fateful two weeks from September 26 to October 9, 1943. This is a story of ordinary glory, of simple courage and moral fortitude that shines out in the terrible history of the 20th century.

BO LIDEGAARD, after a stellar career in the Danish Diplomatic Service and a stint as Permanent Undersecretary of State and National Security Adviser within the office of the Prime Minister, stepped away to become editor-in-chief of Denmark's most important newspaper, Politiken. His two previous books on Danish 20th century history have been both bestsellers in Denmark and winners of major literary and historical awards. Widely known to leading journalists around the world, he lives in Copenhagen. The author lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.