A Light in the Northern Sea: Denmark’s Incredible Rescue of Their Jewish Citizens During WWII

From the bestselling author of Three Ordinary Girls, the gripping, remarkably little-known true story of how the people of Denmark banded together during WWII to rescue nearly all of their Jewish citizens from Nazi persecution by ferrying them just a few at a time to sanctuary in Sweden.

August 25, 1943. A lone bicyclist transports a cache of explosives, hidden in a beer crate, to a Copenhagen hall being readied to house German troops. In a violent blast, the would-be barracks is reduced to rubble. It’s the boldest act yet of Holger Danske and the growing Danish resistance combating the oppressiveness of Hitler’s Reich.

In 1940, on its way to conquering Western Europe, Germany coerced the Danish government into a “cooperative” agreement that lasted three long years until the increasing brazenness of the Resistance movement prompted a crackdown. Denmark’s nearly 8000 Jews, who had so far been spared Hitler’s wrath, now became the focus of his rage. A roundup was ordered to begin on October 1st, 1943, the first day of the Jewish New Year.

The only passage to safety was across the Oresund to Sweden. But no group existed to organize an escape. Until the last moment, Sweden didn’t agree to allow the refugees into the country; and the strait between the two nations was swarming with Gestapo. 

What happened next was a miracle.

95% of Denmark’s Jews survived the Holocaust, the highest percentage in Europe. Here are the riveting true accounts of ordinary Danes who, using their modest resources, wiles, remarkable courage, and camaraderie, quietly orchestrated their escape. 

Among them were Jorgen Kieler and his siblings, student activists galvanized by their sense that their government hadn’t done enough to prevent the German takeover. . . . Henny Sinding, the legendary “Girl in the Red Hat”. . . . David Sampolinsky, an Orthodox Jew who teamed with a Lutheran school teacher to escort hundreds to safety. . . . Niels Bohr, the world-famous nuclear physicist being rushed to help Oppenheimer build the bomb at Los Alamos, who paused on his way to safety to implore the King of Sweden to allow Danish refugees into his country.

A work of World War II history that reads like a thriller, this inspiring chronicle examines why, unlike the rest of Western Europe, these accomplishments were so uniquely managed by the Danish people, even in the face of Nazi occupation and Hitler’s growing fixation on the Final Solution.

Tim Brady is an award-winning history author whose critically acclaimed books include Three Ordinary Girls, Twelve Desperate Miles, A Death in San Pietro, and His Father's Son.  In addition to contributing numerous articles, reviews, essays and short stories for a wide range of magazines, newspapers and journals, he has written and helped develop a number of television documentaries, including the Peabody Award-winning series, Liberty! The American Revolution for PBS. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop.