Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
Sweden took almost all the Jews from Denmark.
There are standards beyond the fate of local Jewish populations, measured on a percentage basis, by which to assess culpability or heroism.
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
The Danes and Swedes are heroes of WWII.
LOL!
The Danes surrendered 6 hours after the Germans invaded - just long enough to organize the surrender documents. Just about the only shots fired by Danes in the defence of their country were by anti-aircraft gunners who failed to protect the Danish air force from destruction on the ground. There was no organized defence of Denmark. Some heroes!
In contrast, Norway, a country with only 2/3 the population of Denmark was invaded on the same day by a German force of more than twice the size of the force invading Denmark. The Norwegian army fought against substantial odds for two month before surrendering. The Norwegian air force and navy never surrendered and were operational against Germany throughout the rest of the war.
The Danish resistance movement killed the fewest Germans of any anti-German resistance movement. It didn't even begin sabotage operations until more than two years after the occupation.
Hundreds of Swedes and thousands of Danes volunteered to serve in the SS (it was easier for Danes to volunteer since Denmark was occupied and Sweden was notionally neutral.)
The Swedes followed a foreign policy of not getting involved in combat. Very heroic!
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
I agree generally, but there's a world of difference between the way Hungary or Romania handled Nazi domination than Denmark or Sweden. Less than 1% of Danish Jews were killed in the Holocaust.
There was actually more resistance in Romania to deportation of Jews than there was in Denmark. About 300,000 Romanian Jews survived the holocaust. Only about 2,000 Danish Jews survived. The effort required to save 300,000 is considerably greater than the effort required to save 2,000.
If you want to point to heroics in the salvation of the miniscule Danish Jewish population, point to the German diplomat that tipped off the Danish resistance before any actual German effort began.
Sweden actually had a lot in common with Romania. Both countries agreed, without being occupied by the Germans, to be the key source of trade in a strategic resource vital to the German war effort. Sweden provided the iron, and Romania supplied the oil.
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
That's a point, but I don't think really a good one. I think a Jew in Denmark could go to a random house and expect to be helped and that wasn't the case in Romania.
And yet, more than 100 times as many Jews were saved by Romanians than were saved by Danes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
The Nazis didn't overlook Danish Jews. Danes helped 90% of them escape before the Nazis occupied the country.
That's just false. The Germans didn't request any roundup or deportation of Jews in Denmark until 1943, more than three years after the Danes incorporated themselves into the German Reich without a struggle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
Romanians, Hungarians, Ukrainians and Poles all extensively helped the Nazis round up Jews.
Many more Romanians, Hungarians, Ukrainians and Poles, at a far greater risk, helped Jews than did Danes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by microbet
Why is having more Jews something that would make them more likely to kill Jews?
Because when your Jewish population is less than 0.07% of the population, misguided people are unlikely to regard Jews as an internal threat. A minority is more likely to be regarded as a threat if it comprises several percent of the population.
Last edited by DoTheMath; 05-30-2017 at 04:23 AM.