(This text was translated using AI technology)
During the war, several resistance groups operated in our area. Groups such as "Søstjernen", "Skovtroldene", and "Kulsvierbataljonen" participated in sabotage actions and weapon drops. In October 1943, the resistance groups were also involved in the escape of Danish Jews to Sweden.
Resistance did not necessarily have to involve weapons. Popular resistance flared up during the national People's Strike in the summer of 1944 with work stoppages and protests against the German occupation forces. Illegal newspapers were distributed, and mothers and young women crocheted Royal Air Force hats for their children and siblings. With its red, white, and blue colors, the hat resembled the logo on the English airplanes. The hats were a way to show their sympathy and support for the Allies.
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In September 1944, the Germans detained the Danish police and took over police authority themselves. In North Zealand, the German action was particularly directed against the Coastal Police, which triggered sympathy strikes from the population. For example, the population helped the Danish officers go underground.
Guard Corps With the dissolution of the Danish police, crime increased. There was therefore a need for a replacement. In the villages, the inhabitants banded together and formed private guard corps. In the larger towns, municipal guard corps were established with German acceptance and formal permission from the Ministry of Justice and the Interior. The task of the guard corps was to prevent more serious crimes such as robbery, assault, and vandalism. They were also to ensure public peace and order.
In a smaller town like Græsted, it was the parish and a number of associations that were behind the initiative. Here, a doctor was appointed as the leader, and four men took turns patrolling in pairs at night. The four men were paid by the parish and the merchants, while the guard corps' telephone duties were an unpaid task that was rotated among the town's youth.
Resistance fighters from Godhavn, Tisvilde, 1940-1945
The Municipal Guard Corps from Vejby-Tibirke in front of the Ting House in Helsinge at the Liberation, 1945
Weapon Drops
In addition to sabotage actions, distribution of illegal newspapers, and intelligence work, the resistance fighters in North Zealand received weapon supplies in Gribskov, dropped by English bombers. The drops were crucial to supply the Danish freedom fighters with weapons and equipment. But the weapon drops were not without risk. These were secret actions and took place in the dark of night to avoid German patrols.
To help the pilots find the correct drop site, a light team was set up. This consisted of four men, each equipped with a flashlight – three white and one red. One of the white flashlights was used to signal to the pilots using Morse code.
Inger, born 1933 (Dragstrup), tells in 2025: “I had seen down in Snævret Forest that they were flashing some lights, and I said to my father: “There are people standing in the forest flashing lights, and there is no one there, and it is dark.” “Yes, yes, it probably doesn't mean anything,” he said. … Then on Sunday morning: “Shall we take a walk in the forest?” When we walked there, there was a square that had been dug out. It was probably 2 by 2 meters, and there was straw at the bottom. “And what do you think it is used for?” my father asked. Yes, I couldn't know. “Well, it is used for weapons, because they drop weapons. Then rifles are placed there.” And then we just walked on.”
Later, the resistance fighters received a radio transmitter and receiver – a direction finder. With this, they could maintain contact with the plane from a distance of 50-100 km. With the plane's directional antenna, the pilot could then navigate directly to the drop site. This made navigation easier and safer for the planes.
The drops took place at midnight. Here, the men were ready to carry the drops, which came in containers, to a ditch or hide them under dense vegetation. They made sure that all parachutes were retrieved from the treetops before they went home again. In the morning, a small team returned to the forest area, retrieved the containers, and took them to a place where they could repack the material. The material from the drop was packed in special wooden boxes that had been made at Kagerup Sawmill and delivered free of charge.
Code Names and Locations in Gribskov
The weapon drops were announced under code names on the radio by the BBC. Here, the receiver teams had to listen for a special message: e.g., Greetings to Finn, Palle, Lydia, etc. If the code name for an agreed drop site was among those mentioned, the receiver team – 10-20 men – was alerted and cycled individually to the site.
The drop sites in Gribskov were:
> Multebjerg outside Kagerup in Gribskov. This went under the code name Palle. A drop took place here on February 21, 1945.
> Smørstenen in Gribskov. Eight drops took place here: March 5, 1945 Wilhelm, March 20, 1945 Lydia, April 12, 1945 Lars, Ida, and Lydia, April 20, 1945 Orla, April 20, 1945 Caroline and Ida.
Unveiling of Flyverstenen in Gribskov, 1945 The stone was erected in memory of two English pilots who were shot down by the Germans at this location during a mission over Copenhagen on September 30, 1944.
Waterworks Manager Stefan Frederiksen points to a place at the waterworks where freedom fighters hid weapons that were dropped from planes in Gribskov, around 1943.