Advertisement

Thousands download newly-published list of Danish WW2 Nazis

Ritzau/The Local
Ritzau/The Local - [email protected]
Thousands download newly-published list of Danish WW2 Nazis
Police hold back people protesting against a wartime conference of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Denmark (DNSAP) in Copenhagen. Photo: Unknown historical/Ritzau Scanpix

A list detailing of members of the Danish Nazi party, DNSAP, during the Second World War, has been downloaded thousands of times since its online release.

Advertisement

The Danish Genealogy Association (Danske Slægtsforskere) earlier this year chose to make available for download a list known as the Bovrup Index, which gives the names of Danish Nazis from before and during the Second World War.

Since November 1st, part of the Bovrup Index has been downloadable from the association’s website.

The published online version includes 5,265 of the 22,795 names on the complete list, taking in all those born more than 110 years ago.

Per Andersen, who tuns the association’s library and is also its deputy chairperson, said there had been unprecedented interest since the index was posted online.

”There has been very high interest in downloading it,” Andersen told Ritzau.

”Normally there might 100 or so downloads of the things we post online, but the Bovrup list has been downloaded over 11,000 times,” he said.

The index has long been surrounded by curiosity in Denmark.

Advertisement

Originating from the DNSAP’s own records, it was transcribed by the Danish resistance movement in May 1945, shortly before Germany’s wartime occupation of the Scandinavian country came to an end.

Resistance operatives found the list at the home of DNSAP leader Frits Clausen in the South Jutland town of Bovrup, for which the index was later named.

The list was initially committed to print, but a 1946 District Court ruling decreed that the names of Danish Nazi party members be encompassed by archival laws, meaning only researchers and others given approval were able to view the names in the National Archives (Rigsarkivet).

But enough time has now passed for the Danish Genealogy Association to be able to publish a substantial list of the names of those born in 1908 or earlier, meaning they would be at least 110 years old today.

”For us, this was about a resource that has been highly sought after by genealogists,” Andersen said.

”But overall, I also believe that what we have here is historical source material which must be made public because it, just like other source material, helps us learn about our past,” he added.

Almost half of the people on the published index – 2,303 – are listed as farmers or farm owners. Other commonly occurring job descriptions include ”working man/woman” (arbejdsmand/kvinde), along with assistants, clerks and representatives.

The list includes the dates of birth, addresses and occupations of DNSAP members. The Danish Genealogy Association expects to add a further 2,000-3,000 names to the digitalised list in 2019.

READ ALSO: How Denmark was liberated at the end of World War II

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also