On 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany launched Operation Weserübung and invaded Denmark. While the country initially experienced a relatively cooperative occupation, growing resistance and sabotage by 1943 pushed the Gestapo to rely increasingly on Danish collaborators to hunt down opponents of the regime.
One of the most feared was Ib Birkedal Hansen, a Danish Gestapo informer who led a powerful network of collaborators in Copenhagen known as the Birkedal Group. Through torture, intimidation, and a wide network of informers, Hansen and his men were responsible for an estimated 60 percent of arrests in occupied Denmark.
After the liberation in May 1945, Hansen went into hiding but was eventually captured and brought back to Copenhagen to face justice. Convicted of numerous crimes committed during the occupation, he ultimately paid for his actions.
Up Next in Season 1
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Axis Sally: The American Voice of Naz...
During the Second World War, millions of Allied soldiers heard a strange voice on German radio. She spoke perfect American English, joked about home, and warned soldiers they would die far from their families.
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British Traitor Who Betrayed 150 to t...
Early May 1940. Nazi Germany launches its Blitzkrieg across Western Europe, crushing France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in a matter of weeks. As Paris falls and France surrenders, a new reality takes hold—one of occupation, fear, and collaboration.
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British Traitor Theodore Schurch: Fas...
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