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Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club

  • Knud Pedersen was born in 1925

    Knud Pedersen was born in 1925
    Knud Pedersen was born in Grena, Denmark
  • Period: to

    Nazi party and Hitler came to power in Germany

    Nazi party and Hitler came to power in Germany, soon to become a military group in WW2
  • Denmark is captured by Nazis

    Denmark is captured by Nazis
    Nazi troops invade Denmark in an operation called Operation Wessenburg
  • Beginings of the Churchill Club

    Beginings of the Churchill Club
    Knud started a resistance group called the Churchill club, named after the Prime Minister of Britian, Winston Churchill. The group was started after meeting with friends that also didn't like the way their country was "giving in" to Nazi Germany.
  • Defiled

    Defiled
    The Churchill club went out and started painting "vaernemager" or "war profiteer" in blue paint on the offices and homes of known Danish Nazi sympathers.
  • Churchill Club symbol

    Churchill Club symbol
    The Churchill Club insignia was an immitation of the Nazi Swastika. It was blue and had arrows shooting out of each line. The symbol stood for "Flames of rebellion to kill Nazis!"
  • Nazi occupation of Denmark

    Nazi occupation of Denmark
    Denmark was at it's second year of occupation by the Nazis. The Danish people expressed their opposition by wearing symbols of national pride. Kings badges were a symbol of solidarity with the Danish government.
  • The Churchill Club grows

    The Churchill Club grows
    The Churchill club grows to 20 members. Members went to great lengths to keep the club a secret from family.
  • Stolen weapons

    Stolen weapons
    The Churchill club started stealing weapons from the German soliders. They didn't know how to use the weapons, but keot on taking them so the soldiers wouldn't have them.
  • Nibe offensive

    Nibe offensive
    The churchill club decided to attack a German outpost, but then decided against it because they aren't murderers.
  • Aalborg railroad explosion

    Aalborg railroad explosion
    The Churchill club made explosives out of stolen Nazi weapons. They decided to blow up the Aalborg railroad yard which was the Nazi base in Aalborg. The rail car they blew up contained air plane wings. The Danish firemen were slow to help the Germans put out the fire because they were afraid of more explosions.
  • Arrested

    Arrested
    Members of the Churchill club have been followed and then arrested. They had been arrested for stealing German soldier's weapons.
  • Students Walkout

    Students Walkout
    The students at Cathederal School are walking with their classmates in solidarity with their jailed classmates.
  • Trial

    Trial
    The Churchill gang went to trail and were sentenced depending on age. Knud was sentenced for 3 years in Nyborg State Prison.
  • Churchill gang continues attacks

    Churchill gang continues attacks
    Members of the Churchill gang would escape prision at night and attack German military cars. The boys escaped 19 nights in a row before they were caught.
  • School continues

    School continues
    Knud gets a teacher in jail. The teacher's name was Mr. Worsae and he encouraged Knud's interest in art, and was really nice to him
  • Danish strike and Germans take over government

    Danish strike and Germans take over government
    Danish people begin to strike. Danish workers want higher wages, people in 33 towns stop working. Germans prohibit public meetings and gathers after dark. Germany takes over the government putting troops at railroad stations, power plants, factories, and prisions.
  • Release

    Release
    Knud and his brother are released from jail, they try to go back to a normal life, but Knud rejoins the resistance.
  • Joining the SOE

    Joining the SOE
    Knud went back to school and Joined The S.O.E or the Special Operations Executive, a British group that worked with European resistance groups. became the leader of K company and his job was to move ammo, weapons, and explosives to hiding place from hiding place so that the Germans would not detect them
  • Germany Surrenders

    Germany Surrenders
    5 years of German occupation was over. The Danish people laughed cried, sang and danced in the streets.
  • collaborators arrested

    collaborators arrested
    15000 collaborators were arrested and tried in Danish courts, 13,521 were found guilty, 46 were executed,
  • Churchill meets the Churchill Club

    Churchill meets the Churchill Club
    Churchill Cub meets with Winston Churchill at a dinner in their honnor. Winston Churchill was moved by the story of how they had formed and what they had done to help.
  • Knud's love of art

    Knud's love of art
    Knud founded the first art library in the world in Copenhagen. He felt art should be available to all people, rich or poor . People could check out art like library books.
  • Death

    Death
    Knud pedersen died and was buried in Copenhagen with other Danish heroes like Hans Christen Andersen