Thread by @phlerp

OTD 1945 🇩🇰 resistance disarmed the occupiers. The 🇩🇰 Brigade consisting of 5000 soldiers trained in 🇸🇪 was shipped from Helsingborg eager to participate in the liberation of their country. Less known, Sweden planned a full scale invasion of Denmark. Here is a 🧵 about it. 1/13

The 🇩🇰 Brigade was established in 🇸🇪 in November 1943 and consisted of 🇩🇰 refugees with or without military background. They were trained in 🇸🇪 and equipped for a liberation operation "when the time is right". 2/13

To their disappointment they were to late to actually liberate 🇩🇰, but were still received as heroes. Had the occupiers not surrendered there was a plan B:
Operation Save Denmark
3/13

Among the refugees receiving military training in 🇸🇪 where a number of pilots that were place two by two in different 🇸🇪 flight units and were eventually trained on the Swedish bomber aircraft SAAB B17. 4/13

In the morning of May 5 1945, 8 🇩🇰 pilots and 8 🇩🇰 engineers stood in front of with their B17 aircrafts, ready to fly towards Copenhagen. Had the occupiers not surrendered there was a plan B: Operation Save Denmark 4/13

After the German defeats in both North Africa and Russia in the winter of 1942-1943, the 🇸🇪 defence staff began contemplate a German defeat and thus a breakdown in Denmark. There were also a fear of a Soviet expansion into 🇩🇰 5/13

As early as during the summer of 1944 landing exercises was undertaken on the west coast of Skåne. The plan was to have 🇸🇪 forces (together with the Danish Brigade trained in Sweden) land in occupied Denmark during the first half of 1945. 6/13

The operation involved 3rd army corps consisting of two divisions, 7th motorized brigade and the 8th armoured brigade as well as numerous independent units such as the Danish Brigade with nearly 5000 men. In total the force would have been 60000 men with 6000 vehicles 7/13

For the landings 1158 troop transport vessels, most of them small, would be used together with 100 naval vessels. 13 🇩🇰 naval vessels that were held in Karlskrona would also participate. 8/13

On May 4 the 🇸🇪 Chief of Staff communicated that the operation was ready. If the order were given around May 5 the invasion would have take place around May 18. It would have begun with a coup like attack against the Helsingør harbour. 9/13

Further landings would then have been made on Sjælland and Bornholm with emphasis on numerical superiority. 10/13

To perform the actual landing 🇸🇪naval units began to gather during April 1945. Along the west coast of Skåne, coastal artillery were placed for supporting fire. Most of the Swedish air force was based in southern Sweden to support the invasion. 11/13

The magnitude of this operation would have been such that it would not have be possible to enter 🇳🇴 at the same time. Such plans had existed since 1941, but that is a totally different thread. 12/13

In the end the German forces in Denmark surrendered before the plan was executed. 13/13