The Arvid Elstoft Collection - Documents of the underground resistance movements in Denmark in WWII
Extent and Medium
25 files
Biographical History
The Danish resistance movement against the German occupation slowly developed from nonviolent resistance in 1940 to violent resistance from1943 until the liberation in May 1945. It consisted of various groups and individuals from Christian to communist orientation. They produced and distributed illegal newspapers and propaganda material, committed acts of military and industrial sabotage and attacked individuals and military units. Well-known organizations were: Frit Danmark, Dansk Samling, de Frie Danske, Danmarks Kommunistiske Parti, Holger Danske, Borgelige Partisaner (BOPA) and Ringen.
Scope and Content
Content of the folders:
- Forged personal documents, illegal newspapers of the various underground movements, illegal flyers and pamphlets, brochures and propaganda material, lists of various underground publications.
- Letter answering condolences by Lise Munk, hectographed lists of underground publications of the "Frit Nordisk Forlag", flyers with news concerning resistance activities, printed material with instructions on street fighting, essay by Kaj Munk on the objectives of the underground, Poems, songs and a drawing "Liberté mort".
- Propaganda material: satirical post cards, cartoons, stickers, song books. Newspaper clippings with news about the resistance in Denmark and the war in Germany.Instructions for civil disobedience and non-violent resistance masked as Nazi-documents, cigarette papers etc. 3a. –23. Hectographed and printed copies of Danish underground newspapers, journals and news sevices 1943 - 1947.
- Danish, Norwegian and Swedish underground and resistance movement newspapers, journals and brochures, English and American journals, Nazi propaganda printings, 1943 - 1945.
Finding Aids
Description of the files are available on IDEA ALM system at Yad Vashem Archives reading room
Existence and Location of Originals
YV archives
Archivist Note
JL according to the RG description in the YV system
Rules and Conventions
EHRI Guidelines for Description v.1.0
Dates of Descriptions
2014-05-26