1. The History of WWII and the occupation of Denmark
A timeline of events explaining the history in which Number the Stars is taking place.
© 2010 by Lucy Calkins, from Units of Study for Teaching Reading: A Curriculum for the Reading Workshop, Grades 3-5
(Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann). This page may be reproduced for classroom use only.

2. Map of Denmark

3. World War II (WWII)
World War II was a massive war that involved 61 countries around the world. The lives of most, if not all, citizens of these countries were changed by the war. Around 50 million people died in the war, and around 100 million more were injured.

4. WWII-Treaty of Versailles
In 1918, after World War I was over, Germany signed a treaty with other countries called the Treaty of Versailles. As part of this treaty, Germany was required to give up land. It was also not allowed to have a military. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became the leader of Germany. His political party was called the Nazi Party. He told the German people that he would make Germany a powerful country again, and he began to build up the military and to make plans to get more land for Germany, even though doing these things went against the Treaty of Versailles.

5. WWII (continued)
In 1939, Germany invaded Poland. After this, England declared war on Germany. Japan and Italy sided with Germany. These countries called themselves The Axis. The United States, France, The Soviet Union, and others aligned with England and were known as The Allies. Battles raged throughout Europe and Asia during the next six years. Some battles were fought in Africa and the Americas as well. During the war, about 50 million people died, more than any other war in history.

6. Holocaust Overview
The Holocaust was the planned killing of Jews and others during World War II (1939–1945). By the end of the war, about 6 million Jews had been killed. The word Holocaust means “a sacrificial offering that is burned.”

7. In the Beginning…
After WWII began, Germany’s powerful army began invading many countries. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, the group in power in Germany, believed Jews to be a weaker race of people. Hitler wanted to kill all of the Jews as part of his plan to conquer the world.
The Nazis began to move the Jews to ghettos—small, crowded, run-down areas in cities. Many of the Jews’ rights were taken away, such as the rights to vote, to hold a job, to own a home, and to go to school. The Germans called their policy of isolating and eventually killing the Jews “The Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.” This policy called for the murder of every Jew under German rule.

8. Concentration Camps
In 1942, the Nazis started sending Jews to concentration camps. Jews who were strong were sent to work long hours in cruel conditions. Those who could not work were sent to be killed.
The Nazis tried to keep what they were doing as secret as possible. Many Jews did not know they were being brought to concentration camps to be killed. Some Jews, such as the 60,000 who lived in the Warsaw ghetto in Poland, revolted. They fought for about four weeks and then were captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp.

9. German Occupation of Denmark
German troops entered Denmark on April 9, There were about 7,500 Jews living in Denmark at the time, with most of them living in the country’s capital, Copenhagen. The Germans allowed the Danish government to stay in place. The Danish government continued to have control over the justice system and police force, and the Germans took over Denmark’s relations with other countries.
The Germans decided to ignore the Jewish population in Denmark at first because there weren’t many Jews in the country and many non-Jewish Danish citizens gave the Jews their support. Other European countries made laws taking away the Jewish people’s rights. In these countries, Jews weren’t allowed to vote, run businesses, or go to school. Many had to give up their homes and wear something to identify themselves as Jewish, such as a star of David. However, this wasn’t the case in Denmark. The Danish government allowed Jews to live mostly as they had been living before the German occupation.

10. From Bad to Worse…
In 1943, things in Denmark changed for the Jews. Because the Allied forces (the United States, England, and the Soviet Union) were having more victories over the Germans, the Danish people began to believe the Germans would soon be defeated, and they began to revolt. The Germans demanded that the Danish government punish those who were revolting, but the Danish government refused. The Danish government resigned, and the Germans took control of the military and police forces.

11. The Jews go into Hiding
On September 8, 1943, General Best, a German commander stationed in Denmark, suggested to Adolf Hitler that Jews be removed from Denmark and sent to concentration camps. Hitler approved the suggestion and preparations were begun to move Jews out of Denmark.
However, a few days later General Best regretted this decision. He told a German naval officer of the plans, who alerted non-Jewish Danish citizens of the plan. These citizens warned the Jewish community. Danish citizens worked together to get Jews into hiding. When the Germans began trying to round up the Jews, the Danish police refused to cooperate. The Germans did not find many Jews.

12. The Hiding of the Jews
Over the next month, Danish citizens helped to move Jews out of Denmark to Sweden, where they would be saved. About 7,200 Jews were moved out of Denmark into safety.

13. WWII-Ending the War
In 1945, Germany surrendered. This day was known as VE Day (Victory in Europe). The United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, which led to Japan surrendering later that year on VJ Day (Victory in Japan). The war was officially over on September 2, After the war, representatives from 50 countries met in San Francisco to discuss how to keep peace in the world. During this meeting the United Nations was formed. The United Nations is a group of countries dedicated to solving conflicts using peaceful measures.

14. Post-War
During the war, millions of Jews were moved out of their own country and into another as they were sent to the camps. After the war was over, many of these Jews had no place to go. The leaders of the Allied countries who won the war found a place for these Jews in Palestine, in the Middle East. That country is now Israel.
Adolf Hitler committed suicide in The Nazi leaders who were still living were put on trial by other world leaders. They were charged with war crimes and received various punishments, from a life sentence in prison to the death sentence.