Hvidsten group was a Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 resistance group during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Its name stems from an inn called Hvidsten Kro between Randers

Randers

Randers is a city in Randers municipality on the Jutland peninsula in central Denmark. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 60,656 . Randers city is the main town of the municipality and the site of its municipal council.-Overview:Randers municipality has 94,750 inhabitants...

 and Mariager

Mariager

Mariager is a town in central Denmark with a population of 2,555 , located in Mariagerfjord municipality in Region Nordjylland in Jutland.-External links:**...

 in Jutland

Jutland

Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...

 where it was formed. It started in 1943 and existed until 1944 when its members were arrested by the Gestapo

Gestapo

The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...

. The identity of its members had been revealed by a captured British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 agent who under torture had revealed what he knew about the group. The group was arrested on March 11, 1944 and on June 26, 1944, eight of its members were sentenced to death and executed on June 29, 1944.

Rough translation of the full inscription on the Memorial stone reads:

"Deed for Denmark brought this day.

Bravely acted, true until death.

Let light shine in the red of morning,

They gave their lives for Denmark's cause.


S. P. KRISTENSEN * 20. 8. 1887

ALBERT IVERSEN * 28. 9. 1896

NIELS N. KJÆR * 2. 4. 1903

JOH KJÆR HANSEN * 2. 4. 1907

HENNING ANDERSEN * 16. 7. 1917

MARIUS FIIL

Marius Fiil

Marius Pedersen Fiil is remembered for the part he played in the Danish resistance movement during the German occupation of Denmark in the Second World War.Fiil was the owner of the Hvidsten Inn in the north of Jutland...

 * 21. 6. 1893

PETER SØRENSEN * 8. 6. 1919

NIELS FIIL * 12. 6. 1920


1944 on the 29th of June

They fell before German bullets

Precious is their memory to Denmark


Erected in the year 1945"
The group was responsible for receiving weapons and explosives dropped by the British over Denmark to be distributed to resistance groups like BOPA

BOPA

BOPA was a group of the Danish resistance movement operating at the time of the occupation of Denmark by Nazi Germany during the Second World War....

 and Holger Danske

Holger Danske (resistance group)

Holger Danske was a Danish resistance group during World War II. It was created by veteran volunteers from the Winter War who had fought on the Finnish side against the Soviet Union. It was among the largest resistance groups and consisted of around 350 volunteers towards the end of the war...

. These air drops were announced using secret code disguised as "greetings" by the British at the end of the special BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 news broadcasts to Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

during the war.