9. april

This is my first IMDb review. I thought i'd make an effort - because i think this movie deserves a lot more than the 6.8 score it got.

This is a small budget ,non-bombastic ,non-hollywood movie. YET , it managed to capture the eeriness and horror of the first day of WWII for Danmark in a very vivid and realistic way.

All the actors play very well. The photography is very precise and professional. And the events are based on true stories.

what's not to like ? I think its a must watch for true WWII enthusiasts- who'd like to get a new perspective on the northern European theatre of war.

I am an Englishman who lives in Denmark with a great interest in military history generally. This film captures extremely well the first 6 hours of the German invasion. I found it accurate, well made and well acted. A simple, straightforward story well told.

The Danes surrendered after 6 hours.The Germans lost 101 men killed or wounded. The Danes lost 26 killed and 23 wounded. The Danes didn't have a chance. It is true that, during the war, the Germans recruited SS units from Denmark, these were chiefly from Southern Jutland which had been a part of Germany from 1864 until 1920 and had extremely strong German family connections and Germanic culture.

I know a little about April 9th 1940 and the following days in Norway, since I am a Norwegian. But I knew little about what happened in our sister country in the south. We both suffered from ignorant governments that refused to see the reality, even when thrown in their eyes. The Norwegian government managed to flee to England. The Danish did not. This movie is about the average person, serving as a solider, who is drawn into a war before the government realizes there is a war. This movie is about soldiers fighting, without knowing that they have already lost. And this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. The story-telling, the acting, the filming, ... If you like historical war movies, this is a must-see.

I have to say that I'm very impressed with this movie. I had always assumed that the Danes were German sympathizers and did not put up an effective response to the German Invasion. This is definitely not so! Our little Bicycle platoon of Brave Danish Warriors, definitely gave the Huns a run for their money.

In the movie, the Machine gunners are instructed to target the armored vehicles. I really couldn't understand why until I read this...

"The German high command tried to present the attack on Denmark as a peaceful invasion in an attempt to score propaganda points, so German losses were never released. They succeeded in this, and most of the world believed Denmark did not put up any resistance against the invasion.[37]

However, in 2005, the archives of the Danish weapons manufacturer DISA ('Danish Industrial Syndicate') were opened. DISA produced the Danish 20 mm cannon that took out (relatively) many German vehicles. The Germans were naturally very interested in this weapon and had forced the syndicate to export them to Germany. And in selling them to the German army, they got their best argument from the Germans themselves: they told the company that 203 soldiers had been killed or wounded by the guns in Jutland.[38]"

There are many things to like about this film but foremost among them for me is the insight into the experience of the invaded. Here in the U.S., we never faced any real threat of invasion during the second world war. In Europe, it was a sudden and brutal reality for numerous nations. This film captures the emotions of those charged with defending their homeland against the Nazi juggernaut; their bravery and fear in the face of futility. The cinematography, acting and direction are superb. It is difficult to comment on the script in a foreign film but I'll just say the translation and subtitles are well done. For militaria buffs, this is perhaps the best depiction I have seen of bolt action rifle warfare. Very close quarters. No semi-autos to be seen. I am stingy with my ratings but tempted to make this a nine star. This movie is well worth the time spent to watch it. Two thumbs up from me.