Henning sowed terror and fear

The Danish Nazi, Henning Brøndum, was part of the infamous Peter group. He is one of the five main characters you can get acquainted with at the Museum of Danish Resistance.

The sun seemed brighter and the earth seemed to have a sweeter scent after Henning Brøndum had been involved in an attack against the Russians.

He was filled with an intense feeling of contentment and sheer joy of being alive; he did not experience this anywhere else, except in Russia.

The Danish Nazi Henning Brøndum joined the German Waffen SS in the spring of 1941 and travelled to the Eastern Front to fight against the Russians.

Even before Denmark was occupied by Hitler's Germany on 9 April 1940, Henning Brøndum was fascinated by the National Socialist ideology. He was deeply ashamed when Denmark failed to adequately defend their borders against the German occupation forces. It confirmed to him that Danes were not ready to understand the National Socialist idea.

“I always thought that the National Socialist idea would need to take root in the people before it would in the state. The events surrounding 9 April showed me that the Danish population was not mature enough to understand the idea. Instead of helping to influence the nation from the inside, I now want to join the external efforts,” he wrote in his motivation letter to be an active Nazi.

From the Eastern Front to clearing murders in Denmark

After Henning Brøndum came back from the Eastern Front, he was part of the infamous Peter group, which among other things killed innocent Danes - the so-called clearing murders. He also blew up buildings and infrastructure. All with the purpose of creating fear and terror among the population.

The Peter group ended up with a tally of 145 lives on their conscience.

But what made a young man like Henning join the German side and kill his fellow countrymen? And what happened next in Henning’s story? At the Museum of Danish Resistance, you can delve into Henning Brøndum’s story and in the fateful choices he made.