Christian Ulrik Hansen

Christian Ulrik Hansen (born May 26, 1921 in Farsø ; † June 23, 1944 in Ryvangen , district of Hellerup ) was a Danish resistance fighter against National Socialism and the German occupation forces.

School and study

Born as the first child of the farmer Arthur Henning Hansen (1879–1960) and his wife Kristine Marie, née Nielsen, he had three siblings: Anneliese, Hans and Bent. From 1938 pupil in Viborg at the cathedral school = Viborg Katedralskole , in autumn 1942 matriculation for theology at the University of Aarhus , at the same time joining the armed Danish resistance . His religious motives for the resistance lead to close cooperation with the national Christian party Dansk Samling .

During his studies he was called up for military service, did this until the dissolution of the Danish army on August 29, 1943, was interned until October 1943 and then only worked underground.

Resistance and Arrest

From August 1942 he belonged to various resistance groups, eventually founded his own group and from October 1943 became group leader of group number 4 in Region 1 North Jutland of the illegal resistance organization Holger Danske . In this role, he organized communication between the resistance groups, led military and industrial sabotage operations through to the targeted killing of collaborators and traitors. Most recently, his job was to receive, hide and distribute explosives, ammunition and weapons dropped by British planes.

Arrest and Execution

Since several members of his group had been arrested in Jutland, he drove from Copenhagen to Aalborg to help them and to retrieve dropped containers. The Holger Danske group had already been infiltrated by the Gestapo , they arrested him on February 29, 1944 at the train station in Aalborg and took him to the western prison = Vestre Fængsel in Copenhagen. There the court martial sentenced him to death on June 20, 1944. After his pardon was rejected, he was tied to a stake at dawn on June 23, 1944 at the shooting range of Svanemøllens barracks in Hellerup and shot dead. The German troops capitulated on May 5, 1945.

On August 29, 1945, Hansen and 105 other occupation victims were buried in the memorial grove at the execution site in Ryvangen . Bishop Hans Fuglsang-Damgaard led the service with the participation of the royal family, the government and representatives of the resistance movement.

Memorials

Gravestone in the memorial grove in Ryvangen , Hellerup, Tuborgsvej 33.

Memorial in Farsø for Hansen and his friend and fellow campaigner Per Sonne , also from Farsø and shot dead by the Gestapo on August 9, 1944, Mindelunden i Søanlægget = memorial in the lake, behind the church.

Commemorative plaque with a quote from his farewell letter and a short biography in several languages at the Monumento alla Resistenza europea in Como.

literature

Lettere di condannati a morte della Resistenza Europea , edited by Piero Malvezzi and Giovanni Pirelli, publisher: Giulio Einaudi, Turin 1954, German: Last letters to death condemned , publisher: dtv, Munich 1962, page 49-57: Chronology of the Danish resistance with Background information on the German punitive actions, pages 52–57: Short biography and three letters.
Elith Olesen: Jeg har levet mit liv i lyset: Christian Ulrik Hansen, 1921-1944, bondesøn, student, soldat, frihedskæmper , Verlag Poul Kristensen, Herning 2001, a biography.
Alfred Saabye: Himmerlands Søn. En skildring af Chr. U. Hansens Liv , Løgstør Bogtrykkeri, Løgstør 1946.

Web links

Commons : Christian Ulrik Hansen - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Short biography and picture of the grave slab on the Danish website Kendtes Grabsted .
Extensive database on Hansen on the modstand website of the Frihedsmuseet , part of the National Museum .

Remarks

↑ We lived under the Danebrog - the peace sign of the cross on the color of blood. We want to die under it too . Quotation from his farewell letter to the friends, see Literature: Lettere di condannati, page 53.
^ The illegal resistance newspaper Frit Danmark reported on his execution in the January 1945 issue. Frit Danmark, 3rd volume, number 9, January 1945, page 9: June: ... 23. 8 Frihedskæmpere henrettet (stud. Theol. Chr. U. Hansen ...) , on the Danish website Illegal Presse .

personal data
SURNAME	Hansen, Christian Ulrik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Danish resistance fighter against National Socialism
DATE OF BIRTH	May 26, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH	Farsø
DATE OF DEATH	June 23, 1944
Place of death	Ryvangen

[1] We lived under the Danebrog - the peace sign of the cross on the color of blood. We want to die under it too . Quotation from his farewell letter to the friends, see Literature: Lettere di condannati, page 53.

[2] The illegal resistance newspaper Frit Danmark reported on his execution in the January 1945 issue. Frit Danmark, 3rd volume, number 9, January 1945, page 9: June: ... 23. 8 Frihedskæmpere henrettet (stud. Theol. Chr. U. Hansen ...) , on the Danish website Illegal Presse .