us-005578-irn521519-irn521521
type: RecordSet
has beginning date: 1940-01-01
has end date: 1992-12-31
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had identifier: 3
has or had identifier: 2
has or had some members with language: dan
has or had some members with language: deu
has or had some members with language: eng
has or had some members with language: swe
has or had subject: 701
has record set type: Item
history: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
history: Knud Dyring Olsen (later Knud Dyby, 1915-2011) was born in Vorup, Denmark, and raised in Randers. Knud’s father was a typographer and ran his own printing and advertising shop. Knud’s mother was a homemaker, and he had one younger brother. The Olsen family were part of a traditional community and valued strong morals, though they were not particularly religious. After finishing school, Knud became an apprentice at his father’s print shop. In his free time, Knud became a skilled sailor, piloting his small sailboat around local waters. When Knud turned 18, he reported to the Danish military to serve his compulsory year in the army or navy. During his initial review, he was selected as one of two men from his county to serve in the guard regiment for King Christian X. Knud served in the King’s guard for one year before returning to his position at the printshop. In 1938, when Germany invaded the Sudetenland (a northern region of Czechoslovakia), Knud and many others were called back to military service to ensure the Danish military was at full strength. Eventually, he returned to the printing trade, though there was less and less work for him because access to paper dwindled as Germany continued to spread its influence in Europe. In September 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union started World War II (1939-1945) by invading Poland. Germany invaded Denmark on April 9, 1940, but allowed the Danish government to remain in control and signed a non-aggression treaty. This shift resulted in even less work for Knud, so when the Danish State offered former royal guardsmen positions in the Danish police force he joined eagerly. He briefly attended the police academy before being assigned to a station in Copenhagen. Many Danish people, including Knud, did not enjoy living in an occupied country, and a robust resistance and sabotage network developed throughout the nation, especially in Copenhagen. Even while serving as a police officer, Knud would support resistance efforts as ofte…
identifier: irn521521
is or was included in: us-005578-irn521519
record resource extent: boxes oversize folders 2 6
record resource structure: The Knud Dyby papers are arranged as seven series: I. Correspondence, approximately 1944-1986, II. Personal narratives, 1984-1992, III. Photocopied records, approximately 1989, IV. Photographs, approximately 1945, V. Printed materials, 1943-1985, VI. Resistance materials, approximately 1940-1945, VII. Subject files, approximately 1944-1989
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: The Knud Dyby papers consist of correspondence, personal narratives, photocopied records, photographs, printed materials, resistance materials, and subject files documenting the German occupation of Denmark and Knud Dyby’s involvement in resistance work including rescuing Danish Jews and transmitting information. Correspondence includes notes and translations documenting Knud Dyby’s resistance work during the war and include a letter from journalist Leif Hendil, a letter from Dwight D. Eisenhower about Brotherhood Week, and Dyby’s own letter advocating for the collection and display of visual evidence documenting the rescue of Jews during the Holocaust. Personal narratives include Knud Dyby’s memoir, Short Stories from a Long Life, his expression of gratitude for the recognition he received as a rescuer, and a vignette about smuggling an American pilot out of Denmark. This series also includes a copy of Frank Meissner’s narrative about his Youth Aliyah work in Denmark from 1939 to 1943 and being smuggled to Sweden on a fishing boat in October 1943. Photocopied records duplicate unknown source material including records documenting the German occupation of Denmark, Danish resistance, Knud Dyby, and antisemitism and Holocaust denial. Photocopied records documenting the German occupation of Denmark include correspondence, warnings, and regulations from the Danish Commerce Department, Justice Department, Police Commissioners, Nazi party, and the police in Malmö; reports about the Frikorps Danmark, Waffen SS, Sicherheitsdienst, and SS‐Sonder‐Kommando Danemark. Photocopied records documenting Danish resistance include calls for anti‐Nazi action, narratives about Jewish deportations and escapes, articles about Danish resistance and Jewish rescue, and lists of collaborators. Photocopies of letters and articles document Knud Dyby’s participation in Danish resistance and Jewish rescue. This series also includes photocopied articles and brochures propagating antisemitism and H…
title: Knud Dyby papers