Nikita Klæstrup

On April 9, 1940 German troops rolled over the Danish border as part of Operation Weserübung, which immediately became the beginning of the infamous and much debated collaboration between Nazi Germany and the Danish Government. Whilst most of the Danish population did not approve of the collaboration, many saw little reason to fight, or did not begin doing so until after the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was breached in 1941, whereafter communists joined the fight.
KU's young conservatives were therefore among the first to pick up any real resistance, viewing the collaboration policy led by the government as national treason committed by the Social Democrats and the Danish Social Liberal Party, the two parties in government which had disarmed Denmark in the preceding years from being the heaviest armed country in Europe to one of the least militarized in the late 30's.
A young conservative, Arne Sejr, wrote 'Danskerens regler' (The Rules of the Dane) on the very day of the invasion, and instigated civil disobedience and sabotage of Nazi rule. As the war went on, thousands of members of KU began committing illegal sabotage, writing illegal papers and employing guerilla tactics. Typically the recruitment of freedom fighters took place in 'terrænsportsforeninger' (terrain sport clubs) which were legal gymnastics clubs that arranged orienteering, but also functioned as a cover for recruitment and training camps, employing military-like training exercises. To this day KUs legendary 'Konsulent Kursus' (KK) (Consultant Course) exists, which albeit in a moderated form works in a similar way, and each year attracts young conservatives who go through a selection procedure.
Due to the chaotic period, it is unfortunately impossible to state the exact number of casualties, but more than 50 KU members are believed to have given their life in a fight for a free Denmark - more than any other youth organisation during the resistance. Bjarne Reuter, a popular and much appraised Danish author, has written the bestseller The Boys from St. Petri (Drengene fra Skt. Petri), a story of a group of young boys who form a resistance group and repeatedly sabotage and destroy Nazi installations until they are finally caught and sent to a concentration camp. The Boys from St. Petri is in fact the dramatization of the true story of 'Aalborg KU', and their resistance fight.