Activity: Joined the German Waffen SS and later became a member of the Peter Group
Cause of death: Executed during the legal purge.

Henning Brøndum was not a villain from another world – he was a young Danish man with a conviction that can be hard to understand today. Because what really drives a person to choose their nation’s enemy?

1.

From eager supporter to SS soldier

Long before the occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, Henning Brøndum is drawn to the National Socialist ideology. When Denmark surrenders without any notable resistance, he feels ashamed – not of the occupying power, but of his fellow countrymen. In the spring of 1941, he volunteers for the German Waffen SS and travels to the Eastern Front to fight against the Soviet Union.

2.

Thrilled by the war

The Eastern Front appeals to Henning Brøndum. It is as if the sun is warmer and the earth smells better when he has taken part in an attack on the Russians. He is filled with an intense feeling of well-being and joy at being alive, a feeling he will not experience again anywhere other than in the Soviet Union.

3.

145 dead compatriots

When Henning Brøndum returns home from the Eastern Front, he joins the notorious Danish-German terror group known as the Peter Group. The group is responsible for the so-called reprisal killings – executions of innocent Danes – and blows up buildings and infrastructure to spread fear and terror. In total, the Peter Group has 145 human lives on its conscience.