Bent Faurschou Hviid (7 January 1921 – 18 October 1944) was a member of the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

resistance group

Holger Danske Holger may refer to: People * Holger (given name), includes name origin, plus people with the name * Hilde Holger, stage name of dancer, choreographer and dance teacher Hilde Boman-Behram (née Hilde Sofer, 1905–2001) Fictional characters * Holg ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was quickly named "Flammen" (meaning "The Flame"), for his red hair. In 1951, he and his Resistance partner

Jørgen Haagen Schmith Jørgen Haagen Schmith, also spelled Jørgen Haagen Schmidt (18 December 1910 – 15 October 1944), known during the war by the codename ), was a renowned fighter in the Danish resistance movement during the German Occupation of Denmark (1940� ...

(Citron, or ''Citronen'' in Danish), were posthumously awarded the United States

Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merito ...

by President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. According to several colleagues from the

, no other resistance member was as hated or sought by the Germans as was Faurschou Hviid.

Gunnar Dyrberg Gunnar Dyrberg (12 November 1921 Faaborg – 8 January 2012) was a member of the Danish Danish resistance movement, resistance movement during World War II, leading the Holger Danske (resistance group), Holger Danske, a Danish resistance group in ...

, leader of the Holger Danske from 1943 through 1945, said in the 2003 Danish documentary film, '' With a Right to Kill'' (''Med ret til at dræbe''), that no one knows exactly how many executions The Flame performed, but he was rumoured to have killed 22 persons. The film explored the issues of the estimated 400 executions performed by the Resistance agents.

Early life

Bent Faurschou Hviid was born in 1921 in , Denmark, on the island of

Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...

to Marie Louise Larsen and Wilhelm Faurschou Hviid. His father was the owner of Asserbo's Birkegården Hotel. He also had a sister, Marie-Louise Swanstrøm and a brother Jan Faurschou Hviid.

World War II

Faurschou Hviid came of age during the war, and was 20 when the Germans occupied Denmark. He entered the

resistance group in Copenhagen. He was assigned to kill Danish Nazi officials and collaborators. "Flammen" regularly partnered with "Citronen" whose real name was

. "Citronen" means "the lemon". Schmith got this nickname because he sabotaged a Citroën garage, destroying six German cars and a tank. He generally drove for Flammen, who executed their given targets. Together, Flammen and Citronen formed the most famous resistance duo in Denmark during World War II. The Germans put the highest bounty on Flammen's head that they offered for any Resistance fighter. According to

, leader of the Holger Danske from 1943 to 1945, who spoke in the Danish documentary film '' With a Right to Kill'' (''Med ret til at dræbe'', 2003), Flammen was believed to have executed 22 persons. The film was based on the book ''Efter drabet'' (''Following the Death,'' 2001) by journalist , who also co-wrote the screenplay.

Death

On 18 October 1944, Faurschou Hviid was having dinner with his landlady and some guests when someone knocked at the door and a German officer demanded entry. Faurschou Hviid, who was unarmed that evening, quickly went upstairs seeking to escape across the roof. He soon realised that the house was completely surrounded. With no escape possible, he chewed a cyanide capsule and was dead a few seconds later. The witnesses later told of how they could hear the German soldiers upstairs cheering at the sight of the corpse. The soldiers dragged Faurschou Hviid downstairs feet first, repeatedly causing his head to bang against the stairs.

Legacy

* In 1951, Faurschou Hviid and his colleague Jørgen Haagen Schmith were presented, posthumously, with the US

by President

. * The Danish documentary film, '' With a Right to Kill'' (''Med ret til at dræbe'', 2003), explored some of the ambiguity related to decisions about liquidating targets, and suggested that Flammen may have been directed by a double agent in some of his executions.Clement Maier, ''Making Memories: The Politics of in Postwar Norway and Denmark'', pp. 269-272, 2007 thesis at European University Institute, accessed 2 June 2014 (This moral complexity was reflected in the 2008 drama discussed below.) * In 2008, Faurschou Hviid and Schmith were memorialized by one of the most expensive Danish films premiered to date (). The title was ''

Flame & Citron ''Flame & Citron'' ( da, Flammen & Citronen) is a 2008 historical drama film co-written and directed by the Danish director Ole Christian Madsen. The film, a fictionalized account based on historical events, stars Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelse ...

'', and the film was successful in terms of box office receipts. Faurschou Hviid is played by

Thure Lindhardt Thure Frank Lindhardt (; born 24 December 1974) is a Danish actor, educated at the drama school at Odense Theatre in 1998. Life and career Lindhardt was born in Copenhagen, and grew up in Roskilde. At the age of 12, he got a part in Bille Augu ...

and Schmith by

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. Originally a gymnast and dancer, he rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Det ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hviid, Bent Faurschou 1921 births 1944 deaths 1944 suicides Danish resistance members Recipients of the Medal of Freedom Suicides by cyanide poisoning Drug-related suicides in Denmark Holger Danske resistance group