Hedda Lundh (1921–2012) was a Danish journalist and schoolteacher who, under the

German occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself neutral. For most of the war, the country was a protectorate and then an occupied territory of Germany. The decision to occupy Denmark was taken in Berlin on 17 December ...

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 ...

, was a Danish

resistance fighter A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

. Based at the time in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, she is remembered as a railway saboteur, explosives expert and courier in the resistance movement.

Early life

Born on 29 September 1921 in

Korsør Korsør is a town on Zealand, Denmark. It is located in Slagelse Municipality. Until 2007 Korsør was the seat of Korsør Municipality. The town is located west of Slagelse, north-west of Skælskør and connects to Nyborg through the Great Bel ...

, Hedda Lundh was the daughter of the newspaper editor Theodor Lundh-Jensen (1884–1952) and Alpha Tusnelda Emilie Winckler (1887–1973). The youngest of three sisters, she was brought up in a middle-class home where her father called her his "boy" as she climbed trees, joined the scouts and cut her hair short. She completed her secondary school education at Aurehøj Gymnasium, matriculating in 1940, a few months after the German troops arrived. She then began to study literature at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. On 28 December 1940, she married Carl-Einar Maaløe. When her husband began to work in Aarhus in 1942, she continued her studies at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

Resistance work

It was in Aarhus that she joined an independent group of students under Morten Ruge who carried out sabotage work on the railways. They later joined the official Aarhus resistance movement under the leadership of Willy Samsing. Lundh became so proficient in handling explosives that she was sent to train other resistance members. There were also other women in Lundh's group, all helping to distribute weapons and explosives parachuted in by the British, sending them to resistance groups throughout Denmark. Lundh also acted as a telephone contact, forming part of a network of resistance workers whose addresses were kept secret from each other. In June 1944, the two groups Lundh had been involved in were discovered by the

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

. Most of the male members were sent to concentration camps in Germany while the women were imprisoned near

Padborg Padborg (german: Pattburg) is a southern Danish border town with a population of 4,311 (1 January 2022)Danish Brigade but, as a woman, Lundh was not allowed to join.

Post-war career

After the war, Lundh continued her studies, graduating with an MA in literature in 1952. From 1949 to 1960, based mainly in Paris, she covered cultural events for ''

Social-Demokraten :''This is about the Swedish newspaper. For the American newspaper see Social-Demokraten (Chicago newspaper). For the Norwegian newspaper see Dagsavisen.'' ''Social-Demokraten'' ("The Social Democrat") was a Swedish daily Social Democratic newspa ...

'', worked for the press service at the Danish embassy, and taught in French high schools. In 1962, she returned to Aurehøj Gymnasium as a teacher. She was recognized as an inspiring teacher who made literature lessons surprisingly exciting. Hedda Lundh died on 2 March 2012 and is buried in Gentofte Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundh, Hedda 1921 births 2012 deaths People from Korsør Danish resistance members Danish female resistance members Danish writers Danish women writers