The 1944 explosion in Aarhus or the 4th of July Disaster ( da, 4 Juli Katastrofen) was an explosion in the city of Aarhus,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

when a barge loaded with ammunition exploded in the harbor, killing 39 people and injuring another 250. The explosion occurred in conjunction with the

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 ...

during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. Aarhus had become an increasingly important transport hub for German supplies and troops to

occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

, by virtue of a large port in the

Kattegat The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in Sweden ...

and a railway connection to Germany. Supplies arrived by rail from Germany and was loaded from rail cars to barges in the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

by Danish dock workers, often by hand. Officials from the Aarhus municipal government had prior to 4 July approached German authorities with safety concerns since accidents with ammunition had previously occurred in Norway; specifically the 1943 Filipstad explosion and the 1944 explosion in Bergen. Discussions were underway about the possibility to move transhipment to a less populated area but by July 1944 no decision had yet been made.

The explosion

The barge was anchored at basin III close to the Korn- og Foderstof Kompagniet silos. At 13:47 on 4 July 1944 it detonated with 150 tonnes of ammunition, sending a kilometer-high column of water into the air, which lingered for several minutes. The explosion could be heard 20 kilometers away in Femmøller on

Djursland Djursland () is a 44 km × 33 km hilly lowland peninsula in Denmark at the entrance to the Baltic Sea, between Denmark and Sweden in Northern Europe. Djursland protrudes into the Kattegat sea, as part of the larger peninsula of Jutland, ...

, in

Trige Trige is a town and suburb of Aarhus in Denmark. It has a population of 3,224 (1 January 2023).Risskov Risskov is the name of both a neighbourhood and a district in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. The district of Risskov is sometimes referred to as Vejlby-Risskov, as it is a merger of the neighbourhood of Risskov and the neighbourhood of Vejlby. The ...

plaster fell off houses, and in

Riis Skov Riis Skov (''Riis' Forest'' or ''The Forest of Riis'') is a forest and park in Århus, Denmark. It is located south of the district of Risskov, along the Bay of Aarhus. History This small patch of forest, was formally presented to Aarhus in 1395, ...

people ran for cover from the

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

. The barge was flung onto a rail car on the pier and the rail car, entangled with barge, was then launched on to the roof of a nearby storehouse. Buildings and cranes in the area collapsed and large fires broke out in three store houses. 2000 grenades, projectiles and other debris rained over large sections of the city up to a kilometer from the site. The German ship ''Scharhörn'', loaded with another 300 tonnes of ammunition, was anchored 20 meters from the explosion and caught fire, but the tugboat ''Hermes'' managed to tow it into the

Bay of Aarhus The Bay of Aarhus, or Aarhus Bay, is a Danish waterway by Aarhus in eastern Jutland. The Bay of Aarhus is bounded by Kalø Vig in the north, Sletterhage and Helgenæs in the east, Samsø and Tunø to the south and the east Jutland coast to the w ...

and extinguished the fire. 33 Danes, primarily dock workers, were killed and another 250 were wounded, 50 seriously. German authorities claimed six Germans killed, which was highly doubted at the time. Postwar studies after the war have concluded that this claim was likely accurate.

Aftermath

The German authorities conducted an investigation and concluded communist sabotage was to blame for the explosion, a claim Danish labor unions contested and vigorously protested against but the investigation was never resumed. The

Aarhus Cathedral Aarhus Cathedral ( da, Århus Domkirke) is a cathedral in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the longest and tallest church in the country, at in length and in height. The construction of Aarhus Cathedral began in the 12th century and it is the main edific ...

hosted a memorial service to the victims and in December 1945, after the war, a monument was erected in

Vestre Cemetery Vestre Cemetery ( da, Vestre Kirkegård, meaning "Western Cemetery") is located in a large park setting in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen, Denmark. With its 54 hectares it is the largest cemetery in Denmark. The cemetery is landscape ...

. 12 victims could not be identified and were buried in a mass grave. Donations to the families of the victims from across the country amounted to 522,000 kroner.

Gallery

Image:7487069-70-r-siden-eksplosionen-p-aarhus-havn---2.jpg, Buildings around the

Central Station Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the ...

with roofs damaged from falling debris Image:7487070-70-r-siden-eksplosionen-p-aarhus-havn---3.jpg, Houses close by the harbor

References

{{Reflist 1944 in Denmark Maritime incidents in July 1944 Explosion Aarhus Explosions in Denmark Explosion