Memorial stone for Private B. Poulsen
Private Bjarne C. Poulsen (1918-1940)
Bjarne Christian Poulsen, private no. 327, came from Funen and was conscripted in April 1939. He served in the 4th Battalion as a gunner on a motorcycle equipped with an anti-tank cannon – one of the army’s fast-response anti-armor units.
When Germany crossed the border in the early morning of 9 April 1940, Bjarne’s unit was deployed as a reserve. While other parts of the battalion were fighting at Lundtoftbjerg, his unit was working to establish a roadblock at Bjergskov south of Aabenraa.
The German armored vehicles broke through quickly, and despite Danish guns, they stood no chance against the German tanks. Bjarne was seriously wounded but managed to withdraw into the forest.
He was found dead the following day – 300 meters from the site of the fighting. He was 21 years old.
Bjarne and his girlfriend Rita had planned to get engaged on 24 April 1940 – his 22nd birthday. Here the couple is seen together aboard the motor torpedo boat “Glenten”.
On 30 June 1940, the 4th Battalion erected a memorial stone in honor of their fallen comrade.
The Fighting at Bjergskov – 9 April 1940
At 4:17 a.m. on 9 April 1940, the alarm sounded at Søgård Barracks, and a few minutes later around 600 Danish soldiers moved out to meet the German invasion. Some rode Nimbus motorcycles with sidecars and recoilless rifles, but many were on bicycles or on foot.
At 4:40 a.m., the first clashes between Danish and German soldiers began. On the map, you can see where the Danish soldiers encountered the Germans.
In Southern Jutland, fighting took place at several locations: at Hokkerup, Lundtoftbjerg, Bredevad – and here at Bjergskov. After a short engagement at Lundtoftbjerg, Danish forces withdrew. The unit at Bjergskov established a roadblock using a truck and tipping wagons to prevent German armored vehicles from advancing.
According to an eyewitness account by Lieutenant Olav Jensen, the Danish soldiers arrived at Bjergskov in the first light of dawn. They had been ordered to take up positions along the road and prepare to slow down German forces with the equipment available to them.
Jensen describes how the soldiers worked under time pressure and in an atmosphere of tension and seriousness, as the sounds of fighting at Lundtoftbjerg drew closer:
“We had barely taken up our positions before the German armored vehicles appeared on the road. There were only a few seconds to act.”
The Danish soldiers opened fire with their anti-tank guns, but German armored vehicles quickly returned fire. Lieutenant Jensen recounts how armor-piercing shells struck around the positions, and how German fighter aircraft soon began strafing the area from the air:
“The aircraft came in low over the treetops. Machine-gun fire cut through the forest.”
In this chaotic and intense situation, Bjarne Poulsen and his comrades tried to hold their position. The Danish guns were quickly knocked out, and the forces were forced to break off and seek cover in the terrain.
The battle at Bjergskov was the last engagement in the area that morning. In total, seven Danish soldiers were killed in Southern Jutland on 9 April 1940 – including Private Bjarne Christian Poulsen. Shortly afterward, Danish forces were ordered to cease fighting.
Today, the memorial stone stands as a reminder of the young men who, in the early hours of the morning, tried to defend Denmark against an overwhelming force. The stone bears witness to their courage, their sacrifice, and the personal tragedies that followed in the wake of the invasion.