Memorial Stone for Resistance Members in Kollund
A Memorial to Six Men
At the corner of Fjordvejen and Skolevej in Kollund stands a large memorial stone bearing six names, divided between its two sides. The men lost their lives during the German occupation, but their fates were different.
Anker Hansen, Karl Marius Laursen and Christian Fries were involved in the resistance. Hans Toft provided shelter to resistance members, while Jensin Helfred Markussen and Andreas Sørensen Roos served in the Border Gendarmerie.
One side of the stone bears the words: “De faldt i kamp for Danmarks frihed og ære.” – “They fell fighting for Denmark’s freedom and honour.” The other side commemorates the three men who had to sacrifice their lives because Denmark was not free.
The stone was erected by the residents of Bov Parish and unveiled on 20 February 1946. It brings together six different stories in a shared memorial to people who lost their lives as a result of the occupation.
The Fight at the Strandhotel
Anker Hansen and Karl Marius Laursen were members of a resistance group that, among other activities, carried out acts of sabotage in the Sønderborg area. In February 1944, they were staying at the Strandhotel in Kollund after the Germans had begun to track down the group.
On the morning of 10 February, the hotel was surrounded by German forces. A fierce gun battle followed and lasted for about an hour. Anker Hansen was killed at the hotel, while Karl Marius Laursen attempted to escape. He reached the basement of a nearby house, where he died following another exchange of gunfire.
The hotel proprietor, Hans Toft, knew who the two men were and had given them shelter. After the fighting, he was arrested and mistreated by the Germans. He died on 12 April 1944.
Anker Hansen and Karl Marius Laursen were secretly buried at the military shooting range near Sønderborg. Their remains were not found until after the liberation, when they could finally be given a dignified burial.
Anker Hansen
Karl Marius Laursen
Resistance and Captivity
Christian Fries was born in Kollund and worked in military intelligence during the occupation. Among other things, he helped gather information that was passed on to the Danish intelligence service in Sweden.
In April 1944, he was arrested in Copenhagen and charged with activities directed against the occupying power. He was later sent through the Frøslev Prison Camp and the Neuengamme concentration camp to the Schwesing camp near Husum. He died there on 18 November 1944, aged 28.
The Border Gendarmes Jensin Helfred Markussen and Andreas Sørensen Roos had both served in the Kollund area since 1920. On 21 September 1944, they were interned along with a large part of the personnel of the Border Gendarmerie.
On 5 October, they were deported to the Neuengamme concentration camp. Andreas Sørensen Roos died on 27 November 1944, while Jensin Helfred Markussen died on 11 January 1945. They became victims of the inhumane conditions to which Danish prisoners were subjected in the camps.
Christian Fries
Andreas Sørensen Roos
Jensin Helfred Markussen
A Shared Memorial
At the unveiling in 1946, local residents, relatives and representatives of the army, the Border Gendarmerie and the resistance movement gathered around the stone. A military guard of honour stood at the memorial, and the ceremony concluded with communal singing.
In their speeches, the six men were remembered for their courage, sense of duty and efforts during the occupation. Although they came from different places and had different roles, they were united by their connection to Kollund and by the sacrifices they made.
The two sides of the stone therefore tell one shared story. One side commemorates those who fell in active combat. The other remembers those who died as a result of captivity and persecution.
Today, the stone stands as a local memorial to Anker Hansen, Karl Marius Laursen, Christian Fries, Hans Toft, Jensin Helfred Markussen and Andreas Sørensen Roos – and to the price paid for the struggle for Denmark’s freedom.