Memorial Stone for Sergeant C.H. Vous
Memorial Stone for Sergeant C.H. Vous at Hokkerup
The memorial stone at Hokkerup was erected in honour of Sergeant Carl Henrik Vous, who fell here in the early morning hours of 9 April 1940. Immediately after the fighting, his comrades placed a simple wooden cross at the site – a spontaneous memorial to the fallen sergeant.
This was later replaced by the present memorial stone, which was unveiled on 30 June 1940. The stone serves both as a personal memorial to Carl Henrik Vous and as a symbol of the fighting that actually took place in Southern Jutland that morning.
Inscription on the memorial stone:
“Here fell Sergeant C. H. Vous of 4’ B. 2. K. on 9/4 1940. The future grows from costly memories.”
The words commemorate the loss while also looking ahead to the historical remembrance that the memorial stone helps preserve.
Photo: Thomas Christesen, 30. juni 1940
Photo: Historie Haderslev
Carl Henrik Vous
Carl Henrik Vous was born in Humble Parish on the island of Langeland on 9 February 1915 as the eldest son in a family of seven children. He was 25 years old and a sergeant in the 16th Battalion, 2nd Company, of the Funen Life Regiment. He had completed his military service and had already been discharged in 1937, but was later recalled to duty.
His father later explained that his son was deeply committed to military service: “Yes, absolutely yes. The military was his greatest interest”
he stated, although Carl Henrik Vous also worked for a period as a prison officer.
One of his comrades described him during the annual memorial ceremony at the grave on 9 April with the words:
“Carl Henrik Vous was a born soldier.”
As a squad leader, he was responsible for his men in a bicycle infantry unit sent forward towards Hokkerup early on the morning of 9 April.
Carl Henrik Vous left behind a fiancée who was in the midst of planning a shared future with him when he fell on 9 April 1940. The family later recounted how the loss not only affected one family, but also interrupted a future that was only just beginning to take shape.
The Battle at Hokkerup
Sergeant Carl Henrik Vous’ group consisted of both bicycle troops and a defensive unit, which was sent into position at the Hokkerup crossroads during the early morning hours of 9 April 1940. Already during their advance, the Danish cyclists came under aerial fire and were forced to take cover.
When they arrived at the fork in the road at 5:10 a.m., an improvised roadblock had been established using an old automobile, a harrow, a mowing machine, and a circular saw – little more could be done before German aircraft approached.
Shortly after 5:30 a.m., the first German armoured cars appeared. At the command: “Three shots per vehicle – and every shot has to count!”
the Danish 20 mm cannon opened fire, and three armoured cars were disabled.
For about twenty minutes, intense fighting continued, and a German 37 mm gun was also silenced. Despite determined resistance, the German forces gradually penetrated the position and completely surrounded it, supported by low-flying aircraft.
The battle lasted approximately one hour and ended in chaotic close combat. Only after a whistle signal and the command “Cease fire” did the resistance stop. Danish losses included Sergeant Carl Henrik Vous, Private Jørgensen, and several lightly wounded soldiers.
Source: "The Battle of Hokkerup" by Captain Axel Pontoppidan, 1950
Painting by Thorvald Løndal, 1940 of the commemoration at Odense Barracks
The Death of Carl Henrik Vous
During the fighting, Carl Henrik Vous attempted to change position in order to gain a better firing angle against the advancing armoured cars. At that moment, he was struck in the back by a projectile fired from a German tank.
One of the Danish soldiers later stated:
“Vous fell without complaint – he knew time was short, yet he still thought of his men.” He was quickly carried away from the road on a door and taken into the living room of a nearby house in Hokkerup.
Inside the house, the mechanic Hansen, who had served as a medical orderly, tried to help the severely wounded sergeant. Hansen’s wife sat beside him holding his hand while his strength slowly faded. A German medical orderly carefully dressed his wounds and remained with the sergeant for an hour and a half. A German senior doctor arrived fifteen minutes later and administered a pain-relieving injection. Shortly afterwards, Carl Henrik Vous passed away peacefully.
“It became quiet in the room,” wrote Morten Kamphøvener. “Danes and Germans standing with us mourned without saying a word. Just moments before there had been confusion around them. Now it was over.”
Not long afterwards, the order for Danish surrender was given, and the fighting ceased.
Burial Site and Historical Significance
On the same morning that Carl Henrik Vous died, he was placed in a coffin, upon which Mrs Hansen laid azalea flowers. At Holbøl Church, the priest covered the bier with the Danish flag, and it was later taken to Søgaard, where all those who had fallen in the fighting were gathered and honoured.
On 11 April 1940, the victims of the fighting were commemorated at Odense Barracks, as depicted in a painting by Thorvald Løndal. In the foreground stands the coffin of Sergeant Carl Henrik Vous.
Sergeant C. H. Vous was buried at Humble Cemetery. His name lives on both there and at the memorial stone in Hokkerup.
Lieutenant General Prior, commander of the General Command, stated in a daily order on 12 April 1940: “In memory of these Danish soldiers, who were granted the sacrifice of their lives for king and people, we place our faith in a brighter future.”
Today, the memorial stones in Southern Jutland remind us that the invasion of 9 April 1940 did not take place without resistance, and that we remain eternally grateful for the peace of the present day.
