 | In December 1944, the Danish Foreign Ministry received German permission to bring sick police officers from the concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany. This marked the beginning of a humanitarian operation later known as the White Buses. In the very first two missions performed by Danish in 1944 and 1945, the buses were borrowed from DSB - a Danish train and bus company. They were red as in the photo above.
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| On April 5, 1945 half of the Swedish buses and the crew returned to Sweden and were replaced by Danes. The Danes mustered 33 buses, 14 ambulances, seven lorries, and four private cars. The Danish contingent was coordinated with the Swedish and from 8 April the "White buses" was a mixed Swedish-Danish expedition, with the Swedes in command. The Danish vehicles were also painted white, but displayed the Danish flag, (the Dannebrog), instead of the Red Cross. When on the 12th of April 35 buses left from Friedrichsruh to collect the Scandinavian Jews at Theresienstadt the majority of buses were Danish. |
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On April 5,1945 half of the Swedish buses and the crew returned to Sweden and were replaced by Danes. The Danes mustered 33 buses, 14 ambulances, seven lorries, and four private cars. The Danish contingent was coordinated with the Swedish and from 8 April the "White buses" was a mixed Swedish-Danish expedition, with the Swedes in command. The Danish vehicles were also painted white, but displayed the Danish flag, (the Dannebrog), instead of the Red Cross.
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Wrong description: First White buses from Germany. However, these buses have never been to Germany. They are local buses registered in Malmö. True, White buses had yellow military registration plates, and probably at the time this photo was taken, they were already back at the military base at Hässelholm, and their´s drivers with families.
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| Wrong description: First White buses from Germany. However, these buses have never been to Germany. They are local buses registered in Malmö. True, White buses had yellow military registration plates, and probably at the time this photo was taken, they were already back at the military base at Hässelholm, and their´s drivers with families. |
In December 1944, the Danish Foreign Ministry received German permission to bring sick police officers from the concentration camp in Buchenwald, Germany. This marked the beginning of a humanitarian operation later known as the White Buses. In the very first two missions performed by Danish in 1944 and 1945, the buses were borrowed from DSB - a Danish train and bus company. They were red as in the photo above. Later, Danish Aid Corps arranged for cars and buses to transport the prisoners together with the Swedes. At that time also Danish buses were painted white, especially when leaving Denmark. Within Denmark, Danish buses kept their original paint.
When the Swedish and Danish initiatives were coordinated most of the vehicles in the operation of bringing the Scandinavian prisoners were Danish. This, later called the White bus mission was carried out until the end of April.
