Kim Malthe-Bruun
Encyclopedia
Kim Malthe-Bruun was a member of the Danish resistance captured and killed during World War II
.
He was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Canada
. At the age of nine, Kim, his six-year-old sister Ruth, and his mother moved back to Denmark
, where she was originally from. He grew up a peasant
, but by the time he was seventeen, he became a merchant seaman. When Nazi Germany
invaded Denmark, he joined the Danish resistance movement
at the age of 21. He used his skills as a sailor
to transport arms
for the resistance.
On 19 December 1944, Kim was caught by the Gestapo
in an apartment
on Classen Street with two friends. He was unarmed and carrying his own identification papers
. He was sent to the Vestre Fængsel
Prison soon after his arrest
. The first cell he stayed in was Cell 252, in the German Section. On Wednesday, 21 February, Kim was sent to the Police
Headquarters for questioning. He did not return to Vestre until Wednesday, 28 February. The next day he was placed in solitary confinement
and forbidden to write letters.
In a letter to his girlfriend, he stated the cells he had been in so far:
On 6 April 1945, Kim Malthe-Bruun was executed. After the war, his mother published a book about him, titled Heroic Heart or Kim.. It contained his diary entries and many of his letters home to both her and his girlfriend Hanne.
Lois Lowry
is said to have based the character Peter in Number the Stars
after Kim, possibly due to his courage against the Nazis. In the Afterword she wrote "...seeing the quiet determination in his boyish eyes made me determined, too, to tell his story, and that of all the Danish people who shared his dreams.She ends the Afterword with a quote to his mother from one of his last letters from jail.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
He was born in Fort Saskatchewan, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. At the age of nine, Kim, his six-year-old sister Ruth, and his mother moved back to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, where she was originally from. He grew up a peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
, but by the time he was seventeen, he became a merchant seaman. When Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded Denmark, he joined the Danish resistance movement
Danish resistance movement
The Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
at the age of 21. He used his skills as a sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
to transport arms
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
for the resistance.
On 19 December 1944, Kim was caught by the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
in an apartment
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
on Classen Street with two friends. He was unarmed and carrying his own identification papers
Identity document
An identity document is any document which may be used to verify aspects of a person's personal identity. If issued in the form of a small, mostly standard-sized card, it is usually called an identity card...
. He was sent to the Vestre Fængsel
Vestre Fængsel
Vestre Fængsel is the main jail of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Erected in 1895, it is Denmark's largest prison with a total capacity of 530 inmates...
Prison soon after his arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
. The first cell he stayed in was Cell 252, in the German Section. On Wednesday, 21 February, Kim was sent to the Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
Headquarters for questioning. He did not return to Vestre until Wednesday, 28 February. The next day he was placed in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
and forbidden to write letters.
In a letter to his girlfriend, he stated the cells he had been in so far:
- 19 December 1944 - 2 February 1945, Cell 252
- 2 February 1945, at 8 o'clock - Cell 585 (he called a "dark cell")
- 7 February - 11 February - Frøslev
- 12 February - 11 March - Cells 286, 284, 282, 276, and 270 (in Vestre FængselVestre FængselVestre Fængsel is the main jail of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Erected in 1895, it is Denmark's largest prison with a total capacity of 530 inmates...
) - 1 March - 2 March - Cell 586
- 5 March - 12 March - Cell 50 (Police Headquarters)
- 15 March- ? - Cell 37 (Police Headquarters)
On 6 April 1945, Kim Malthe-Bruun was executed. After the war, his mother published a book about him, titled Heroic Heart or Kim.. It contained his diary entries and many of his letters home to both her and his girlfriend Hanne.
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
is said to have based the character Peter in Number the Stars
Number the Stars
Number the Stars is a work of historical fiction about the Holocaust of the Second World War by award-winning author Lois Lowry. The story centers around ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen, who lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1943 and was caught up in the events surrounding the rescue of the Danish...
after Kim, possibly due to his courage against the Nazis. In the Afterword she wrote "...seeing the quiet determination in his boyish eyes made me determined, too, to tell his story, and that of all the Danish people who shared his dreams.She ends the Afterword with a quote to his mother from one of his last letters from jail.