Ib Birkedal Hansen: Denmark's Most Brutal Nazi Collaborator

Ib Birkedal Hansen was one of the most feared collaborators in Nazi-occupied Denmark, leading a Gestapo-backed network responsible for the arrest, torture, and murder of Danish resistance fighters during the Second World War.Following the German invasion of Denmark in April 1940, the occupation initially relied on cooperation with local authorities. As resistance activity increased, however, the Gestapo turned to Danish collaborators to hunt down, interrogate, and destroy underground networks.Born in Aarhus in 1909, Hansen drifted through a series of failed business ventures before the war. His life changed dramatically after he made contact with the Gestapo and offered his services to the German secret police. By 1943, as Denmark entered a period of martial law, Hansen became an interpreter and senior collaborator for the Gestapo in Copenhagen. He soon rose to power as the head of an informant and enforcement network later known as the Birkedal Group.Under Hansen’s command, the group became responsible for a large share of arrests of Danish resistance fighters. Hansen personally oversaw interrogations and became notorious for his brutality. Prisoners were beaten for hours with truncheons, wires, and whips, often suffering permanent injuries or death. His methods were crude but effective, earning him both fear and favour within the Gestapo hierarchy.The Birkedal Group relied on informers, paid collaborators, and female agents who lured resistance members into traps. Their actions led to countless arrests, torture sessions, executions, and deportations. Despite his role in repression, Hansen maintained the appearance of a devoted family man at home, living a double life until the collapse of Nazi Germany.After Denmark’s liberation in May 1945, Hansen fled but was captured in 1947. He was tried for murder, torture, and aggravated assault, convicted of dozens of killings, and sentenced to death. On 20 July 1950, Ib Birkedal Hansen was executed by firing squad, becoming the last person executed in Denmark for wartime crimes.This documentary examines collaboration, betrayal, and the moral collapse that allowed terror to flourish in occupied Denmark.This episode is part of the series Fascist Collaborators.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv