HISTORY OF THE COLD WAR

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THE COLD WAR DIVIDED THE WORLD IN TWO

The Cold War divided the world in two, and repeatedly threatened to throw the Eastern and Western blocs into World War III. Denmark’s role on the edge of the abyss is a fascinating insight into modern Danish history and icy foreign policy that a lot of people remember, but few people know much about.

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PERSONAL STORY FROM THE COLD WAR

GUSTAV LANG CAPTAIN RTD THE MUSEUM DIRECTOR OF THE SHIPS ON HOLMEN TELLS US THE STORY.

THE COLD WAR IS STILL HOT

The history and lessons of the Cold War are, frighteningly, more relevant today than ever.

By Søren Sorgenfri

But what can we learn today from the Cold War, which was hottest in the 70s and 80s?

To understand the present, we must delve into the past, and the Russian invasion of neighbouring Ukraine must give us food for thought, careful consideration and action, says Allan Pedersen, owner of the Cold War Museum Panzermuseum East near Zealand city Slagelse, Scandinavia’s largest private collection of military vehicles from Warsaw Pact.

“What we see in Ukraine could have taken place in Denmark in the 70s and 80s. Maybe even worse, if one can afford to say so. At that time, the Soviet Union had a strong navy that could dominate the Baltic Sea and much stronger than today with plans ready for an invasion of the Danish shores,” says Allan Pedersen.

“Make no mistake. The Soviet Union was very good at mass-producing military equipment, and with East Germany and Poland as some of the members of the Warsaw Pact, Moscow had drawn up plans for how Denmark should be attacked and, in the worst case, bombed with atomic bombs,” Allan Pedersen explains.

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PANZERMUSEUM EAST

At Scandinavia’s largest Cold War museum – PanzerMuseum East – you can experience the enormous Soviet war machine in a lifelike way, which shows the tensions of the Cold War period (during WAPA), and the constant threat of attacks on Denmark and Western Europe with armoured vehicles and air forces. If the threats had escalated and a war had thus been initiated, both the Eastern and Western blocs would probably have initiated the total annihilation of Europe with nuclear weapons. According to intel from the Soviets, Poland was to be responsible for the actual conquest of Denmark, supported by the GDR and Russia in order to open up for the exit from the Baltic Sea. At PanzerMuseum East, you can see more than 70 different items, such as real tanks, armoured wheeled vehicles, cannons, helicopters, nuclear missiles/bombs, specialised wheeled vehicles, radars, motorcycles, uniforms and medals, as well as an exciting NVA clothing depot. Every day during the holidays and on all weekends, an exciting truck safari is driven in a large Polish 6x6 military truck, fun for both children and adults. When you are satisfied with the many impressions in the 4500 m2 large halls, you can relax and perhaps enjoy a picnic at one of the five lakes in the beautiful 17-acre park/ orest which encloses the entire museum, or you can go souvenir shopping in the nostalgic PanzerMagazin with toys, collector’s objects and military paraphernalia.

Fladholtevej 18, 4200 Slagelse

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Interview af Allan

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MUSEET SKIBENE PÅ HOLMEN

The Ships on Holmen is Denmark’s oldest floating Cold War museum, beautifully located on Nyholm, just opposite Toldboden in the old Copenhagen harbour.

Here you can explore the large frigate Peder Skram, the torpedo missile boats Sehested and Mastekranen, and the submarine Sælen.

Children can sit in a cannon that they can control themselves, and curious adults get a unique opportunity to experience radio stations, operating rooms, and weapon systems from a not very distant past with important tasks for the defence of Denmark at sea. ‘It was the task of the Danish Navy – closely coordinated with the West German fleet – to ensure patrols in the Baltic Sea took place every year, to which came the so-called “star patrols” where specially equipped Danish and West German ships sailed close to the Soviet, Polish and East German naval border to keep an eye on what they were doing. Skibe on Holmen contains lots of stories, documentaries and anecdotes from the Navy’s tasks and operations in the Baltic Sea in the time of the Cold War.’

Elefanten, 1439 Copenhagen

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AIR THREAT

Many historical archives have testified to the fact that the Cold War was more than fake beards, sunglasses and spy movies. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, archival material from the Eastern Bloc revealed a frightening picture of the threat against Western countries like Denmark.

“The Soviet Union had a large and strong air force which could have carpet-bombed our part of Europe, with both Copenhagen and all the country’s major cities as obvious targets of attack. It also had tactical atomic bombs,” says Allan Pedersen. He elaborates: “The Soviet Union’s Baltic navy was strong, and in a war situation, control of the Danish waters would be of great importance. There was free access to Denmark, and there is no doubt that the Soviet air force with the enormous forces in Poland would have played a major role in paralysing the Danish opportunities for defense. “

Pedersen explains that today’s Russian Baltic Fleet does not have the strength of the past, but that Bornholm and the Danish waters still have great strategic value in case of a conflict.

Allan Pedersen

COLD WAR AND THE HISTORY OF THE FORTRESS ON THE WESTERN RAMPART

On the Western Rampart (Vestvolden) lies the Ejby Bunker. It was built as an operation station for the armed forces in Copenhagen in the beginning of the Cold War and was used in different military operations up until 2001.

Today, the 1,300-square-metre bunker has been converted into an interactive experimental centre where the entire family can experience the exciting history about the Western Rampart and the Ejby Bunker during the Cold War.

A visit in the Ejby Bunker could naturally be followed by a tour around the canon batteries, the surrounding bunkers, and the powder magazines around the area of the Western Rampart, which today is Denmark’s largest preserved monument.

The Ejby bunker is heated and open for visitors for self-guided tours on all weekends and school holidays all year.

Read more about the possibilities for school classes and guided tours for groups at www. vestvolden.dk

Oplevelsescenter Vestvolden

Ejbybunkeren Jyllingevej 303, 2610 Rødovre

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Photo by: Parafull

AIRCRAFT ON MUSEUM

Soviet and later on Russian aircraft types have an almost iconic and easily recognizable design. Various MIG and Sukhoi aircraft types, as well as helicopters ,have appeared in many Hollywood movies over time, but also in many news reports on television and smartphone videos of conflicts around the globe. During the Cold War, Copenhagen and all of Denmark’s important installations would have become targets for the dreaded Soviet air force. “The West’s F-16 fighters are still flying despite being old, because they are of a quality design that can still perform. The same is true of a wide variety of MIG variants and other former Soviet aircraft, and they are still in use in the Russian Air Force, and even in several of the former Warsaw Pact countries. That’s why storytelling is so important. We must understand and learn from history to prevent it from ever happening again. Unfortunately, that is what we are seeing in Ukraine right now. “It could have happened, and might still happen for Denmark, ”says Allan Pedersen, who exhibits the passenger plane BAC 1-11, the Soviet helicopters MI- 24P and the transport helicopter MI-8 at his museum.

Explore the Panzermuseum East and the many other Danish Cold War museums and learn more about tanks, aircrafts, and the Warsaw Pact’s plan of attack.

Allan Pedersen

THE EXHIBITION ‘AIR UNDER THE WINGS’

The Technical Museum of Denmark lets you feel the buzz of aviation history. Literally! With the exhibition ‘Air Under the Wings’, the beautiful museum in Elsinore tells everything from how aviation took off from dreams reserved for wild daredevils, and who made the first sensational flight over Copenhagen, to how flights became everyday reality and a big part of our modern lives. The exhibition shows the vital role the Air Force played in the defence of Denmark during the Cold War. See the iconic fighter planes such as Gloster Meteor, Lockheed Starfighter, and the museum’s impressive outdoor landmark Lockheed Shooting Star. During the Cold War, the task of the Air Force, to keep an eye on aircrafts from the Eastern Bloc, was often dramatic for the pilots.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

On Wednesdays, there is a tour twice a day, which is free once the entrance fee has been paid, where the history of beautiful collection of space travel, rockets and airplanes is told.

Fabriksvej 25, 3000 Helsingør

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Photo by: Kim Matthai Leland

2022 UNFORTUNATELY SAW THE UGLY

FACE OF WAR IN EUROPE

This means that the Cold War is no longer just for the history books, but once again present and of great interest in these tragic days.

One of the places in Denmark where the Cold War and the defense of the long Danish coasts stand sout most clearly is at the Langelandsfortet fortress in Bagenkop, Langeland.

Langeland is mostly pure holiday idyll, but also home to one of the Cold War’s most important silent witnesses with Langelandsfortet.

A fort was built at the southern tip of Langeland in the 1950s to keep an eye on Soviet aircraft and to monitor Eastern Bloc naval activities in the western part of the Baltic Sea. The fort was equipped with four large 150-mm cannons, air defense positions and bunkers. Today, Langelandsfortet is one of Denmark’s most interesting outdoor museums, with great Cold-War-themed experiences. Among other things, you can see for yourself an entire section of the Berlin Wall, behold the famous fighter aircraft MIG-23 and board the Danish Navy vessel Askø and the submarine Springeren.

In addition, you can learn about true spy stories from a time that has once again become present and sadly too relevant.

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WAS IT REALISTIC AND HOW

With TV images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we see a reality no one thought possible in modern Europe. But the Russian attack has been a risk for decades.

“It runs cold down my spine when I watch the Soviet Union’s propaganda film about how Denmark should have been occupied. It is like watching news reports from Ukraine,” says Allan Pedersen.

“These are propaganda films that show enormous exercises in cooperation between the Warsaw Pact countries to simulate an invasion of the West. Poland’s air and naval forces were to take care of Denmark in the first instance, with assistance from East Germany. At the same time, East Germany and Czechoslovakia were to invade West Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, he explains. Not many talks about the role of Czechoslovakia, but they had huge numbers of offensive weapons in an Eastern Bloc that, overall, was extremely strong militarily.

Allen Pdersen is often reminded that the threat is not entirely common knowledge.

“When I have toured the museum, there is always someone who asks if it had been an opportunity for the Soviet Union to attack Denmark. The short answer is: Yes.”

The Eastern Bloc’s total volume of soldiers and materiel, never mind tanks, was so large that military spending was a contributing factor, along with the Chernobyl disaster, to the fall of the Soviet Union. But in the 70s and early 80s, the picture looked different. Then, the Red Army was a real threat to Western and Northern Europe, not least thanks to its cooperation with the other countries in the Warsaw Pact. “Once the Polish attacking forces had taken hold in Denmark, reinforcements would have arrived from the Soviet Union. They made many considerations about how to occupy a western country like Denmark from the sea, among other things with the development of special landing craft and amphibious tanks, which could even be launched several kilometres from the coast and even sail in and protect the coast in the meantime, “says Allan Pedersen. That’s history, but all too relevant these days to an unstable Europe.

Allan Pedersen.

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Photo: Parafull

COLD WAR MUSEUMS

During the Cold War, Denmark played a central role as the ‘gatekeeper’ of the Baltic Sea. The Danish waters and belts have been essential in Danish history since the founding of the kingdom, but the Cold War placed new demands on the Danish defense.

You can learn more about this aspect around Denmark in a large number of museums. The holiday island of Bornholm had vital radar and listening posts, which you can see and learn more about at Bornholms Museum and the Bornholm Tower by the beautiful Dueodde beach. At Ejby Bunkeren in Rødovre’s labyrinthlike corridors you can learn about the Vestvolden and Befæstningen bunkers. Here, the audience takes the lead role, with the possibility of, among other things, spy games. Odense Bunker Museum is also a fascinating look into the protective concrete world of bunkers. Langelandsfortet and Stevnsfortet provide an understanding of Cold War fortresses, Panzermuseum East provides insight into the Soviet Union as the West’s military opponents as well as the real threat to the Danish coasts, and the frigate Peder Skram as a floating museum. Get high into the air with a magnificent view 82 metres up on Bangsbo Fort. This coastal museum in Frederikshavn was built by the German occupying forces during World War II, but also functioned as a Danish Cold War fort and cannon position.

The Artillery Museum in Varde is about cannons and tanks in a modern military age. Don’t forget the Technical Museum of Denmark or the Danish Cold War Museum, the UN Museum and the Emergency Preparedness Museum in Frøslev Camp, and the Cold War museum the Ships on Holmen in Copenhagen.

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