Gun amnesty turns up WWII resistance cache (PHOTOS)

As part of a weapons amnesty in Denmark, police recovered a vintage stockpile of munitions including submachine guns and grenades.

The South Jutland Police posted images to social media last week of some 25 weapons and 100 grenades turned in as part of a reprieve for those with illegal or unregistered arms, many of which may have a connection to Danish history.

Occupied by Germany during World War II, Denmark was home to a well-organized network of underground resistance units, often equipped by the Allies through the OSS and SOE. Among the weapons brought down from attics and up from under floorboards last month were STEN submachine guns, an anti-tank rocket launcher, a BREN light machine gun, and various bolt-action rifles including German Mausers.

As noted by Danish media group Amtsavisen, many of the guns and munitions are believed linked to the famous Hvidsten Group (Hvidstengruppens), a resistance organization who met secretly at the Hvidsten Inn in the city of Randers. Active in 1943-44, eight of the group’s members were executed by the Germans while others were imprisoned.

Starting from humble beginnings, it is estimated that as many as 45,000 Danes were part of the resistance by the end of the war.

Besides the former resistance arms, a number of weapons of more modern vintage– as well as some that predated WWII by a good bit– surfaced.

Authorities are reportedly contacting the Danish National Museum about some of the more historical weapons.

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