White Buses - "We're Going To Sweden"

"We're Going To Sweden"

Through new negotiations Bernadotte got clearance for evacuating severely ill prisoners, the first transport started from Neuengamme on April 9; 12 Swedish buses and eight Danish ambulances were used. 153 prisoners, most of them confined to bed, were taken to the Danish border and left at Padborg where the Danes had a quarantine station. The prisoners got further rest and treatment before they were transported through Denmark on Danish buses and trains and sent by ferry to Malmö. By April 18 a total of 1216 sick Danish and Norwegian prisoners had been transported to Sweden. Two days later, on April 20, all Scandinavian prisoners in Neuengamme had been evacuated.

In the evening of April 19, the evacuation of Scandinavian prisoners from Neuengamme was discussed in a meeting at Friedrichsruh castle. Bernadotte, Frykmann and Richert from the Swedish side were present, with Rennau for the Germans while Hvass and Holm represented Dennmark. The situation was critical, the existing Swedish and Danish vehicles in Friedrichsruh did not have enough capacity to evacuate the prisoners fast enough. The Danes offered additional vehicles from Jyllandskorpset which was accepted.

A total of 4,255 Danish and Norwegian prisoners were evacuated, by 100 Danish and 20 Swedish buses. After a few days in Denmark the prisoners were sent on by ferry to Malmö.