Henny Sinding Sundø

[4] It was there that she met the crew of the small work vessel Gerda III, namely Otto Andersen, John Hansen, Gerhardt Steffensen, and Einar Tønnesen.

This led to Danish cooperation with their occupier's requests in exchange for moderate normalcy in daily life, including conducting regular business and gathering for religious services.

The small Jewish population in Denmark also benefited from these agreements because the restrictions imposed on them were not the same as in other European countries, such as displaying the star of David on their clothing or abandoning their homes.

[6] By the summer of 1943, rumors of Nazi defeat in North Africa and Italy gave Danes the impression that Germany was no longer an unbeatable force and resistance to it could provoke enduring change.

One October morning as she attended to her lighthouse duties, Henny’s crewmates approached her and quietly asked for aid in smuggling Jewish families to the Swedish coast.

[8] The first steps undertaken by the group were to seek out Jewish families who the crew knew personally, such as friends and neighbors living nearby, and instruct them to meet at a predetermined rendezvous point.

Henny’s task was to memorize the name of each Jewish family member coming onboard as well as the address of the designated spot, and then slowly walk the group to a warehouse loft next to Gerda III under the cover of night.

She remembered this being “absolutely stupid because there was a curfew on,” but despite the risk of arrest, Henny was able to safely guide four to five families to the warehouse each night depending on the number of members present.

Henny later estimated that 600-700 Jewish individuals, as well as Polish refugees, members of various resistance groups, and injured British and American soldiers were taken to safety during the endeavor.

She agreed and soon was given an assignment to determine the number of German soldiers patrolling specific areas while pretending to be in love with a young man in the group.

"[10] Despite her actions to rescue Jewish families during the 1940's and the impact it had on the war effort, little else is known about Henny Sinding's life until her death on August 22, 2008 in Allerød, Denmark.