The Danish War Sailors on the Screen
The cinema was the drama medium of the twentieth century and it is still powerful, now supported by not just television but also other platforms that make stories available to the many. Of course the Danish war sailors have been portrayed on screen, even before they were know as "war sailors", as you can learn here
Dangerous Voyage on the North Sea
Denmark is not yet in the war. Danish ships sail with danish flags painted on their sides to show their neutrality. "Contraband" (1940) tells the story of how one of these ships is stopped in a British control port and its captain and crew bravely - like Vikings - fight Nazi evil. Between September 1939 and April 1940, the Germans sank 29 neutral Danish ships with the loss of 367 lives because they supplied the UK at war. See it on YouTube.
The Story of the Danish merchant sailor heroes
The Danish 1948 feature film "Støt staar den danske Sømand" ("The Danish sailor stands fast") celebrates the heroism of the Danish war sailors, showing their journey as exiled Danish civilian fighters on the side of the Allies. Starring the ever popular actor Poul Reichard, the film is sometimes available on the Nordisk Film subscription programme.
The 2022 major Norwegian film epic about the war sailors
The most expensive Norwegian film ever produced, "Krigsseileren" ("the war sailor") takes the viewer through the experience of the war sailor. The term "war sailor" is originally Norwegian. Norway supplied a large merchant navy fleet to the Allied war effort - some 1,000 ships and some 30,000 sailors. Some 3,700 Norwegian sailors lost their lives between 1939 and 1945. In the summer/autumn of 2026, the film is available aon Netflix.