Annemarie Johansen (1933-) was a Danish schoolgirl who helped save hundreds of Danish Jews during World War II.
Biography[]
Annemarie Johansen was born in 1933 in Copenhagen, Denmark to her mother, Inge Johansen. She was the younger sister of Lise Johansen and the older sister of Kristi Johansen. Annemarie was raised as a Lutheran alongside her sisters. In 1940, Annemarie and her family were caught up in Nazi Germany's invasion of Denmark. Denmark surrendered to the German invaders after a six hour war. In 1943, Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen, who was Jewish, realized that the occupying Nazi forces had begun their campaign to relocate the Danish Jews to extermination camps.
Annemarie had taken Ellen into her apartment and kept her safe from the Nazis until they came to the apartment to inspect it for Jews. Annemarie told the Nazis that Ellen was her sister with dark hair and Inge shown the Nazis a picture of the Johansen girls when they were babies. The Nazis left, despite their suspicions of the family. Annemarie then took Ellen and had her and her family evacuated to Sweden by boat. Annemarie had also evacuated hundreds of other Danish Jews to Sweden.
In 1945, Ellen returned to Denmark and reunited with Annemarie, celebrating the Allied liberation of Denmark.