Hvorfor blev Bornholm ikke befriet samtidig med resten af Danmark? Warum wurde Bornholm nicht zur gleichen Zeit wie das übrige Dänemark befreit? Why was Bornholm not liberated at the same time as the rest of Denmark? Varför befriades inte Bornholm samtidigt som resten av Danmark?

I dette øjeblik meddeles det, at Montgomery har oplyst - At this moment it is announced that Montgomery has informed

- at de tyske tropper i Holland, Nordvesttyskland - - that the German troops in the Netherlands, Northwest Germany

- og i Danmark har overgivet sig. - and in Denmark have surrendered.

Fem års besættelse var slut. Danmark var befriet, og folk festede. Five years of occupation were over. Denmark was liberated and people were celebrating.

Men enden på 2. verdenskrig for det meste af Danmark - But the end of World War II for most of Denmark

- blev for Bornholm to dages bomber og et års sovjetisk besættelse. - for Bornholm was two days of bombing and a year of Soviet occupation.

I centrum stod en tysk kommandant - At the center of it all was a German commander

- dansk tøven og et storpolitisk spil, der stadig diskuteres. - Danish hesitation and a grand political game that is still being debated.

Hvorfor blev Bornholm ikke befriet samtidig med resten af Danmark? Why wasn't Bornholm liberated at the same time as the rest of Denmark?

København, den 5. maj 1945. Copenhagen, May 5, 1945.

Den britiske general Dewing modtages med blomster og jubel. British General Dewing is received with flowers and cheers.

Han er kommet til Danmark for at sørge for - He has come to Denmark to make sure

- at den tyske overgivelse foregår efter aftalen. - that the German surrender takes place according to the agreement.

Men Dewing har ikke fået instrukser om at sende soldater til Bornholm - But Dewing has not been instructed to send soldiers to Bornholm -

- så overgivelsen kan træde i kraft der. Det er et problem. - so that the surrender can take effect there. That's a problem.

For den tyske kommandant på Bornholm må kun overgive sig til briterne. Because the German commander on Bornholm can only surrender to the British.

Den beslutning måtte bornholmerne betale en høj pris for. The people of Bornholm paid a heavy price for that decision.

Sovjetunionen ville gerne have fingrene i Bornholm. The Soviet Union wanted to get their hands on Bornholm.

Øens placering var strategisk vigtig til at holde øje med skibstrafikken. The island's location was strategically important for keeping an eye on shipping traffic.

Desuden kunne Bornholm bruges som en trumf i politiske forhandlinger. Furthermore, Bornholm could be used as a trump card in political negotiations.

Den øverstbefalende kendte til Sovjetunionens interesse i Bornholm - The commander-in-chief knew about the Soviet Union's interest in Bornholm

- og lod dem besætte Bornholm. - and let them occupy Bornholm.

Sovjetunionen var en del af de allierede under 2. verdenskrig - The Soviet Union was part of the Allies during World War II.

- og hvorfor så træde Sovjetunionen over tæerne på grund af en lille ø? - and why step on the toes of the Soviet Union over a small island?

Bornholm, den 7. og 8. maj 1945. Bornholm, May 7 and 8, 1945.

Tyskerne nægter at overgive sig til Sovjetunionen. The Germans refuse to surrender to the Soviet Union.

Den sovjetiske hær svarer igen med luftangreb mod Rønne og Nexø.

Store dele af de to byer ligger tilbage i ruiner. Large parts of the two cities are left in ruins.

I alt mister ti civile bornholmere og et ukendt antal tyskere livet. In total, ten civilians from Bornholm and an unknown number of Germans lose their lives.

Om aftenen den 8. maj kapitulerer de tyske styrker - On the evening of May 8th, the German forces surrender.

- og den sovjetiske hær rykker ind. - and the Soviet army moves in.

Men var det en befrielse fra en tysk besættelsesmagt - But was it a liberation from a German occupying force?

- eller en sovjetisk besættelse? - or a Soviet occupation?

Den sovjetiske hær kom til Bornholm som befrielsestropper - The Soviet army came to Bornholm as liberation troops

- ligesom briterne kom til resten af Danmark, men der var et problem. - just as the British came to the rest of Denmark, but there was a problem.

Man vidste ikke, hvor længe de sovjetiske soldater ville blive - There was no telling how long the Soviet soldiers would stay

- og man var usikker på Sovjetunionens intentioner. - and was unsure of the Soviet Union's intentions.

De fleste soldater var gode folk - Most soldiers were good people.

- der opførte sig eksemplarisk og var søde ved de bornholmske børn. - who behaved in an exemplary manner and were kind to the children of Bornholm.

Men de skabte stadig utryghed. But they still created insecurity.

Der var mange sager om indbrud, hærværk, røverier og voldtægter. There were many cases of burglary, vandalism, robberies and rapes.

Den sovjetiske tilstedeværelse var sjov og interessant - The Soviet presence was fun and interesting

- men den betød, at bornholmerne ikke følte sig frie. - but it meant that Bornholmers did not feel free.

Taktikken blev at sørge for, at Danmark ikke dummede sig. The tactic was to make sure Denmark didn't screw up.

Først i marts 1946 spørger den danske regering Moskva - It was not until March 1946 that the Danish government asked Moscow

- om det ikke er tid til, at de trækker sig fra Bornholm - - whether it's time for them to withdraw from Bornholm

- fordi man fra dansk side er klar til at overtage forsvaret af øen. - because Denmark is ready to take over the defense of the island.

Sovjetunionen konkluderede - The Soviet Union concluded.

- at Bornholms strategiske betydning ikke var så stor som først indtaget. - that Bornholm's strategic importance was not as great as first assumed.

Man prioriterede et godt forhold til Danmark. A good relationship with Denmark was prioritized.

Svaret på den danske henvendelse blev derfor et ja. The answer to the Danish inquiry was therefore a yes.

Rønne Havn, den 5. april 1946. Port of Rønne, April 5, 1946.

De sidste sovjetiske soldater forlader Bornholm - The last Soviet soldiers leave Bornholm

- og mange bornholmerne har en festdag på havnen. - and many Bornholmers have a festive day at the harbor.

11 måneder under sovjetisk besættelse er slut. 11 months under Soviet occupation are over.

Her ankommer de første danske soldater. This is where the first Danish soldiers arrive.

Men når Sovjetunionen øjeblikkeligt accepterede at forlade Bornholm - But when the Soviet Union immediately agreed to leave Bornholm

- burde regeringen så ikke have spurgt tidligere? - shouldn't the government have asked earlier?

Det diskuterer historikere stadig den dag i dag. Historians still debate this to this day.

Mange årtier efter at Den Røde Hær forlod Bornholm - Many decades after the Red Army left Bornholm

- er den sovjetiske tilstedeværelse stadig noget - - the Soviet presence is still something

- der gør ondt på de bornholmere, der levede dengang. - that hurts the Bornholmers who lived back then.

De følte sig svigtet efter 4. maj, hvor befrielsesfesten buldrede - They felt let down after May 4, when the liberation celebrations were in full swing.

- mens Rønne og Nexø blev bombet, og Bornholm blev besat. - while Rønne and Nexø were bombed and Bornholm was occupied.