Here I became, from 1 February 1944, the deputy of the barracks non-commissioned officer, and I could now go home 2–3 times a month. In this year sabotage and other resistance activities against the occupying power intensified, which through English propaganda of lies was hated by most of my compatriots.
On 16 June I received orders, together with a comrade, to travel to Lobositz near Prague to collect some goods, including radio sets for the corps. We were first to report in Copenhagen and were issued papers; afterwards I made a trip home, as we were to travel with the “Berlin Express” the following day.
I got very little sleep that night, as my wife gave birth in the middle of the night to a little daughter; but unfortunately she could not live very long, as she had a tumour on her back.
We then returned on 23 June (Midsummer’s Eve), and I was eager to find out how things were at home and was granted a couple of days of leave.
On 30 June my compatriots began a general strike against the Germans, and many Copenhagen residents had to leave their homes and go out into the countryside to get something to eat.
In September we had to bury our little daughter, who therefore only lived for 3 months.
On 19 September the Germans saw themselves forced to dismiss the Danish police, which in their opinion were not carrying out their duties against sabotage actions properly.
On 8 December I was again sent on a journey, this time to Vienna together with two other comrades to collect a batch of Christmas booklets. We travelled from Denmark on 9 December via Fredericia, Hamburg, Berlin and Prague.
We stayed in Vienna for 5 days, and since my little sister-in-law was still there, we were together with her as often as it was possible. This time I saw the results of the war in the beautiful German cities. Many of them had been almost levelled to the ground by English aerial bombing.
We returned home again on 20 December.
On 22 December I was granted Christmas leave until the third day of Christmas, and for the first time I spent Christmas Eve together with my wife and our little daughter.