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"White Buses" refers to an operation undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government in the spring of 1945 to rescue concentration camp inmates in areas under Nazi control and transport them to Sweden, a neutral country. Although the operation was initially targeted at saving citizens of Scandinavian countries, it rapidly expanded to include citizens of other countries. All told, the operation removed 15,345 prisoners from mortal peril in concentration camps; of these 7,795 were Scandinavian and 7,550 were non-Scandinavian (Polish, French, etc.). In particular, 423 Danish Jews were saved from the Theresienstadt concentration camp inside German-occupied territory of Czechoslovakia, contributing significantly to the fact that casualties among Danish Jews during the Holocaust were among the lowest of the occupied European countries. The term "white buses" originates from the buses having been painted white with red crosses, to avoid confusion with military vehicles. Inspired by this operation, the Norwegian White Buses Foundation organises excursions to Sachsenhausen and the sites of other concentration camps for school classes, accompanied by first-hand witnesses and survivors. ==Scandinavian prisoners in Germany== Denmark and Norway were invaded by Germany on 9 April 1940. A number of Norwegians were immediately arrested, and two months later the occupying force established the first prisoners' camp at Ulven, outside Bergen. Tensions intensified between the Nazi authorities and the resistance. Consequently, more Norwegians were arrested and detained, initially in Norwegian prisons and camps, and deported to camps in Germany. The first Norwegians arrived at Sachsenhausen on 29 August 1940, but they were released and sent home in December. Regular deportations from Norway began in the spring of 1941. Arrests in Denmark began with the resignation of the coalition government on 29 August 1943. The Scandinavian prisoners in Germany were divided into various categories, from the so-called civil interned who lived privately and had certain freedoms, to the ''Nacht und Nebel'' (NN) or "Night and Fog" prisoners who were destined to be worked to death. As the number of Scandinavian prisoners increased, various groups organised relief work for them. The Norwegian seamen's priests in Hamburg, Arne Berge and Conrad Vogt-Svendsen, visited prisoners, brought them food and brought letters to their families in Norway and Denmark. Vogt-Svendsen also made contact with the civilians interned at ''Gross Kreutz'',〔"Den tredje länken i det norska hjälparbetet, efter Stockholm och Genève, var "Berlin-kommittén" med sitt högkvarter i slottet Gross Kreutz utanför Berlin. Här fanns en krets av norska civilinternerade. Den leddes av professor Didrik Arup Seip och advokanten Johan B. Hjort.", from ''Vi åker till Sverige'', page 71, translation from Swedish: "The third link in the Norwegian relief work after Stockholm and Geneva, was the Berlin committee with its headquarters at the castle Gross Kreutz outside Berlin. Here was a group of Norwegian civil internees. It was led by professor Didrik Arup Seip and the lawyer Johan B. Hjort."〕 the Norwegian families Hjort and Seip. Together with other Scandinavians, the group at ''Gross Kreutz'' compiled extensive lists of prisoners and their location. The lists were then sent to the Norwegian government-in-exile in London through the Swedish embassy in Berlin.〔"Så gjordes ständigt allt längre listor upp över de norska fångarna i Tyskland. Från Hamburg och Gross Kreutz vidarebefordrades listorna till den svenska legationen i Berlin. Seip fick tillstånd att använda den svenska kurirposten till Stockholm - en illegal trafik som var ganska otrolig. Genom den svenska diplomatposten gick listorna till Stockholm, och till den norska legationen där, samt vidare til London och till Röda Korset i Genève.", from ''Vi åker till Sverige'', page 72, translation from Swedish: "Ever-expanding lists were made of the Norwegian prisoners in Germany. From Hamburg and Gross Kreutz, the lists were sent on to the Swedish embassy in Berlin. Seip got permission to use the Swedish courir mail to Stockholm - an extremely illegal use. In the Swedish courir mail the list went to Stockholm, and to the Norwegian Embassy there, and on to London and to the Red Cross in Geneva."〕 In Stockholm the Norwegian diplomat Niels Christian Ditleff engaged himself heavily with the fate of the Scandinavian prisoners. By the end of 1944 there were around 8,000 Norwegian prisoners in Germany, in addition to around 1,125 Norwegian prisoners of war. On the Danish side Admiral Carl Hammerich had long worked with secret plans for an expedition code-named the ''Jyllandskorps'' to save Danish and Norwegian prisoners from the German camps. Hammerich had good connections with the Norwegian seaman's priests, the ''Gross Kreutz'' group and with Niels Christian Ditleff in Stockholm. By the beginning of 1945 there were around 6,000 Danish prisoners in Germany. During 1944 the Danes made extensive planning efforts, including the registration of prisoners and plans for transporting resources and making available food, shelter and quarantine for the prisoners, if they succeeded in reaching Denmark. Hammerich visited Stockholm in February, April and July 1944 and discussed the plans with Ditleff.〔"Under 1944 träffade Ditleff också flera gånger den danske amiralen Carl Hammerich och blev på så sätt underrättad om dennes hemliga planer på en ''Jyllandskorps'' för att rädda danskar och norrmän ut ur de tyska lägren.", from ''Vi åker till Sverige'', page 73, translation from Swedish: "During 1944 Ditleff met several times with the Danish admiral Carl Hammerich and was thus informed about his secret plans for a ''Jutlandcorps'' to rescue Danes and Norwegians from the German camps."〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「White Buses」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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