| Bent Faurschou-Hviid | |
|---|---|
Bent Faurschou-Hviid in 1944 |
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| Born | January 7, 1921 Asserbo, Denmark |
| Died | October 18, 1944 (aged 23) Gentofte, Denmark |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Occupation | resistance fighter |
Bent Faurschou-Hviid (January 7, 1921 – October 18, 1944) was a member of the Danish resistance group Holger Danske during World War II. His red hair quickly gave him the nickname "Flammen" meaning "The Flame".
Faurschou-Hviid was one of the most active liquidators for the Danish resistance movement during World War II, and according to several of his colleagues in Holger Danske, no other resistance member was as hated or sought by the Germans as was Faurschou-Hviid. According to Gunnar Dyrberg in the 2003 Danish documentary film With a Right to Kill (Med ret til at dræbe), no one knows exactly how many liquidations The Flame performed but rumours have it that the number is 22.
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Faurschou-Hviid was born in Asserbo, Denmark on the island of Zealand to Wilhelm Faurschou-Hviid, the owner of Asserbo's Birkegården Hotel, and Marie Louise Larsen. He also had a sister, Marie-Louise Swanstrøm.
"Flammen" regularly partnered with "Citronen" whose real name was Jørgen Haagen Schmith. "Citronen" means "the lemon". Schmith got this nickname because he worked for French car manufacturer Citroën. Together, "Flammen" and "Citronen" formed the most famous resistance duo in Denmark during World War II.
On October 18, 1944, Faurschou-Hviid was having dinner with his landlady and some guests when suddenly there was a knock on the door and a German officer demanded entry. Faurschou-Hviid, who was unarmed that evening, quickly went upstairs looking for an escape across the roof, but he soon realised that the house was completely surrounded. With no escape possible, he chewed on a cyanide capsule and was dead a few seconds later. The witnesses later told of how they could hear the German soldiers upstairs cheering at the sight of the corpse and how the soldiers then dragged Faurschou-Hviid downstairs by his feet, bumping his head into the stairs repeatedly.
In 1951, Faurschou-Hviid was presented, posthumously, with the US Medal of Freedom by President Harry Truman.[1][2]
In 2008, Faurschou-Hviid and Schmith became famous when the most expensive Danish film to date (as of October 2009[update]) premiered.[3] The title was Flame & Citron, and the film was hugely successful in terms of box office receipts. Faurschou-Hviid is played by Thure Lindhardt.