Draft:Battle of Amalienborg

The Battle of Amalienborg was an engagement durring the Battle of Copenhagen durring the German invasion of Denmark (1940).

Prelude
Although the Royal Danish Army was warned of the attack, it was denied permission to deploy or prepare defensive positions as the Danish government did not want to give the Germans any provocation for their actions. Only small and scattered units of the frontier guard and elements of the Jutland (Jylland) division were available to meet the land invasion. Believing the attack was imminent, the troops were placed on full alert at 13:30 on 8 April.

Battle
Upon their arrival at Amalienborg Palace, the German infantry was met with robust resistance from the King's Royal Guard. The guards, stationed on duty, successfully repelled the initial German assault, which resulted in injuries to three Danish Guardsmen and four German soldiers. As the conflict intensified, Danish reinforcements promptly arrived from Rosenborg Barracks equipped with several Madsen machine guns. The ensuing urban combat was marked by severe street battles, particularly along Bredgade, effectively stalling the German advance. This staunch resistance from the Royal Guard provided critical time for King Christian X and his cabinet to strategize with Denmark's military leadership, including General Prior. The fierce engagements around Amalienborg underscored the resolve of the Danish forces to protect their sovereign and maintain control of the palace.

Aftermath
The dogged resistance of the Royal Guard gave King Christian X and his ministers time to confer with the Danish commander-in-chief General Prior. During the discussions, several formations of Heinkel He 111 and Dornier Do 17 bombers from Kampfgeschwader 4 roared over the city dropping OPROP! leaflets. Faced with the explicit threat of Luftwaffe bombing Copenhagen's civilian population, all but General Prior favoured surrender. The argument for surrender was that Denmark's military position was untenable. Its land and population were too small to hold out against Germany for any sustained period, and its flat terrain would be easily overrun by German panzers.