 Two of the Home Guard medals - the Good Service Medal and the 40 Years Service Medal"Never again an April 9th" was the motto after the German occupation had ended. That was the background for a meeting in Odense on June 9th, 1945, where 250 leaders of the resistance movement met with the Freedom Council. The
result was a demand for the formation of a volunteer force to defend Denmark's sovereignty.
Around the country, home guard associations were formed, reaching around 50.000 members.
In 1948 a law was passed and April 1st, 1949 was the official starting date for the new Home Guard.
Colonel S. E. Johnstad Møller (1894-1982) became the first head of the Home Guard, and Frode Jakobsen (1906-1997), later a member of parliament for the Social Democrats, was appointed as its first commissioner.
On February 11th, 1959, the first decoration was instituted - the Home Guard Good Service Medal - and later followed by the institution of a number of long service decorations. These can be viewed on the Home Guard's
website (in Danish only).
Further documentation can be found in the OMSD Journal no. 47, 2016.
The 75th anniversary of the Home Guard is celebrated with a parade at the Frihedsmuseum (Museum of Danish Resistance) on April 3rd, 2024.
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