In April 1940, German forces invaded Denmark under the false pretenses of preserving Danish neutrality during World War II and protecting them from possible Allied attacks. Knowing they lacked the military power to resist, the Danes gave in. While there was little direct change in daily life, most Danes had a sense that freedom was lost. When a new Danish government began more active cooperation with the Nazis, many Danes had already begun a resistance movement aimed at sabotaging the German war effort. They worked to save Jews from the German death camps and free their country from the Nazi invaders.