In The Boys Who Challenged Hitler, Knud and the Churchill Club had a large impact on the Danes. They were arrested and sent to prison at King Hans Gades Jail in Aalborg, and later transferred to Nyborg State Prison. One quote that illustrates the impact of the Club’s arrest was from a typical Aalborg civilian: ”Their arrest came as a bombshell to us. Today it is difficult to imagine what an enormous impact the unveiling of the Churchill Club meant to the Danish population … The spiritual shock effect was tremendous and lasting.” This shows how much of an impact the Churchill Club had on the Danish people and how much the revealing their existence mattered to them. When word got out that the Churchill Club was to be punished, people thought differently about how harsh the punishment would be. Many presses thought that the members of the Churchill Club shouldn’t face harsh punishments and that Danes should look up to them for their bravery. Others in support of the Germans thought that they should be severely punished, with one person even saying that they should be whipped until they realize what they have done.
One image that stands out to me in the text is the picture of the club’s weapons and grenades they had stolen from the Germans so far. The picture shows how dedicated the members of the Churchill Club was to their job – to protect Denmark and to start a resistance. This image also shows the bravery of everyone in the club, and what it took to obtain those weapons. They were successful in their job, and this image even says so. Later on, when the police capture everyone from the Churchill Club, Knud confesses that the weapons they collected were for the British when they liberated Denmark. Overall, this further enhances my understanding of the impact the club had on the people of Aalborg, both Germans and Danes alike. Their weapon collection offers an insightful imagine that can help readers to understand how successful the Churchill Club was.