A Dane Saved Chinese Lives During the Rape of Nanking-- Part 2

Ole Sindberg's father was also the father of Bernhard Sindberg, though Bernhard was 23 years older.  However, Ole began having contact with Bernhard in 1962 when they were working in British Columbia, Canada.  They met for dinner in Vancouver and afterwards retired to Ole's hotel room where Bernhard told stories that lasted well into the night.

The two stayed in touch and over time, Ole began to realize his brother's stories were true.

Bernhard Sindberg had made a number of stops after he left Denmark.  As a teen, he joined and deserted from the French Foreign Legion, got thrown into the brig of a ship traveling from the U.S. to China, and selling motorcycles and machine guns.In 1937, a Danish company put him in charge of a cement factory in Nanking, where civilians were being brutally murdered and abused by Japanese soldiers.

It was then that Bernhard decided that he could do something to help them.  With the regular staff gone, Bernhard invited civilians to the factory and painted a huge Danish flag on the roof.  He maintained a good relationship with the Japanese in order to protect his factory and Chinese citizens.

--GreGen