Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1942, Side 270

LE NORD
258
During the spring of 1940, when the new military and poli-
tical developments called for rapid action, 95 committees, each
covering a particular district, were set up all over the country
in collaboration with a number of large women’s associations;
they were to take over the general responsibility in the district,
being assisted by a large number of local committees. The Home
Office placed the necessary initial capital at the disposal of the
organization.
The general purpose of the D. K. B. is to organize all women
who are willing to give personal assistance in a case of emer-
gency. All women above 18 years of age may enlist. While en-
listment is voluntary, those who become members undertake
definite obligations.
All members have to undergo a short course of “general
training for emergency” comprising a survey of the problems
which arise in case of air attack and the tasks undertaken by
women in the field of defence. Up to the present about 40.000
Danish women have gone through such courses, given by the
325 instructors who are distributed over the various parts of the
country.
Within the framework of the organization, the members are
divided into three main groups:
Group I comprises women (mostly single) whose work is
considered as an integral part of the official plans for civil de-
fence, i. e. to whom the authorities have assigned definite tasks
such as being hospital aids, assistants at casualty clearing stations,
or decontamination stations, telephone duty or the supervision
of air raid shelters. They receive a special training in first aid,
etc., either through the Red Cross or otherwise.
Group II comprises women, who are willing to assist in can-
teen service, home nursing, the nursing of children, the occu-
pation and care of children from 2 to 7, education and leisure
occupation for children above 7 year or the billeting of evacuees.
The members in this group are divided into squads of ic
living in the same neighbourhood, each squad being so composed
as to ensure that they do not all belong to a particular social
class. They receive special instruction (mostly of a practical
nature) in their particular tasks given by competent instructors.
It is of course important that the squads should meet regularly
in order to acquire an esprit de corps and to maintain and develop
their practical knowledge. Some squads {home squads) only