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21-518: Operation Carthage , on 21 March 1945 , was a British air raid on Copenhagen , Denmark during the Second World War which caused significant collateral damage . The target of the raid was the Shellhus , used as Gestapo headquarters in the city centre. It was used for the storage of dossiers and the torture of Danish citizens during interrogations. The Danish Resistance had long asked

42-519: A key final scene of the film was based on a real life conversation between a nun and a dying child. But when the Danish documentary filmmaker Martin Sundstrøm  [ da ] investigated the story, it turned out to be false. The conversation was between two nuns, and did not involve a dying child. Bornedal admitted the poor research and in a public response admitted that this might cast doubts on

63-529: A photograph showing the building burning from end to end. The raid had destroyed the Gestapo headquarters and records, severely disrupting Gestapo operations in Denmark, as well as allowing the escape of 18 prisoners. Fifty-five German soldiers, 47 Danish employees of the Gestapo and eight prisoners died in the headquarters building. Four Mosquito bombers and two Mustang fighters were lost and nine airmen died on

84-529: The Institut Jeanne d'Arc , a French-language Catholic school run by nuns led by Sister Hanna. Rigmor and Eva help Henry to overcome his trauma including his fear of walking under open skies. Meanwhile, a young novice named Sister Teresa struggles with her faith in God. In an attempt to prove God's existence, Teresa strikes an illicit romantic relationship with a HIPO officer named Frederik, who works for

105-507: The Royal Air Force Film Production Unit to record the results of the attack. Thirty RAF Mustang fighters gave air cover from German aircraft and these also attacked anti-aircraft guns during the raid. The force left RAF Fersfield in the morning and it reached Copenhagen after 11:00. The raid was carried out at rooftop level and during the first attack, a Mosquito hit a lamp post, damaging its wing and

126-407: The Shellhus , damaging the building and destroying Gestapo documents. In the ensuing chaos, several Danish resistance prisoners take the opportunity to escape. During the air raid, Henry gradually regains his ability to speak and assists firefighters with identifying some of the wounded children. Rigmor and Teresa are trapped under the rubble amidst rising water from fire hoses attempting to put out

147-848: The Allied side. On 14 July 1945, remains of an unidentified male casualty were recovered from the ruins of the Shellhus and transferred to the Department of Forensic Medicine of the University of Copenhagen . This happened again four days later and the two casualties were buried in Bispebjerg Cemetery on 4 and 21 September, respectively. The attack on the school killed 87 children and 18 adults (10 nuns, two firemen, four civil teachers and two fathers who tried to save their children) as well as wounding 67 children and 35 adults. After

168-523: The British to conduct a raid against the site. The building was destroyed, 18 prisoners were freed and Nazi anti-resistance activities were disrupted. Part of the raid was mistakenly directed against a nearby school; the raid caused 123 civilian deaths (including 87 schoolchildren and 18 adults at the school). The incident was dramatised in the 2021 Danish film The Shadow in My Eye . A similar raid against

189-607: The Danish Special Operation Executive agent Major Truelson. A teenage boy named Henry is traumatized by the strafing incident and loses his ability to speak. His parents send him to Copenhagen with the hope of improving his mental health. While living in Copenhagen, Henry boards with his cousin Rigmor and her family. Henry also becomes acquainted with Rigmor's friend Eva. Rigmor and Eva attend

210-671: The German occupation authorities. Teresa also teaches Eva and Rigmor's class. At the request of the Danish resistance , the RAF agrees to bomb the Shellhus , the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen with the goal of freeing imprisoned resistance members and destroying Gestapo documents. The planned Operation Carthage is complicated by the Germans imprisoning several Danish resistance hostages under

231-542: The Gestapo headquarters in Aarhus , on 31 October 1944, had succeeded. The raid was requested by members of the Danish resistance movement to free imprisoned members and to destroy the records of the Gestapo, to disrupt their operations. The RAF initially turned down the request as too risky, due to the location in a crowded city centre and the need for low-level bombing but they approved the raid in early 1945 after repeated requests. Once approval had been given, planning for

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252-496: The aircraft crashed into the Jeanne d'Arc School , about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the target, setting it on fire. Several bombers in the second and third wave attacked the school, mistaking it for their target. On the following day, a reconnaissance plane surveyed the target to assess the results. The damage was severe, with the west wing of the six-storey building reduced nearly to ground level. The Danish underground supplied

273-437: The film would be made, and that they would contact the family members. According to film expert Peter Schepelern, it is unique for a film to be changed after its premiere because of complaints about the portrayal of historical figures. During the marketing of the film, the director Bornedal made claims that the film was based on the best possible research. However in several interviews and a television show Bornedal claimed that

294-434: The flames above. Frederik attempts to rescue Teresa from the rubble, but she jumps into the water, possibly hoping to save Rigmor. This triggers the collapse of the basement. Eva's parents are distraught when they are unable to find their daughter, with her father regretting arguing with her. When Henry tells Eva's mother that Eva may have gone home, she finds her daughter at home eating the cold porridge. The Shadow in My Eye

315-496: The incident, the school never reopened. Most of the surviving children were transferred to another school, Institut Sankt Joseph . A monument in place of the school was inaugurated on March 23, 1953, to commemorate the children and adult civilians who died on the day. The pilots involved in the operation were only told the true consequences of the raid after victory in Europe. A movie The Shadow in My Eye , released in 2021, tells

336-472: The raid took several weeks; scale models of the target building and the surrounding city were built for use by pilots and navigators in preparation for a very low-level attack. The attacking force consisted of RAF de Havilland Mosquito F.B.VI fighter-bombers of No. 140 Wing RAF (comprising No. 21 Squadron RAF , No. 464 Squadron RAAF , and No. 487 Squadron RNZAF ). The aircraft flew in three waves of six aircraft, with two reconnaissance Mosquito B.IVs from

357-404: The real life Peter Kleboe demanded an apology in one of the largest Danish newspapers, Berlingske , on 11 November 2021, and that the film be recut since it portrayed their family member as a killer of innocent victims and slandered his legacy. The following day, a producer for Miso Film stated that they had not intended to connect the fictional attack with real people, that editorial changes to

378-563: The roof of the Shellhus . The air raid consists of several de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bombers from the RAF, the Royal Australian Air Force , and the Royal New Zealand Air Force , which are escorted by RAF P-51 Mustangs . On the day of Operation Carthage, Eva argues with her parents over not finishing a bowl of porridge. Frederik, persuaded by Teresa, informs his parents that he is deserting

399-563: The service. While Eva and Rigmor attend a class, Sister Hanna confronts Teresa over her relationship with Frederik and announces plans to expel her from their order. During the air raid, Peter and Andy's Mosquito fighter-bomber hits a searchlight tower, causing it to crash near the Institut Jeanne d'Arc . Other Mosquito fighter-bombers mistake the school for the target and bomb the building, killing and wounding numerous students and teachers. However, other RAF bombers succeed in targeting

420-484: The stories of those children. 1945 in Denmark ← → Events from the year 1945 in Denmark . The Shadow in My Eye In 1945, a Royal Air Force (RAF) de Havilland Mosquito strafes a car carrying several bridesmaids while flying over German- occupied Denmark, mistaking it for a German staff vehicle. The RAF pilots Pete and Andy learn about the accidental killing of civilians from

441-513: Was distributed in Denmark in October 2021. Netflix acquired the international distribution rights for the film, which was released under the name The Bombardment , in late March 2022. In the opening sequence, the film depicts a fictitious fatal air attack on a group of innocent women carried out by the RAF pilot Peter Kleboe, who later crashes by the school in the main bombing campaign. The family of

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