Thomas Christian Sneum (21 May 1917 Fanø - 3 February 2007 Roskilde) was a
Danish flight officer who was among the first British agents in Denmark during World War II. His most spectacular achievement was when, in 1941, he photographed two
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
Freya radar stations on
Fanø. In the night of 21–22 June 1941 he and pilot
Kjeld Pedersen made a spectacular escape from Denmark to Great Britain in a
D.H. Hornet Moth. This would later inspire
Ken Follett
Kenneth Martin Follett (born 5 June 1949) is a Welsh author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 198 million copies of his works. His books have been sold in over 80 countries.
Follett's commercial breakthrough came with ...
to write his novel ''
Hornet Flight''.
Sneum stated he had planned to assassinate
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...
in February 1941 with a
longbow
A longbow is a type of tall bow that makes a fairly long draw possible. Longbows for hunting and warfare have been made from many different woods in many cultures; in Europe they date from the Paleolithic era and, since the Bronze Age, were mad ...
from a room in
Hotel d'Angleterre, but the plan was cancelled when Himmler failed to appear publicly.
Further reading
*
References
1917 births
People from Fanø Municipality
Danish aviators
Danish people of World War II
2007 deaths
World War II spies for the United Kingdom
{{World-War-II-bio-stub