We must be prepared for a crisis. The Danish Emergency Management Agency has drawn up a list of things we need to get by on our own for 72 hours. But what did people do during World War II?

Søren Tange Rasmussen is a museum inspector at the Occupation Museum in Aarhus. Here he stands with a meat grinder and a gas baking tin, which were two important tools in the household. The gas baking tin helps save energy during, for example, baking. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

54 minutes ago

Ready, steady, emergency preparedness.

We need to be able to manage on our own if a crisis hits. Be ready with water, food, a blanket, an FM radio and other necessities.

For many of us, this is completely foreign, but for our grandparents and great-grandparents it was everyday life for several years during World War II.

At the Occupation Museum in Aarhus, they have set up a room in the basement as a garret flat from 1944 – and here there are no power banks, credit cards or mobile phones.

* To the right of the gas stove you can see a haybox, which was used to finish cooking food or keep food warm without using electricity or fuel. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

* A cooking burner that does not use gas, but is lit with wood or newspaper briquettes. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

* Newspaper briquettes used, for example, to light the cooking burner. They are rolled tightly so they can burn for a longer time. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

1 / 3 To the right of the gas stove you can see a haybox, which was used to finish cooking food or keep food warm without using electricity or fuel. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 1 / 3 A cooking burner that does not use gas, but is lit with wood or newspaper briquettes. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 2 / 3 Newspaper briquettes used, for example, to light the cooking burner. They are rolled tightly so they can burn for a longer time. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 3 / 3

In 1944, gas was used for ovens and stoves, which is why people were very dependent on it. A bit like we are dependent on electricity today.

At the same time, you could never be sure there would be gas from the tap during the war, so it was all about having alternatives. That is why many households had a haybox, where they could keep food warm or finish cooking it. And many also had a wood-burning stove installed, which was lit with, for example, newspaper briquettes.

- They are tightly rolled copies of a newspaper that can smoulder slowly inside such a stove, so you have heat for cooking for a longer time, says Søren Tange Rasmussen, museum inspector at the Occupation Museum.

Smart to have back then. Also a good idea today.

- If we want to be inspired by that time, it would be a good idea to have alternatives to the electric stove, he says.

So get out the Trangia set and the Omnia oven!

* People really went in for pickling during World War II to make food last longer. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

* You can stick your carrots in sand or soil to extend their shelf life. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

1 / 2 People really went in for pickling during World War II to make food last longer. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 1 / 2 You can stick your carrots in sand or soil to extend their shelf life. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 2 / 2

With limited food supplies and limited options for filling the shopping basket, it was all about making food last as long as possible. That is why many people turned to the noble art: pickling.

- Pickling and preserving saw a huge renaissance during the occupation, because people realised they needed a good supply to get through the winter, says Søren Tange Rasmussen.

Also an inspiration for today. Get out the big fermentation cookbook and grab some pickling jars!

If you are not partial to the sour taste of pickles, you can – just like during the war – also extend the life of carrots by putting them in a bucket of soil or sand; then they are good for a stew or similar.

* Rush shoes to keep warm. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

* A tiled stove you could put peat in and get some heat from if the gas failed. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

1 / 2 Rush shoes to keep warm. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 1 / 2 A tiled stove you could put peat in and get some heat from if the gas failed. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 2 / 2

If you tend to have cold feet, you would have had a hard time during World War II.

The great shortage of gas and coal meant that you could rarely heat the apartment to a comfortable temperature in cold periods. So it was often very cold.

That is why it was smart to have rush shoes to warm your feet, and many also had a tiled stove that they lit with peat, waste wood or the like.

This may bring to mind the energy crisis in 2022, when public buildings were only heated to 19 degrees. It was cold, yes, but still warmer than during World War II.

- Even if it is not very politically correct, it might be a good idea to have some form of heat source that uses wood or the like, says the museum inspector.

* The newspaper was an important place to seek inspiration and housewife tips. A place where experiences were exchanged – in the midst of the horrors of war. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

* The important FM radio for information! (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR)

1 / 2 The newspaper was an important place to seek inspiration and housewife tips. A place where experiences were exchanged – in the midst of the horrors of war. (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 1 / 2 The important FM radio for information! (Photo: © Emil Prehn, DR) 2 / 2

In Aarhus, Demokraten was the city's newspaper. Besides the horrors of war, good tips and tricks were also shared – from housewife to housewife.

- Back then, the newspapers were a big part of disseminating all kinds of housewife advice and tips and tricks for everyday life. For example, how to use a haybox so the food doesn't become full of bacteria, says the museum inspector.

The FM radio was often a fixed part of the living room decor. And it has not become less important, because even today it is where you can always get information – at least if it runs on batteries, a hand crank or the like.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.