Vilhelm Buhl (16 October 1881 - 18 December 1954) was Prime Minister of Denmark from 4 May 1942 to 9 November 1942 as head of the unity government Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl I during the German occupation of Denmark of World War II, until the nazis ordered him removed. He was Prime Minister again from 5 May 1945 to 7 November 1945 as head of the unity government Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl II after the liberation of Denmark by the British general Montgomery.

Vilhelm Buhl was a member of the Social Democrats, and had held the post of Minister of Finance in the Cabinet of Thorvald Stauning before World War II.

During the occupation by nazi Germany, Thorvald Stauning had created a unity government, the Cabinet of Thorvald Stauning III . When Thorvald Stauning died in May 1942, Vilhelm Buhl succeded him. But Vilhelm Buhl only lasted 6 months, because of an episode where King Christian X sent a short and formal reply to Hitler's birthday telegram. This was seen as an insult by Hitler, and as a result Vilhelm Buhl was replaced by Erik Scavenius and Werner Best was sent as a new tough top nazi commander of Denmark.

After the liberation of Denmark on 5 May 1945, the politicians and the resistance fighters formed the unity government Cabinet of Vilhelm Buhl II . Many Danes were dissatisfied with the politicians because of their policy of coorporation with the Germans that had dominated at the start of the war, hence the inclusion of the resistance fighters. Notable members of the cabinet included Aksel Larsen , Hans Hedtoft, H. C. Hansen, Knud Kristensen and Christmas Møller . The government presided over the trials of the people who had coorporated with the Germans, as a result of which 45 persons were executed. After the elections in October 1945 Knud Kristensen became the new prime minister.

References

• Kristian Hvidt, Statsministre i Danmark fra 1913 til 1995 (1995)

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
none (Erik Scavenius) | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Prime minister of Denmark
1945 – 1945 | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Knud Kristensen