Einar Sverdrup
Encyclopedia
Einar Sverdrup was a Norwegian
mining engineer and businessman. He was the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
, operating at Svalbard
. When the integrity of Svalbard was threatened during World War II
, he volunteered for a military operation, but was killed in action during Operation Fritham
.
as the son of Johan Edvard Sverdrup
and his wife Agnes, née Vollan. His father was stationed in Solund as a vicar
. Einar Sverdrup was the grandson of vicar and politician Harald Ulrik Sverdrup
, a grandnephew of Johan Sverdrup
, a nephew of politician Jakob Sverdrup and theologian Georg Sverdrup, a half brother of oceanographer Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, Jr., and a brother of engineer and military officer Leif Sverdrup and women's rights activist Mimi Sverdrup Lunden. On the maternal side he was a grandson of Ole Vollan
, and a first cousin of Harald
and Nordahl Grieg.
Einar Sverdrup studied to be a mining engineer in the United States
and at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
in Trondhjem
. In 1923 in Trondhjem he married Dagny Lorck. The couple had three children, and settled in Bærum
. Sverdrup eventually became the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
, a Norwegian coal mining
company based in Svalbard
.
was executed on 22 June 1941, the Svalbard archipelago was treated as a "no man's land
". The mining was conducted and controlled by Norwegians and Soviets, but the authorities allowed coal transport to German-occupied
Northern Norway. After Operation Barbarossa, however, the attitude changed, and Svalbard was evacuated between July and August 1941. In September 1941, Einar Sverdrup travelled to England
. Here, he became involved in a plan to retake Svalbard. He was soon singled out as leader of the operation, and was ranked Lieutenant Colonel
.
The operation was codenamed Operation Fritham
. It started on 30 April 1942, when the ships SS Selis and SS Isbjørn departed from Greenock
. Sverdrup was on board SS Isbjørn. The expedition reached Svalbard, but on 13 May, SS Isbjørn ship was sunk by German aircraft at Grønfjorden
, claiming the life of Sverdrup. He was posthumously decorated with the War Cross with Sword
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
mining engineer and businessman. He was the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani , or simply Store Norske, is a Norwegian coal mining company based on the Svalbard archipelago. It was formed in 1916, after a Norwegian purchase of the American Arctic Coal Company ....
, operating at Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
. When the integrity of Svalbard was threatened during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he volunteered for a military operation, but was killed in action during Operation Fritham
Operation Fritham
Operation Fritham was a Norwegian operation with the goal of securing the rich coal mines on Spitsbergen and denying its use to Nazi Germany.-The mission:...
.
Personal life and career
He was born in SolundSolund
Solund is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway, and the only municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county that is made up only of islands...
as the son of Johan Edvard Sverdrup
Edvard Sverdrup
Johan Edvard Sverdrup was a Norwegian educator, author and church leader. Edvard Sverdrup was one of the key theologian in the Church of Norway in the first few decades of the 1900s.-Biography:...
and his wife Agnes, née Vollan. His father was stationed in Solund as a vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
. Einar Sverdrup was the grandson of vicar and politician Harald Ulrik Sverdrup
Harald Ulrik Sverdrup (politician)
Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was a Norwegian priest and politician.He was born at Jarlsberg Manor in Vestfold. His brother Johan Sverdrup would found the Liberal Party and become Prime Minister of Norway in 1884....
, a grandnephew of Johan Sverdrup
Johan Sverdrup
Johan Sverdrup was a Norwegian politician from the Liberal Party. He was the first Prime Minister of Norway after the introduction of parliamentarism. Sverdrup was Prime Minister from 1884 to 1889.- Early years :...
, a nephew of politician Jakob Sverdrup and theologian Georg Sverdrup, a half brother of oceanographer Harald Ulrik Sverdrup, Jr., and a brother of engineer and military officer Leif Sverdrup and women's rights activist Mimi Sverdrup Lunden. On the maternal side he was a grandson of Ole Vollan
Ole Vollan
Ole Christiansen Vollan was a Norwegian educator, editor and politician for the Moderate Liberal Party.He was born in Austad. He finished his secondary education in 1856, and graduated with the cand.theol. degree in 1861. He started his professional life as a teacher in Bergen, Hammerfest and...
, and a first cousin of Harald
Harald Grieg
Harald Grieg was a Norwegian publisher.He was a relative of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Harald's brother Nordahl Grieg was a writer and an active member of the Free Norwegian Forces during the German occupation of Norway...
and Nordahl Grieg.
Einar Sverdrup studied to be a mining engineer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
in Trondhjem
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. In 1923 in Trondhjem he married Dagny Lorck. The couple had three children, and settled in Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
. Sverdrup eventually became the CEO of the Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani , or simply Store Norske, is a Norwegian coal mining company based on the Svalbard archipelago. It was formed in 1916, after a Norwegian purchase of the American Arctic Coal Company ....
, a Norwegian coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
company based in Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
.
World War II
Before Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
was executed on 22 June 1941, the Svalbard archipelago was treated as a "no man's land
No man's land
No man's land is a term for land that is unoccupied or is under dispute between parties that leave it unoccupied due to fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms...
". The mining was conducted and controlled by Norwegians and Soviets, but the authorities allowed coal transport to German-occupied
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
Northern Norway. After Operation Barbarossa, however, the attitude changed, and Svalbard was evacuated between July and August 1941. In September 1941, Einar Sverdrup travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Here, he became involved in a plan to retake Svalbard. He was soon singled out as leader of the operation, and was ranked Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
.
The operation was codenamed Operation Fritham
Operation Fritham
Operation Fritham was a Norwegian operation with the goal of securing the rich coal mines on Spitsbergen and denying its use to Nazi Germany.-The mission:...
. It started on 30 April 1942, when the ships SS Selis and SS Isbjørn departed from Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. Sverdrup was on board SS Isbjørn. The expedition reached Svalbard, but on 13 May, SS Isbjørn ship was sunk by German aircraft at Grønfjorden
Grønfjorden
Grønfjorden is a 16km long fjord, separated from Isfjorden to the north by Festningsodden in the west and Heerodden in the east. It lies within the western portion of Nordenskiöld Land...
, claiming the life of Sverdrup. He was posthumously decorated with the War Cross with Sword
War Cross with sword
The War Cross with Sword is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadership during combat. A recipient deemed worthy of additional citations will receive up to an additional two swords on the medal ribbon in addition to...
.