Konrad Sundlo
Encyclopedia
Konrad Sundlo was a Norwegian
officer
and politician in Nasjonal Samling before and during Second World War
. He was sentenced to life imprisonment during the prosecution of persons charged with treachery in Norway
after the war.
in 1902. He joined Nasjonal Samling in 1933, and was appointed commander of Infantry Regiment number 15 the same year.
came 9 April 1940, he was a colonel
and commander-in-chief for the Norwegian troops in Narvik
. When Vidkun Quisling
visited Adolf Hitler
in Berlin
autumn 1939, he had shown a letter from his fellow party member Sundlo, and ensured that a German operation in Narvik would be solved peacefully. The leader of Kriegsmarine
, Erich Raeder
, had then pressed forward to get bases in Norway, and in a directive to the Navy 6 March 1939, he ensured that they would not meet difficulties in Narvik. It is not known whether or not Sundlo was aware that his name being used this way, neither from Quisling or the German authorities' side.
After the surrender of Narvik
9 April 1940, Sundlo was considered a traitor of his divisional manager, general Carl Gustav Fleischer
. However, during the judicial settlement this was reduced to "negligent offences". Sundlo personally meant that he spared Narvik from annihilation by surrendering it. The Supreme Court gave him support and cleared him from the accusations. Regardless of this, he was still found guilty for a number of other situations during the time of occupation. He was stripped of his colonel position, and sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. Three of the eight judges voted for a death sentence. Sandlo was pardoned in 1952.
During the German occupation Sundlo was first the Rikshirdsjef from August 1940 to 1941. After that he became a Nazi
county governor of Oslo
for eight months, in Akershus
from 1943 to 1944 and at the end in Sogn og Fjordane
until the Liberation
.
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...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and politician in Nasjonal Samling before and during Second World War
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 was sentenced to life imprisonment during the prosecution of persons charged with treachery in Norway
Legal purge in Norway after World War II
When the occupation of Norway ended in May 1945, several thousand Norwegians and foreign citizens were tried and convicted for various acts that the occupying powers sanctioned...
after the war.
Background
Sundlo was educated as an officer and graduated from the Norwegian Military AcademyNorwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Army Academy was established in 1750. It is the oldest university-level educational institution in Norway, and one of the oldest active military academies in the world. Krigsskolen primarily educates officers for the Norwegian Army. There are separate academies for the Royal...
in 1902. He joined Nasjonal Samling in 1933, and was appointed commander of Infantry Regiment number 15 the same year.
Second World War
When the German attack on NorwayOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
came 9 April 1940, he was a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
and commander-in-chief for the Norwegian troops in Narvik
Narvik
is the third largest city and municipality in Nordland county, Norway by population. Narvik is located on the shores of the Narvik Fjord . The municipality is part of the Ofoten traditional region of North Norway, inside the arctic circle...
. When Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
visited Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
autumn 1939, he had shown a letter from his fellow party member Sundlo, and ensured that a German operation in Narvik would be solved peacefully. The leader of Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
, Erich Raeder
Erich Raeder
Erich Johann Albert Raeder was a naval leader in Germany before and during World War II. Raeder attained the highest possible naval rank—that of Großadmiral — in 1939, becoming the first person to hold that rank since Alfred von Tirpitz...
, had then pressed forward to get bases in Norway, and in a directive to the Navy 6 March 1939, he ensured that they would not meet difficulties in Narvik. It is not known whether or not Sundlo was aware that his name being used this way, neither from Quisling or the German authorities' side.
After the surrender of Narvik
Battles of Narvik
The Battles of Narvik were fought from 9 April-8 June 1940 as a naval battle in the Ofotfjord and as a land battle in the mountains surrounding the north Norwegian city of Narvik as part of the Norwegian Campaign of the Second World War....
9 April 1940, Sundlo was considered a traitor of his divisional manager, general Carl Gustav Fleischer
Carl Gustav Fleischer
Carl Gustav Fleischer KCB was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War...
. However, during the judicial settlement this was reduced to "negligent offences". Sundlo personally meant that he spared Narvik from annihilation by surrendering it. The Supreme Court gave him support and cleared him from the accusations. Regardless of this, he was still found guilty for a number of other situations during the time of occupation. He was stripped of his colonel position, and sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. Three of the eight judges voted for a death sentence. Sandlo was pardoned in 1952.
During the German occupation Sundlo was first the Rikshirdsjef from August 1940 to 1941. After that he became a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
county governor of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
for eight months, in Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
from 1943 to 1944 and at the end in Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
until the Liberation
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
.