Lysaker Bridge sabotage
Encyclopedia
The Lysaker Bridge sabotage was a sabotage
action in World War II
which occurred in Norway
on the night between 13 and 14 April 1940 when a bridge at Lysaker
, near Oslo
, was blown up.
and Oslo
(in 1940: Bærum and Aker
). The Drammen Line railway crosses Lysakerelva with its own bridge at Lysaker, as does the European route E18
highway. The highway is the main connection between Oslo and western parts of Norway.
On 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany
invaded then-neutral Norway in Operation Weserübung
. Oslo Airport, Fornebu
, situated very close to Lysaker, was especially crucial in the quick attack, while the highway was crucial to German troop transport. Also on 9 April, Nazi Vidkun Quisling
staged a coup d'etat
.
and brothers Leif Moe and Kåre Moe blew up the bridge at Lysaker. According to Reed Olsen's memoirs, the saboteurs had been recruited by British intelligence and were part of a coordinated action against four bridges north of Oslo. The goal was to relieve the German pressure on the Norwegian front lines and allow a respite for new position to be established. The saboteurs were accustomed to using dynamite for civilian purposes, but had no saboteur training. The action, using some 30 kg of stolen dynamite, blew a hole in the roadway of the bridge and rendered it temporarily impassable for traffic. The actions against the other bridges, one between Drammen
and Hønefoss
, and two more at Sandvika
, were exposed in the preparatory phase and two men arrested by the Germans.
The incident was linked to a speech made by J. H. Marshall-Cornwall in BBC
the day before, in which he encouraged Norwegians to destroy telephone and road connections. The reason why this particular bridge was chosen, was an amassing of Norwegian volunteer troops near Sollihøgda
west of Oslo. German troops were concentrated in Oslo, and a military excursion to the woody areas around Sollihøgda could be imminent.
. This council consisted of a group of prominent men who had come together already on 12 April to discuss a Norwegian administration without Vidkun Quisling
. Then, on 14 April, Supreme Court Justice Paal Berg, County Governor Ingolf Elster Christensen and Bishop Eivind Berggrav
appeared in the now Nazi-controlled Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio to lament the sabotage. Their messages were recorded and rerun throughout the day, and contained calls to cease violent resistance. The official Broadcasting Corporation policy since the Nazi usurping was similar: to spread a calm attitude in the people. Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
also spoke in Norwegian radio, and blamed English broadcasts for stirring up a sentiment and will to sabotage in the Norwegian people. The same attitude was conveyed by Edvard Sylou-Creutz
in his Norwegian-language broadcast from German soil.
Germans also faced the fact that they actively had to promote more cooperation with the existing establishment than did Quisling. Curt Bräuer
was instrumental in installing the Administrative Council, though he promised Adolf Hitler
that Quisling would be a part of it. The Administrative Council replaced Quisling's coup government already on the next day, 15 April. Ingolf Elster Christensen chaired it. However, it became short-lived. Bräuer was fired for not securing Quisling a seat, and the Reichskommissariat Norwegen
took over, disestablishing the council on 25 September.
For the Norwegian resistance movement
in general, the bridge sabotage showed a possible path of action. Official Norwegian (government in exile) policy was to be careful with sabotage; this was essentially given up later, in 1944. Many other groups conducted organized sabotage from an earlier point.
Perpetrators Reed-Olsen and Kåre Moe had to flee Norway; this happened by boat from Bestumkilen
on 2 September.
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
action in 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...
which occurred in Norway
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...
on the night between 13 and 14 April 1940 when a bridge at Lysaker
Lysaker
Lysaker is a section of and a postal code area of the Norwegian municipality of Bærum, just west of Oslo.Geographically, it is bordered by Lysakerelven on the east, which also forms the border to Oslo; Fornebu to the south; Stabekk to the west; and Jar to the north...
, near 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...
, was blown up.
Background
Lysaker was, and still is, an important transport hub situated near the mouth of the river Lysakerelva, which forms the border between BærumBærum
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....
and 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...
(in 1940: Bærum and Aker
Aker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
). The Drammen Line railway crosses Lysakerelva with its own bridge at Lysaker, as does the European route E18
European route E18
European route E18 runs from Craigavon in the United Kingdom to Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It is about 1,890 km in length.-United Kingdom:...
highway. The highway is the main connection between Oslo and western parts of Norway.
On 9 April 1940, Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invaded then-neutral Norway in Operation Weserübung
Operation 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...
. Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu
Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the main airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at Fornebu in Bærum, from the city center. Fornebu had two runways, one...
, situated very close to Lysaker, was especially crucial in the quick attack, while the highway was crucial to German troop transport. Also on 9 April, Nazi 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...
staged a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
.
Incident
The sabotage occurred on the night between 13 and 14 April 1940, when Oluf Reed-OlsenOluf Reed-Olsen
Oluf Bernhard Reed-Olsen was a Norwegian resistance member and pilot during World War II. As a resistance member he is best known for the Lysaker Bridge sabotage as well as operating illegal radio transmitters. After the war he was a businessman and Scouting leader...
and brothers Leif Moe and Kåre Moe blew up the bridge at Lysaker. According to Reed Olsen's memoirs, the saboteurs had been recruited by British intelligence and were part of a coordinated action against four bridges north of Oslo. The goal was to relieve the German pressure on the Norwegian front lines and allow a respite for new position to be established. The saboteurs were accustomed to using dynamite for civilian purposes, but had no saboteur training. The action, using some 30 kg of stolen dynamite, blew a hole in the roadway of the bridge and rendered it temporarily impassable for traffic. The actions against the other bridges, one between Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
and Hønefoss
Hønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...
, and two more at Sandvika
Sandvika
is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a city by the municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003.Sandvika is situated approximately west of Oslo. It is the main transportation hub for Western Bærum, and has a combined bus and railway station. Sandvika is...
, were exposed in the preparatory phase and two men arrested by the Germans.
The incident was linked to a speech made by J. H. Marshall-Cornwall in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
the day before, in which he encouraged Norwegians to destroy telephone and road connections. The reason why this particular bridge was chosen, was an amassing of Norwegian volunteer troops near Sollihøgda
Sollihøgda
Sollihøgda is a village in Hole municipality, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. It is situated near the border with the municipality of Bærum, in the county of Akershus, 28 km from Oslo....
west of Oslo. German troops were concentrated in Oslo, and a military excursion to the woody areas around Sollihøgda could be imminent.
Consequences
The sabotage contributed to the surfacing of the Administrative CouncilAdministrative Council (Norway)
The Administrative Council was a council established by the Supreme Court to govern Norway. The council was established on 15 April 1940, replacing Quisling's First Cabinet, and sat until 25 September, when it was replaced by the Reichskommissariat Norwegen headed by Josef Terboven. The council...
. This council consisted of a group of prominent men who had come together already on 12 April to discuss a Norwegian administration without 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...
. Then, on 14 April, Supreme Court Justice Paal Berg, County Governor Ingolf Elster Christensen and Bishop Eivind Berggrav
Eivind Berggrav
Eivind Josef Berggrav was a Norwegian Lutheran bishop, primarily known as Primate of the Church of Norway and remembered for his unyielding resistance against the Nazi occupation of Norway during World War II.-Background:Berggrav was born in Stavanger, Norway...
appeared in the now Nazi-controlled Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio to lament the sabotage. Their messages were recorded and rerun throughout the day, and contained calls to cease violent resistance. The official Broadcasting Corporation policy since the Nazi usurping was similar: to spread a calm attitude in the people. Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
Nikolaus von Falkenhorst was a German General who planned Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Denmark and Norway in 1940...
also spoke in Norwegian radio, and blamed English broadcasts for stirring up a sentiment and will to sabotage in the Norwegian people. The same attitude was conveyed by Edvard Sylou-Creutz
Edvard Sylou-Creutz
Edvard Sylou-Creutz was a Norwegian classical pianist, composer and radio personality, who was especially active in Nazi-controlled radio in Germany and occupied Norway between March 1940 and the autumn of 1942....
in his Norwegian-language broadcast from German soil.
Germans also faced the fact that they actively had to promote more cooperation with the existing establishment than did Quisling. Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer
Curt Bräuer was a German career diplomat.Born in Breslau, in what is modern-day Poland, Bräuer entered service in the German foreign ministry in 1920. At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, Bräuer was posted at the German embassy in Paris. Later that year, Bräuer was named as envoy to...
was instrumental in installing the Administrative Council, though he promised 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...
that Quisling would be a part of it. The Administrative Council replaced Quisling's coup government already on the next day, 15 April. Ingolf Elster Christensen chaired it. However, it became short-lived. Bräuer was fired for not securing Quisling a seat, and the Reichskommissariat Norwegen
Reichskommissariat Norwegen
The Reichskommissariat Norwegen, literally "Reich Commissariat of Norway", was the civilian occupation regime set up by Nazi Germany in German-occupied Norway during World War II. Its full title in German was the Reichskommissariat für die besetzten norwegischen Gebiete...
took over, disestablishing the council on 25 September.
For the Norwegian resistance movement
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
in general, the bridge sabotage showed a possible path of action. Official Norwegian (government in exile) policy was to be careful with sabotage; this was essentially given up later, in 1944. Many other groups conducted organized sabotage from an earlier point.
Perpetrators Reed-Olsen and Kåre Moe had to flee Norway; this happened by boat from Bestumkilen
Bestumkilen
Bestumkilen is a bay in Lysakerfjorden in the inner Oslofjord.Located west of the Bygdøy peninsula and east of Vækerø, it is bordered by the islet Killingen in the southwest and the mouth of the river Hoffselva at Sjølyst in the northeast. It was formerly known, together with Frognerkilen, under...
on 2 September.