Norwegian Independent Company 1
Encyclopedia
Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced as Norisén in Norwegian) was a British SOE
group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
. It was organized under the leadership of Captain Martin Linge
. It soon became a pool of talent for a variety of special operations in Norway.
Their initial raids in 1941 were to Lofoten
(Operation Claymore
) and Måløy
(Operation Archery
), where Martin Linge was killed. Their best known raids were probably the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
. Other raids included the Thamshavnbanen sabotage
. In the capital area, the Oslogjengen
carried out several sabotage missions. In cooperation with Milorg
, the Norwegian resistance organisation, communication lines with London
were gradually improved during the war, so that by 1945, 64 radio operators were spread throughout Norway.
According to Mitt liv, the autobiography of Max Manus
(1995. N.W. Damm), the Linge Company was for a time counted amongst the most decorated military forces in the United Kingdom
during World War II
. The veterans from the company were also amongst the first to welcome King Haakon
home. A total of 530 Norwegians served in NOR.I.C.1, of whom 57 lost their lives.
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
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...
. It was organized under the leadership of Captain Martin Linge
Martin Linge
Martin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
. It soon became a pool of talent for a variety of special operations in Norway.
History
The original English administrative title did not have much resonance in Norwegian and they soon became better known as Kompani Linge (Linge's Company). Martin Linge's death early in the war came to enhance the title, which became formalised as Lingekompaniet in his honor.Their initial raids in 1941 were to Lofoten
Lofoten
Lofoten is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Though lying within the Arctic Circle, the archipelago experiences one of the world's largest elevated temperature anomalies relative to its high latitude.-Etymology:...
(Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore
Operation Claymore was the codename for a British Commandos raid on the Lofoten Islands in Norway during the Second World War. The Lofoten Islands were an important center for the production of fish oil and glycerine, used in the German war industry. The landings were carried out on 4 March 1941,...
) and Måløy
Måløy
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvik and about south of Raudeberg. The Måløybrua connects the town to the village of...
(Operation Archery
Operation Archery
Operation Archery, also known as the Vaagso Raid, was a British Combined Operations raid during World War II against German positions on Vaagso Island , Norway, on 27 December 1941....
), where Martin Linge was killed. Their best known raids were probably the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
. Other raids included the Thamshavnbanen sabotage
Thamshavnbanen sabotage
The Thamshavn Line sabotage was a series of sabotages against the railway Thamshavn Line in Orkdal, Norway during World War II. There were four separate sabotages, all performed by Company Linge in an attempt by the Norwegian resistance to prevent Germany from getting the pyrites that were being...
. In the capital area, the Oslogjengen
Oslogjengen
Oslogjengen was a sabotage group operating in Oslo from May 1944 to May 1945, during the last year of the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. The group had its basis in both the British Special Operations Executive and the Norwegian Milorg, was coordinated by Gunnar Sønsteby, and had around ten...
carried out several sabotage missions. In cooperation with Milorg
Milorg
Milorg was the main Norwegian resistance movement in World War II....
, the Norwegian resistance organisation, communication lines with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
were gradually improved during the war, so that by 1945, 64 radio operators were spread throughout Norway.
According to Mitt liv, the autobiography of Max Manus
Max Manus
Maximo Guillermo "Max" Manus DSO, MC & Bar was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II.Manus was born in Bergen to a Norwegian father and a Danish mother...
(1995. N.W. Damm), the Linge Company was for a time counted amongst the most decorated military forces in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
. The veterans from the company were also amongst the first to welcome King Haakon
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
home. A total of 530 Norwegians served in NOR.I.C.1, of whom 57 lost their lives.
Members
- Alf Aakre
- Jan Allan
- Johannes S. AndersenJohannes S. AndersenJohannes Sigfred Andersen was a Norwegian resistance fighter during the Second World War, a member of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 . He was nicknamed "Gulosten"; 'The Yellow Cheese'. He also used the surname Ostein during the war...
- Odd Andersen
- Svein BlindheimSvein BlindheimSvein Blindheim is a Norwegian military officer, known for his resistance work during World War II. He participated in the Norwegian Campaign, and was later a member of the Special Operations Executive branch called Norwegian Independent Company 1. He initiated and was the first leader of the...
- Jan BaalsrudJan BaalsrudJan Sigurd Baalsrud, MBE was a commando in the Norwegian resistance trained by the British during World War II.- Early life :...
- Erik Gjems-OnstadErik Gjems-OnstadErik-Ørn Gjems-Onstad, MBE was a Norwegian resistance member, officer, lawyer, politician and anti-immigration activist. When Nazi Germany invaded Norway in 1940, Gjems-Onstad travelled to England to join the Norwegian resistance movement...
- Gregers GramGregers GramGregers Winther Wulfsberg Gram MC MM was a Norwegian resistance fighter and saboteur. A corporal and later second lieutenant in the Norwegian Independent Company 1 during the Second World War, he was killed in 1944....
- Evald Hansen
- Nils Uhlin HansenNils Uhlin HansenNils Uhlin Hansen was a Norwegian long jumper and resistance member during World War II. He had a successful athletics career before the war; holding the Nordic record in the event...
- Knut HauglandKnut HauglandKnut Magne Haugland, DSO, MM, was a resistance fighter and noted explorer from Norway who accompanied Thor Heyerdahl on his famous 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition.-Early life and World War II:...
- Knut HaukelidKnut HaukelidKnut Haukelid was a Norwegian resistance movement soldier during World War II, most notable for participating in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage...
- Claus HelbergClaus HelbergClaus Helberg was a Norwegian resistance fighter and mountain guide. He was a member of Company Linge, a resistance commando unit that was best known for carrying out Norwegian heavy water sabotage during World War II. After the war, he worked for the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association...
- Kasper IdlandKasper IdlandKasper Idland MM, was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II.-Early life and education:He was born in Figgjo, the second child of Karsten og Gudrun Berg Idland, and had seven siblings. He graduated as an army sergeant in 1937, after 3½ years at Hærens underoffisersskole at Gimlemoen,...
- Fredrik KayserFredrik KayserFredrik Thorbjørn Kayser, MM was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He was especially noted for his role in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, and has been referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby"....
- Arne KjelstrupArne KjelstrupArne Kjelstrup, MM was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943, and for being military leader of Milorg section D-161 during the anti-demolition operation Sunshine 1944–1945.-Personal life:Kjelstrup was...
- Jan BaalsrudJan BaalsrudJan Sigurd Baalsrud, MBE was a commando in the Norwegian resistance trained by the British during World War II.- Early life :...
- Jan Herman LingeJan Herman LingeJan Herman Linge was a Norwegian engineer and boat designer. He was the son of Martin Linge, known for his war effort in Kompani Linge.-Early life and career:Linge was born in Oslo in 1922...
- Martin LingeMartin LingeMartin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
- Max ManusMax ManusMaximo Guillermo "Max" Manus DSO, MC & Bar was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II.Manus was born in Bergen to a Norwegian father and a Danish mother...
- Alf MallandAlf MallandAlf Malland was a Norwegian actor. He appeared in 42 films and television shows between 1949 and 1987. He starred in the film Struggle for Eagle Peak, which was entered into the 10th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Nine Lives * Struggle for Eagle Peak * Cold Tracks * One...
- Martin OlsenMartin OlsenMartin Carl Sofus Olsen was a Danish boxer who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.He was born in Sundby, Copenhagen and died in Copenhagen....
- Herluf Nygaard
- Arthur Pevik
- Johnny Pevik
- Jens-Anton PoulssonJens-Anton PoulssonJens-Anton Poulsson DSO, was a Norwegian military officer. During the World War II he was a Norwegian resistance member, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943...
- Birger Rasmussen
- Joachim RønnebergJoachim RønnebergJoachim Holmboe Rønneberg, DSO is a retired Norwegian officer and broadcaster. He is known for his resistance work during World War II and his post-war war information work.-Personal life:...
- Einar SkinnarlandEinar SkinnarlandEinar Skinnarland DCM was a Norwegian resistance fighter during the Second World War.Einar Skinnarland was born in Vinje, in Telemark county, Norway...
- Ingebjørg Skoghaug
- Odd StarheimOdd StarheimOdd Kjell Starheim, DSO was a Norwegian resistance fighter and SOE agent during the Second World War. He died when a Norwegian ship he had captured off the coast of Norway was sunk by German bombers on its way back to the United Kingdom.-Early life:Born in Lista, Vest-Agder, Odd Starheim was the...
- Inge SteenslandInge SteenslandInge Steensland was a Norwegian resistance leader and shipping magnate. As a member of Kompani Linge, he participated in several commando raids during the German occupation of Norway, and was also part of the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944...
- Hans Storhaug
- Eskil Stuve
- Gunnar SønstebyGunnar SønstebyGunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby DSO was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II...
- Edvard TallaksenEdvard TallaksenJohan Edvard Tallaksen was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II, as an ensign in the Oslo Gang and Norwegian Independent Company 1.-Early life:...
- Anton Telnes
- Ragnar UlsteinRagnar Ulstein-Early life and World War II:Ulstein was born in Ulstein, Sunnmøre, as the son of Johannes Olsson Ulstein and Borghild Strand . He finished his secondary education at Volda in June 1940. Later that year he fled to the United Kingdom due to World War II and the German occupation of Norway...
- Knut WigertKnut WigertKnut Wigert was a Norwegian actor, known for his many Ibsen roles and the establishment of an Ibsen museum in Oslo.-Personal life:...
- Karl Johan Aarsæther
- Knut Aarsæther
- Olav Aarsæther
Operation Seagull agents
- Cpl. Sverre GranlundSverre GranlundCorporal Sverre Granlund was a Norwegian commando during the Second World War.-Early life and World War II:He was born in Sauherad, to a father from Øyer and a mother from Høyland. He lived initially in Saltdal and later, Bodø. His job was at the Nordland Line...
- had also served as a commando during Operation MusketoonOperation MusketoonOperation Musketoon was the codeword for an Anglo-Norwegian raid in the Second World War. The operation was mounted against the German-held Glomfjord power plant in Norway between 11–21 September 1942.... - Sgt. Thorlief Daniel Grong
- Lt. Per Getz
- Pte. Eivind Dahl Eriksen
- Pte. Hans Rohde Hansen
- Tobias Skog
Telavåg agents
- Emil Gustav Hvaal (codename Anchor)
- Arne Vaerum (codename Penguin)
Sources
- Jensen, Erling; Ratvik, Per; Ulstein, Ragnar (1995) Kompani Linge (Oslo: LibriArte) ISBN 82-445-0057-3
- Manus, Max (1995) Mitt liv (N.W. Damm) ISBN 978-8251793995