Oluf Reed-Olsen
Encyclopedia
Oluf Bernhard Reed-Olsen (8 July 1918 – 14 October 2002) 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. He wrote books and contributed to a film based on his war experience.
. He grew up in Bestum
and graduated from middle school at Ullern
in 1934. He then took commerce school and took pilot education in the airline Widerøe's Flyveselskap
.
reached Norway with a Nazi German invasion
on 9 April 1940, he started resistance work on the same day. On the night between 13 and 14 April he famously blew up the Lysaker Bridge
together with Kåre Moe and Leif Moe. This sabotage had national-level repercussions, in that it contributed to the surfacing of the Administrative Council
on the next day. The Nazis soon took control over Norway
, and Reed-Olsen and Kåre Moe was tasked to photograph and spy on German installments, most importantly at Oslo Airport, Fornebu
. Reed-Olsen had easier access around town because he had joined the civil firefighting squad of Furulund as a team leader, and owned a motorbike. They were caught after breaking into a crashed aircraft at Fornebu. Although the Germans did not know the nature of their actions, they were apprehended and sent to Oslo. However, at Lysaker Bridge the lorry slowed down because of the bridge damage, and the two escaped from the lorry, jumped into Lysakerelva, swam further down and eventually careered to their homes. The two fled Norway by boat from Bestumkilen
on 2 September. Reed-Olsen bought the boat after selling his motorbike. They first sailed down the Norwegian coast, and picked up a third man Rolf Gabrielsen whom they met in Mandal. They finally left for the United Kingdom from Farsund
on 14 September. According to Reed-Olsen, they had almost reached the Aberdeen
district when the wind turned and brought them as far east as Jutland
. After the wind turned again, they almost reached the Thames, when on 29 September they were picked up by the British destroyer HMS Bedouin. After an excursion when the ship had to salvage crashed pilots (one of five was alive), the Norwegians set foot in Edinburgh
on 4 October.
. They reported at the Norwegian recruiting office, spent one month in the city before leaving for Canada via Scotland, on the ocean liner SS Duchess of Richmond. They reached Toronto
and was drafted into the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
. They were stationed on the Norwegian steamship Iris before the training camp Little Norway
opened, and then about three months at Toronto Flying Club before finally going to Little Norway. Reed-Olsen graduated from the air force academy there in 1941. They then went on a fourteen day boat trip from Halifax, Canada via England and Scotland to Iceland
.
He served in the No. 330 Squadron RAF. From 1942 he underwent training in intelligence
, telegraphy
and parachuting
. On 20 April 1943 he was paradropped over Eiker
, from whence he bicycled to Southern Norway. He performed intelligence radio broadcasts from the Birkenes
district and elsewhere. He served the Secret Intelligence Service
. In the autumn of 1943 he operated the radio station codenamed Meton in Lommedalen
together with Hjelm Waage Thurn-Basberg
, with whom he had worked in Southern Norway. Meton was one of nine illegal transmitters in Bærum
; four of these belonged to the Secret Intelligence Service. It was also transmitted from Kolsås
for a short time.
Both Reed-Olsen and Thurn-Basberg fled to England via Sweden shortly thereafter. Reed-Olsen then had another stay in Norway before going to Canada again. In 1944 he married Joan Whiteside in Toronto
. Lastly, he went on a fundraiser
tour in the United States for the post-war rebuilding of Norway. For his efforts he was decorated with the War Cross With Sword
and the Distinguished Service Cross
.
(as a Captain), then the civil companies Det Norske Luftfartsselskap and Norsk Brændselolje before becoming an independent businessman. He also dedicated himself to Scouting
, arranged summer camps at Håøya
and was a board member of the Norwegian Guide and Scout Association. He chronicled his war experiences in the books Contact (1946, reissued 1983) and Vi kommer igjen (1953). The first book was made into the motion picture Kontakt in 1956, with Reed-Olsen contributing as a screenwriter and actor. He died in October 2002 in Oslo.
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:...
member and pilot 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...
. As a resistance member he is best known for the Lysaker Bridge sabotage
Lysaker Bridge sabotage
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.-Background:...
as well as operating illegal radio transmitters. After the war he was a businessman and Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
leader. He wrote books and contributed to a film based on his war experience.
Early life
He was born in AkerAker, 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...
. He grew up in Bestum
Bestum
Bestum is a neighbourhood in Ullern in Oslo, Norway. Before the residential area arose, Bestum was mainly an agricultural area. The name origins from the middle ages. Bestum was served by a station named "Bestun" and the tram stop Bestum, but both are now closed. The residential houses in the area...
and graduated from middle school at Ullern
Ullern
Ullern is an affluent borough of the city of Oslo, Norway.- History :The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse Ullarin. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is vin, meaning pasture or meadow. In Medieval times, the farm belonged to the...
in 1934. He then took commerce school and took pilot education in the airline Widerøe's Flyveselskap
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
.
Sabotage and escape
When World War IIWorld 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...
reached Norway with a Nazi German invasion
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...
on 9 April 1940, he started resistance work on the same day. On the night between 13 and 14 April he famously blew up the Lysaker Bridge
Lysaker Bridge sabotage
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.-Background:...
together with Kåre Moe and Leif Moe. This sabotage had national-level repercussions, in that it contributed to the surfacing of the Administrative Council
Administrative 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...
on the next day. The Nazis soon took control over Norway
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...
, and Reed-Olsen and Kåre Moe was tasked to photograph and spy on German installments, most importantly at 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...
. Reed-Olsen had easier access around town because he had joined the civil firefighting squad of Furulund as a team leader, and owned a motorbike. They were caught after breaking into a crashed aircraft at Fornebu. Although the Germans did not know the nature of their actions, they were apprehended and sent to Oslo. However, at Lysaker Bridge the lorry slowed down because of the bridge damage, and the two escaped from the lorry, jumped into Lysakerelva, swam further down and eventually careered to their homes. The two fled Norway 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. Reed-Olsen bought the boat after selling his motorbike. They first sailed down the Norwegian coast, and picked up a third man Rolf Gabrielsen whom they met in Mandal. They finally left for the United Kingdom from Farsund
Farsund
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Farsund was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 , although already recognized as a trading center in 1795...
on 14 September. According to Reed-Olsen, they had almost reached the Aberdeen
Aberdeen
Aberdeen is Scotland's third most populous city, one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas and the United Kingdom's 25th most populous city, with an official population estimate of ....
district when the wind turned and brought them as far east as Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
. After the wind turned again, they almost reached the Thames, when on 29 September they were picked up by the British destroyer HMS Bedouin. After an excursion when the ship had to salvage crashed pilots (one of five was alive), the Norwegians set foot in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 4 October.
Air service and intelligence
They soon travelled to LondonLondon
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...
. They reported at the Norwegian recruiting office, spent one month in the city before leaving for Canada via Scotland, on the ocean liner SS Duchess of Richmond. They reached Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and was drafted into the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
The Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service was alongside the Norwegian Army Air Service the forerunner to the modern-day Royal Norwegian Air Force.- History :...
. They were stationed on the Norwegian steamship Iris before the training camp Little Norway
Little Norway
The Flyvåpnenes Treningsleir , the official name) or "Little Norway" was a Norwegian Army Air Service/Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in Canada during the Second World War.-Origins:...
opened, and then about three months at Toronto Flying Club before finally going to Little Norway. Reed-Olsen graduated from the air force academy there in 1941. They then went on a fourteen day boat trip from Halifax, Canada via England and Scotland to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
He served in the No. 330 Squadron RAF. From 1942 he underwent training in intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, telegraphy
Telegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
and parachuting
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
. On 20 April 1943 he was paradropped over Eiker
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.-History:Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker . The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county....
, from whence he bicycled to Southern Norway. He performed intelligence radio broadcasts from the Birkenes
Birkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...
district and elsewhere. He served the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
. In the autumn of 1943 he operated the radio station codenamed Meton in Lommedalen
Lommedalen
Lommedalen is a picturesque, rural community in a small valley in Bærum municipality, in the county of Akershus, Norway. The population is about 3000 people. Its name is derived from the river Lomma, which, after joining with Isielva, forms Sandvikselva. Another explantion of the name, is by the...
together with Hjelm Waage Thurn-Basberg
Hjelm Waage Thurn-Basberg
Hjelm Waage Thurn-Basberg was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He fled Norway twice due to his resistance to the German occupation, but returned both times to work with intelligence for the British Secret Intelligence Service .-World War II:Thurn-Basberg was born in Kristiania...
, with whom he had worked in Southern Norway. Meton was one of nine illegal transmitters 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....
; four of these belonged to the Secret Intelligence Service. It was also transmitted from Kolsås
Kolsås
Kolsås is a wooded mountain ridge in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Geologically, Kolsås belongs to the Oslo Graben area. Its two peaks consist of hard rhomb porphyric lava covering softer rocks, forming steep cliffs to the east, south and west....
for a short time.
Both Reed-Olsen and Thurn-Basberg fled to England via Sweden shortly thereafter. Reed-Olsen then had another stay in Norway before going to Canada again. In 1944 he married Joan Whiteside in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Lastly, he went on a fundraiser
Fundraiser
A fundraiser is an event or campaign whose primary purpose is to raise money for a cause. See also: fundraising. A fundraiser can also be an individual or company whose primary job is to raise money for a specific charity or non-profit organization...
tour in the United States for the post-war rebuilding of Norway. For his efforts he was 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...
and the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
.
Post-war life
After the war he worked for the Royal Norwegian Air ForceRoyal Norwegian Air Force
The Royal Norwegian Air Force is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian armed forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peace force is approximately 1,430 employees . 600 personnel also serve their draft period in the RNoAF...
(as a Captain), then the civil companies Det Norske Luftfartsselskap and Norsk Brændselolje before becoming an independent businessman. He also dedicated himself to Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, arranged summer camps at Håøya
Håøya, Telemark
Håøya is an island in Langesundfjorden in Porsgrunn municipality, Norway.Its area is 2.4 km². It is known among others from summer camps arranged by Oluf Reed-Olsen.- References :...
and was a board member of the Norwegian Guide and Scout Association. He chronicled his war experiences in the books Contact (1946, reissued 1983) and Vi kommer igjen (1953). The first book was made into the motion picture Kontakt in 1956, with Reed-Olsen contributing as a screenwriter and actor. He died in October 2002 in Oslo.
Honours and awards
- War Cross with swordWar Cross with swordThe 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...
(1944) - Norwegian War MedalNorwegian War MedalThe War Medal is a Norwegian war decoration for service during Second World War.The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decree on 23 May 1941 with the addition of the Royal Decree of 13 November 1942. It may be awarded to Norwegian and foreign members of the...
- Defence Medal 1940–1945 with rosette
- Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...