Telavåg
Encyclopedia
Telavåg is a small village in the municipality
of Sund
, located 39 km south west of Bergen, Norway, with a population of about 600.
, Telavåg played an important role in the secret North Sea boat traffic
between Norway and Great Britain
. The village was the scene of the Telavåg Tragedy in the spring of 1942, during World War II
.
On April 26, 1942, after having discovered that some of the inhabitants of Telavåg were hiding two men from the Linge company
, Arne Meldal Værum and Emil Gustav Hvaal, the Gestapo
arrived to arrest the Norwegian officers. Shots were exchanged, and two prominent German Gestapo
officers (Kriminalrat Gerhard Berns and Kriminalsekretär Henry Bertram) were shot dead. Arne Værum was also killed in the incident. Emil Hvaal and his son were executed a few months later.
Reichskommissar Josef Terboven
personally oversaw the reaction, which was quick and brutal. As the villagers were watching, all buildings were destroyed, all boats were sunk or confiscated, and all livestock taken away. All men in the village were either executed or sent to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen
. Of the 72 who were deported from Telavåg, 31 were murdered in captivity. Women and children were imprisoned for two years. 18 Norwegian prisoners (unrelated to Telavåg) held at the Trandum internment camp were also executed as a reprisal. Though smaller in scale, this atrocity is often compared to similar events at Lidice
in the Czech Republic and Oradour-sur-Glane
in France.
, who as a central person in this traffic became known as "Shetland-Larsen". The Telavåg Tragedy exhibition shows how and why the local community Telavåg has a unique standing in the history of the occupation of Norway.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
of Sund
Sund, Norway
Sund is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Sund covers the southern part of the island of Store Sotra, west of Bergen, and many smaller, surrounding islands. The history of the municipality dates back to 1838, when Sund was first established as a formannskapsdistrikt, the precursor...
, located 39 km south west of Bergen, Norway, with a population of about 600.
Telavåg tragedy
During the occupation of Norway by Nazi GermanyOccupation 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...
, Telavåg played an important role in the secret North Sea boat traffic
Shetland bus
The Shetland Bus was the nickname of a clandestine special operations group that made a permanent link between Shetland, Scotland, and German-occupied Norway from 1941 until the German occupation ended on 8 May 1945. From mid-1942 the official name of the group was "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit"...
between Norway and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The village was the scene of the Telavåg Tragedy in the spring of 1942, 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...
.
On April 26, 1942, after having discovered that some of the inhabitants of Telavåg were hiding two men from the Linge company
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 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...
, Arne Meldal Værum and Emil Gustav Hvaal, the Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
arrived to arrest the Norwegian officers. Shots were exchanged, and two prominent German Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
officers (Kriminalrat Gerhard Berns and Kriminalsekretär Henry Bertram) were shot dead. Arne Værum was also killed in the incident. Emil Hvaal and his son were executed a few months later.
Reichskommissar Josef Terboven
Josef Terboven
Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven was a Nazi leader, best known as the Reichskommissar during the German occupation of Norway.-Early life:...
personally oversaw the reaction, which was quick and brutal. As the villagers were watching, all buildings were destroyed, all boats were sunk or confiscated, and all livestock taken away. All men in the village were either executed or sent to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
. Of the 72 who were deported from Telavåg, 31 were murdered in captivity. Women and children were imprisoned for two years. 18 Norwegian prisoners (unrelated to Telavåg) held at the Trandum internment camp were also executed as a reprisal. Though smaller in scale, this atrocity is often compared to similar events at Lidice
Lidice
Lidice is a village in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was on orders from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal...
in the Czech Republic and Oradour-sur-Glane
Oradour-sur-Glane
Oradour-sur-Glane is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Limousin region in west-central France.The original village was destroyed on 10 June 1944, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a German Waffen-SS company...
in France.
North Sea Maritime Museum
The North Sea Maritime Museum in Telavåg (Nordsjøfartmuseet i Televåg) was opened 26th April 1998. It is a modern building with a cinema theater seating 100 people and a conference room. The permanent exhibition of The North Sea Traffic Museum deals with the Telavåg tragedy. The museum also exhibits The North Sea Traffic and features Leif LarsenLeif Larsen
Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar , popularly known as ShetlandsLarsen, was a Norwegian sailor and the most highly decorated allied naval officer of World War II...
, who as a central person in this traffic became known as "Shetland-Larsen". The Telavåg Tragedy exhibition shows how and why the local community Telavåg has a unique standing in the history of the occupation of Norway.