Wanda Hjort Heger
Encyclopedia
Wanda Maria Heger is a Norwegian
social worker noted for her efforts to help Norwegian and other prisoners in Nazi concentration camps
during World War II
.
who co-founded the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling with Vidkun Quisling
in 1933. Hjort, however, broke with Nasjonal Samling in 1937 and became part of the Norwegian resistance movement
upon the German invasion
in 1940 and occupation
between 1940 and 1945. He was arrested at the personal order of Josef Terboven
and detained in Norway at Møllergata 19
and Grini and then sent to a prison in Berlin
. Thanks to intervention by German relatives, Hjort was confined to house arrest at a family estate near Brandenburg
called Groß Kreutz
on the condition that his entire family join him there.
While in Oslo, Wanda had assisted her father's law practice on behalf of prisoners held by Nazi authorities, and had also taken part in smuggling documents and supplies in and out of prisons there, especially Møllergata 19 and Grini.
and the Danish church in Berlin, learned about a growing population of Norwegian prisoners in Sachsenhausen
. She and her siblings packed backpacks with some food supplies and travelled by public transportation to the camp gate, telling the camp guards they had packages for the Norwegian prisoners. Among these supplies were two glass jars of potato salad. Since glass jars were in scarce supply, they said they would be back to pick up the empty jars in a week. This started a weekly routine that led to familiarity with the camp guards. Over time Wanda was able to gain access to the package sorting facility (Paketstelle) within the first perimeter of the camp, where she was able to pass messages with Norwegian prisoners who worked there, among them Kristian Ottosen
.
These messages, sometimes written on small notes, other times passed orally, enabled the Hjort family (who by now was also joined at Gross Kreutz by the family of former Sachsenhausen prisoner and the rector of the University of Oslo
, Didrik Arup Seip
) to compile complete and accurate lists of Norwegians held in captivity in Germany, including the all-important prisoner numbers. These lists were sent to the Norwegian government-in-exile in London and were also essential for the success of the Swedish Red Cross and Danish Red Cross White Buses
operation, in which she took an active part.
It is estimated that the White Buses operation saved 15,345 prisoners from mortal peril in concentration and prisoner camps; of these 7,795 were Scandinavian and 7,550 were non-Scandinavian.
During her weekly visits to Sachsenhausen she learned that some of the Norwegian prisoners had been transported to the Natzweiler
as Nacht und Nebel
prisoners. Under the pretext of visiting Norwegian students in Sennheim she obtained a travel visa to the Alsace
region. Aided in part by a letter she had received from Heinrich Himmler
through his brother Ernst Himmler in response to her complaint about having to go to Germany, she came close enough to the camp to confirm its existence and that Norwegian prisoners were held there.
Her book Hver fredag foran porten (Gyldendal, 1984, later editions 1995 and 2005) about the war years won the prize for being the best documentary book in 1984, and has been translated into German (Jeden Freitag vor dem Tor, Schneekluth, 1989) and French (Tous les vendredis devant le portail, Gaia, 2009).
She is now retired and continues to be active in education about the war years, serving on the board of the White Buses Foundation.
She has six children; among them is Anders Heger
.
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...
social worker noted for her efforts to help Norwegian and other prisoners in Nazi concentration camps
Nazi concentration camps
Nazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
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...
.
Background
Wanda Hjort was the oldest of Johan Bernhard Hjort's six children. J. B. Hjort was a noted lawyerLawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who co-founded the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling with 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...
in 1933. Hjort, however, broke with Nasjonal Samling in 1937 and became part of 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:...
upon the 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...
in 1940 and occupation
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...
between 1940 and 1945. He was arrested at the personal order of 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:...
and detained in Norway at Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19
Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here...
and Grini and then sent to a prison 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...
. Thanks to intervention by German relatives, Hjort was confined to house arrest at a family estate near Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
called Groß Kreutz
Groß Kreutz
Groß Kreutz is a municipality in the Potsdam-Mittelmark district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-References:...
on the condition that his entire family join him there.
While in Oslo, Wanda had assisted her father's law practice on behalf of prisoners held by Nazi authorities, and had also taken part in smuggling documents and supplies in and out of prisons there, especially Møllergata 19 and Grini.
Activities in Germany
Wanda reluctantly arrived in Germany where she, through contacts in the Norwegian seaman's church in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and the Danish church in Berlin, learned about a growing population of Norwegian prisoners in 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...
. She and her siblings packed backpacks with some food supplies and travelled by public transportation to the camp gate, telling the camp guards they had packages for the Norwegian prisoners. Among these supplies were two glass jars of potato salad. Since glass jars were in scarce supply, they said they would be back to pick up the empty jars in a week. This started a weekly routine that led to familiarity with the camp guards. Over time Wanda was able to gain access to the package sorting facility (Paketstelle) within the first perimeter of the camp, where she was able to pass messages with Norwegian prisoners who worked there, among them Kristian Ottosen
Kristian Ottosen
Kristian Ottosen was a Norwegian non-fiction writer and public servant.While still a student, he was also active in the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II and was imprisoned as a Nacht und Nebel inmate...
.
These messages, sometimes written on small notes, other times passed orally, enabled the Hjort family (who by now was also joined at Gross Kreutz by the family of former Sachsenhausen prisoner and the rector of the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, Didrik Arup Seip
Didrik Arup Seip
Didrik Arup Seip was Professor of North Germanic languages at the University of Oslo.He earned his doctorate in 1916 and was appointed professor the same year, retiring in 1954. Together with Herman Jæger, he edited and published the collected works of Henrik Wergeland in 23 volumes...
) to compile complete and accurate lists of Norwegians held in captivity in Germany, including the all-important prisoner numbers. These lists were sent to the Norwegian government-in-exile in London and were also essential for the success of the Swedish Red Cross and Danish Red Cross White Buses
White Buses
"White Buses" refers to a program undertaken by the Swedish Red Cross and the Danish government in the spring of 1945 to rescue concentration camp inmates in areas under Nazi control and transport them to Sweden, a neutral country...
operation, in which she took an active part.
It is estimated that the White Buses operation saved 15,345 prisoners from mortal peril in concentration and prisoner camps; of these 7,795 were Scandinavian and 7,550 were non-Scandinavian.
During her weekly visits to Sachsenhausen she learned that some of the Norwegian prisoners had been transported to the Natzweiler
Natzweiler-Struthof
Natzweiler-Struthof was a German concentration camp located in the Vosges Mountains close to the Alsatian village of Natzwiller in France, and the town of Schirmeck, about 50 km south west from the city of Strasbourg....
as Nacht und Nebel
Nacht und Nebel
Nacht und Nebel was a directive of Adolf Hitler on 7 December 1941 signed and implemented by Armed Forces High Command Chief Wilhelm Keitel, resulting in the kidnapping and forced disappearance of many political activists and resistance 'helpers' throughout Nazi Germany's occupied...
prisoners. Under the pretext of visiting Norwegian students in Sennheim she obtained a travel visa to the Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
region. Aided in part by a letter she had received from Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
through his brother Ernst Himmler in response to her complaint about having to go to Germany, she came close enough to the camp to confirm its existence and that Norwegian prisoners were held there.
Her book Hver fredag foran porten (Gyldendal, 1984, later editions 1995 and 2005) about the war years won the prize for being the best documentary book in 1984, and has been translated into German (Jeden Freitag vor dem Tor, Schneekluth, 1989) and French (Tous les vendredis devant le portail, Gaia, 2009).
Post-war years
Immediately after the war ended in 1945, she married Bjørn Heger, a Norwegian medical student released from a prison in Berlin, at the seaman's church in Hamburg. She earned a degree in social work and pursued a career helping female inmates in Norwegian prisons. In 1985, both Wanda and Bjørn Heger were awarded the Order of St. Olav for their humanitarian war-time efforts.She is now retired and continues to be active in education about the war years, serving on the board of the White Buses Foundation.
She has six children; among them is Anders Heger
Anders Heger
Anders Heger is a Norwegian publisher and writer, and is one of the six children of Wanda Hjort Heger and Bjørn Heger.In 1982, Heger started Radio Nova, the first student radio in Norway...
.