Posts under "WWII"

Binders-the story of the paper clip in Norway

Posted by kari 4 Comments
Jun 13 2011

You have to admit, the binders (paper clip) is one of the greatest oppfinnelser (inventions) ever.  If you work in an office environment or you are in school, you are well aware of the convenience of the binders.  When I started taking Norwegian classes, I learned that this office essential was invented and patented by a Norwegian.  His name was Johan Vaaler (1866-1910).  Vaaler, a Norwegian who held a degree in electronics, science, and mathematics worked for Kristiania´s Alfred J. Bryns Patentkontor, a patent office in Norway.  Instead of seeking a patent in his small home country, he obtained a patent in Germany in 1899 and in the U.S. in 1901.

Johan Vaaler

The modern Gem style paperclip as we know it today was actually invented prior to Vaaler´s invention of the more simple style as shown below.

Vaaler´s design is much less effective as the Gem-style paperclip:

As you can see, Vaaler´s binders lacks the extra inside curve which allows paper to be easily placed between the wires.  Vaaler´s binders was never manufactured or marketed, but it gained national attention in Norway and to this day, Norwegians still believe one of their countrymen invented this object.

In World War II, much like the French had done previously, Norwegians wore a binders in their lapel to signify solidarity and unity during the German occupation.  The Nazis had forbidden the Norwegians to wear a flag pin or any sort of symbol that illustrated King Haakon VII.

In 1989, a giant (7 meter high) binders was erected at the Business School (BI) in Sandvika, Norway to commemorate Vaaler´s supposed oppfinnelse.

In 1999, 100 years after Vaaler received the patent for his binders in Germany, a Norwegian stamp was created with the binders on it to commemorate this apparent Norwegian oppfinnelse.

Further yet, in 2005, Norsk Biogfrafisk Leksikon (The Norwegian Biographical Lexicon), presented Vaaler as the inventor of the binders.

It is not only Norwegians who falsely believe that one of their own people invented the binders.  In Tennessee, an American school teacher unknowingly used this myth to demonstrate a history lesson about the Holocaust.  She started the Paper Clips Project, a project to collect 6 million binders to symbolize the death of 6 million Jews.  This teacher at Whitwell Middles School mistakenly interpreted the use of the binders in Norwgians´lapels during WWII as a symbol of support for the Jewish people.  This was not the case.  The binders in their lapel was rather a symbol of Norwegian unity against together against the Nazis.

Despite the inaccurate claim that a Norwegian invented the binders, the myth has been used in positive ways and has done no harm.

There aren´t very many things that the Norwegians have invented, so in my opinion, let them believe one of their own created the binders!

At least they have the ostehøvel (cheese slicer) to stand by!

June 7 in Norwegian History

Posted by kari No Comments
Jun 9 2011

There were no major historical events that happened this past Tuesday, June 7.  It is, however, a very important day in Norwegian history.  At least 3 huge events (that I´m aware of) occurred on this day.

In 1905, it was on June 7 that the Union with Sweden officially dissolved.  This Union (Unionen mellom Norge og Sverige-the Union between Norway and Sverige) had existed since 1814 when King Frederick VI of Denmark decided to cede Norway to Sweden due to consequences of the Napoleonic War and more specifically in an effort to avoid the occupation of Jutland.  You may remember that it was in 1814 that the Constitution was signed in Norway, making her officially independent.  The terms of the Union were that the Swedish Cabinet was in control of foreign policy decisions.  The only Norwegian who was allowed to be present for these matters of discussion was the Prime Minister.  The Swedish Parliament could influence foreign policy, but not the Norwegian Parliament.

The flag of Sweden 1844-1905

After 91 years of Norway primarily making decisions for herself and acting as an independent country, developing very quickly, it was finally agreed by an overwhelming majority vote of 368,392 to 184 that Norway would be fully independent.  June 7 is not a public holiday, but many Norwegians recognize this day as an important day in their country´s history.  As you know, Norwegians love to say they are better than the Swedes and vise versa.

Norwegians also celebrate June 7 because not only was it this day in 1940 that the Norwegian King fled Norway for exile in London, but also the same day 5 years later that he returned to Norway after this 5-year exile.  On April 9, 1940, the Germans invaded Norway for several reasons: to ensure control of the waters of the North Atlantic, to control iron ore coming from Swedish mines through the Norwegian city of Narvik, and to further reinforce the propaganda of Germanic empire.  Norway was completely unprepared for the massive attacks they endured during the German invasion on April 9.

On June 7, 1940, King Haakon, the Crown Prince, and the government fled Norway through Tromsø to England where an exile government was established to aid the resistance efforts against German occupation. Radio broadcasting from the Norwegian government in London gave the Norwegian people hope that Norway would one day be independent again.

After 5 long years of German occupation, the King and his government were given a warm welcome back to Norway on June 7, 1945.  King Haakon traveled all over Norway to see the damage the attacks and the occupation had had on his country and to determine the best methods of reconstruction.  On his 75th birthday, he was surprised with a gift of a model yacht if the British ship the Philante.  The Norwegian people had raised enough funds to purchase the yacht for him.  It was under refurbishment until the following summer.  What an awesome gift!  King Haakon put many miles on this vessel, which he christened with the name the Norge.  His final voyage on this ship was in 1955 to Møre in Romsdal in the western part of Norway.

YouTube Preview Image

June 7 is a very important day in Norwegian history!

 

Max Manus-a Norwegian WWII Resistance Fighter

Posted by kari 3 Comments
Mar 28 2011

Born in 1914 Maximo Guillermo Manus, he is more commonly known as Max Manus, one of the most recognized Norwegian Resistance fighters in WWII.  Manus´father, known as Juan Manus,  was a Danish-Norwegian with the born name of Johna Magnussen.  After having lived for several years in Spanish-speaking countries, he changed his name to Juan Manus.

Max Manus´fought first as a volunteer in the Winter War between the Soviets and Finland.  Manus fought for the Finnish side and after a year of that conflict, Manus returned to Norway on the day the German army invaded his country, April 9, 1940.  Manus was a pioneer of the resistance movement and unfortunately was arrested by the Gestapo after they discovered he was working underground organizing the resistance, illegal propoganda, and manufacturing of weapons.  Manus and his fellow resistance fighters nearly managed to kill Heinrich Himmler and Joseph Goebbels during a visit to Oslo.

After escape from an Oslo hospital to Sweden, Manus kept moving through the Soviet Union, through Turkey and then by ship around Capetown, South Africa, and to the US.  He trained a bit in Canada and soon thereafter crossed the Atlantic for the UK for training.  Manus returned to Norway by parachute into the forest around Oslo to continue his work with the resistance movement.  Manus joined Lingekompaniet, the Norwegian Independent Company 1, for which he became a ship sabotage specialist.  They used mines to sink German ships including the SS Monte Rosa and the SS Donau.

By the end of the war, Manus was a First Lieutenant.  Other awards that he received include: Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross and Bar, Defence Medal, and War Cross with two swords, Norway´s highest decoration for military gallantry.  He also received a Winter War Participation Medal from the Finns and a Brittish Military Cross and Bar.

After the war, Manus wrote several books depicting his adventures.  His first book was Det vil helst gå godt (It Usually Ends Well), which he wrote about his time in the jungles of South America and Latin America prior to WWII.  Manus´second book, Det blir alvor (It Gets Serious) is about his continued resistance efforts and the great successes of sinking 2 large German warships.

After the war, Manus was chosen to be the personal protection for the Crown Prince of Norway in the Oslo Parade in celebration of the end of the war.  He then was also asked to protect King Haakon VII.  Imagine that he was only 30 years at this time!

Manus got into the office supply business and together with Sophus Clausen, started the company Clausen and Manus, an office machine company.  In a reconciliation effort, Manus also decided to hire people who had collaborated with the Nazis during the war.

After marriage and a family, as well as bouts of depression and alcoholism caused by his war experiences, Manus died peacefully in Spain at the age of 81.  What a life!

There was a film made in 2008 about the life of Max Manus.

Sinking of the German Battleship Tirpitz in Norwegian Waters

Posted by kari No Comments
Nov 27 2010

one of the huge craters formed by bomb attempts

FOR FRIHET

TIL MINNE OM ALLIERTE FLYMANNSKAPER

FRA ROYAL AIR FORCE

DREPT UNDER ANGREP OG REKOGNOSERING

PÅ DET TYSKE SLAGSKIPET TIRPITZ

I FÆTTENFJORD 1942

I TAKK OG ÆERBØDIGHET

TIL DE SOM OFRET LIVET

FOR VÅR FELLES SAK.

REIST AV LOKALE KREFTER I 1985

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FOR FREEDOM

IN MEMORY OF THE ALLIED AIRCREWS

FROM THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

KILLED IN ATTACKS AND RECONNAISSANCE

ON THE GERMAN BATTLESHIP TIRPITZ

IN THE FÆTTENFJORD 1942

IN GRATITUDE AND VENERATION

TO THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES

FOR OUR COMMON CAUSE

ERECTED BY LOCAL PEOPLE 1985.

another large crater

The Bismarck class German battleship, Tirpitz, lived a short life.  She was built in 1941 in Wilhelmshavn, Germany for use in the German Navy during World War II.  A mere three years later, she was destroyed and sunk in near Håkøy in Balsfjord, near Tromsø.

Tirpitz´ debut was in the Baltic, completing combat missions after the German invasion of the Soviet Union.  A few months later, she set sail for Norwegian waters and was stationed near Trondheim.  Due to her location, Tirpitz was an enormous threat to supply lines between the Allies and the Soviets.  Her size and of course the brutality of the German military and its presence in Norway meant that she required a significant amount of manpower and attention by the U.S. and British navies.

Although Tirpitz never managed to interfere with Allied shipping and she only attacked once (in 1943 on Spitsbergen), she was a large enough threat that it was a great priority of the Allies to take her down.  It took several attempts before she fell, but fall she did, and it was a huge victory.  It was a small British mission that first injured Tirpitz by detonating explosives underwater nearby.  Soviet bombers made the next attempt and narrowly missed.  In 1944, British carrier planes successfully wounded Tirpitz and caused her to undergo further repairs.  Several more British attack missions ensued and finally Royal Airforce heavy bombers hit her hard in the bow and caused serious damage. Tirpitz then headed north to Tromsø where she spent her last days.  After a couple more attacks up north, on Nov. 12, 1944, she finally retired after ammunition explosions and sinking deep into Norwegian waters.

Norwegian Liberation Day

Posted by kari No Comments
May 9 2010

Frigjøringsdagen, as it is called på norsk, is a very important day in Norwegian history that does not receive proper attention because it is greatly overshadowed by syttende mai (May 17th, Norway’s Constitution Day).  Frigjøringsdagen is the day that Norway was officially liberated from Nazi forces.  65 years ago on May 8, 1945, Josef Terboven, Reichskommisar (Norwegian commissioner in Norway, who had almost complete control of the country) was forced to accept defeat and hand over makten (the power) to the Allies. 

Within one week of Hitler’s selvmord (suicide) on April 30th, 1945, det politiske landskapet (the political landscape) in Norway completely changed.  One week seems like such a short amount of time, just a blip on the timeline of the war, for so much to change.  On May 5th, the Nazis in Denmark overgav seg (surrendered).  That same day, American General Dwight Eisenhower sent a telegram to Norway with instructions regarding how Norway was to make contact with the Allies headquarters.  The official military overgivelse (surrender) of the Germans was signed in Reims, France on May 7.  Norske flagg (Norwegians flags) were flown for the first time since before krigen (the war).  On the evening of the 7th, German Commander-in-Chief, General Böhme, announced on the Norwegian radio at 22:00 that the Germans would be handing over makten. 

During the months preceding overgivelsen of the Germans, the Norwegian resistance movement had become quite active.  Working with the the regjering (government) in hiding in London, the resistance movement prepared for the liberation.  Once word got out of the overgivelse, the resistance movement, known as Milorg (Militær organisasjon), 40,000 strong, mobilised and occupied the Royal Palace, the politistasjon (police station), and other strategic public buildings.  On May 8, the overgivelse was official.  That same day, Josef Terboven begikk selvmord (committed suicide)by detonating en bombe (a bomb)  in a bunker of the Skaugum compound.  Kronprins Haakon and his wife Mette-Marit now occupy Skaugum, which is just  15 miles outside of Oslo.

5 days after the official overgivelse of the Germans, Kronprins Olav and the other government prepresentatives returned to Oslo from hiding in London.  It wasn’t until the June 7 (coincidentally the 40th aniversary of the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden) that Kong Haakon VII and the rest of the members of the royal family returned to Oslo.   It must have felt incredible to regain makt again after 5 years in exile. 

The conditions of the overgivelse included immediate arrestation and internment of all German and Norwegian Nazi party members, disarm all SS troops, and send all Germany forces (no fewer than 400,000) to designated areas.  As far as the fate of forrædrer (traitors) and samarbeidere  (collaborators), they were granted due process trials.  In the end 37 were henrettet (executed), 25 nordmenn and 12 tyskere (Germans).  20,000 (mostly Norwegians, although some Germans) were imprisoned.  There were many Nazi sympathizers.  There were also, as mentioned before, many who fought for the reisistance movement, which I will dedicate an entire post to another time.  Stay tuned, and when you celebrate syttende mai, don’t forget to remember this time of year 65 years ago when Norway celebrated frigjøring!

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