1941: Norway

After a year and a half under Nazi domination, Norway is a leading example of resistance among the conquered countries of Europe. Norwegians have been undaunted by German terrorism and cool to Nazi propaganda offering them a favorable place in the new Germanic order.

On Jan. 13, 1941, the Nazis announced that Norwegian men could earn German citizenship without relinquishing Norwegian citizenship as a reward for two years of service in a regiment to be called the Standarte Nordland. Enlistments were much smaller than Nazi authorities had anticipated. On Jan. 27, a member of the German Elite Guard and personal friend of Heinrich Himmler, Obergruppenführer Damm, was put in command of the Norwegian regiment — reportedly to the disappointment of Major Quisling. German Gestapo Chief Himmler himself arrived in Norway for the first time on Jan. 28. The first hundred enlisted Norwegians left Oslo by plane for Germany on Feb. 5, and other small groups followed later. When the Germans began their invasion of Russia, they initiated a forceful propaganda drive for increased numbers of volunteers, but loyal Norwegians circulated an appeal explaining, 'It is the Germans — not the Russians — who have stolen our country from us.'

Standard of Living.

The Norwegian standard of living, formerly one of the highest in the world, was lowered steadily as 1941 progressed. Meat became practically unobtainable after January, and even fish was extremely scarce. The Germans seized Norway's entire supply of stockfish (7,000 tons) and kilpfish (13,000 tons). In addition they ordered Norway to supply them with 150,000 tons of fresh fish during 1941. The Stockholm newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reported in September that, as a result of these demands, '95 per cent of all fish produced in Norway is now being shipped to Germany or to markets in German-occupied countries.' Other foods exported to Germany, according to statistics published by the Royal Norwegian Government for the first six months, included 3,272 tons of cream, 5,108 tons of milk and 1,166 tons of cheese. Norway also had to feed the German Army of Occupation, estimated at more than 100,000 men. Although Germany sent at least 55,000 tons of grain to Norway in the fall, Reichskommissar Josef Terboven warned on Oct. 4 that Germany would let the Norwegians starve unless they followed Major Quisling and accepted the 'new order.'

Internal Conflicts.

Almost every Norwegian town and organization helped make the year an unpleasant one for the German Army of Occupation and for pro-Nazi Norwegians. Early in February the seven bishops of the Norwegian State Church, officially representing over 95 per cent of the Norwegian people, expressed the most courageous opposition to their Nazi overlords. In a joint manifesto the bishops demanded an explanation of the status of the Church, and sharply criticized the Nazi-controlled Government's violations of the Norwegian Constitution. During the week of Feb. 9, pastors throughout Norway read a circular addressed to their congregations by the seven Bishops. After prohibitions against reading the circular proved futile, Nazi authorities ordered police to be present at all sermons after Feb. 16. At the end of April, moreover, Quislingist Minister of Church and Education Skancke sent Norwegian clergymen and religious organizations a message pleading for Christian tolerance of the 'New Order' and explaining that attacks against Major Quisling's Nasjonal Sammling party would be considered attacks against the state and that punishments would be meted out accordingly.

Popular resistance to the Nazis generally took the form of mass demonstrations, street fights, school strikes, theater boycotts, refusal to obey Quisling decrees, sabotage — especially of lines of communication and transportation — and various practical jokes at the expense of Nazis. To maintain better control of the population, the pro-German Government on Feb. 6 ordered all Norwegians over 15 to register with Nazi authorities. As punishment for subversive activities, whole towns were fined and strict curfews imposed. Early in the year, the Nazis levied the first collective fine (100,000 kroner) against the western part of Opoland Province, and at the same time imposed an 8 p.m. curfew there. On April 21, Stavanger, Rogaland and Haugesund counties were jointly fined 500,000 kroner.

The activities of Norwegian organizations constituted the greatest menace to the Germans. On Feb. 10 it was decreed that all Norwegian societies must register with the police. Forty-three of the leading labor and professional organizations on May 15 sent Reichskommissar Terboven a strong protest against conditions in Norway under Major Quisling's government. Among the signers were: the Norwegian Federation of Labor, the Civil Servants Association, the Norwegian Medical Association, the National Association of High School Teachers, and the National Council of Women. On May 21 Gestapo Chief Himmler visited Norway for the second time, and two days later Major Quisling went to Berlin for a conference with Adolf Hitler.

The conflict between Norwegian labor and the Nazis flared into open revolt in Oslo on Sept. 10. Reichskommissar Terboven declared a state of civil emergency and until Sept. 16, put the Norwegian capital under rigid martial law, with an armed cordon surrounding the city. During this one-week period German troops arrested about 2,000 Norwegians and court-martialed 27, giving five of them death sentences. To forestall a general strike, the Nazis replaced all trade union leaders with Quislingists. The Germans introduced the 'hostage plan' into large Oslo factories in October, according to reports from Stockholm. Groups of laborers and factory officials were selected as 'sabotage committees' and held responsible for all damage in their respective factories. It was also reported in October that at least 150,000 Norwegians had been compelled to work in 'war industries' at Nazi-fixed wages. The Germans made it clear that workmen quitting their jobs would be considered guilty of sabotage. On Nov. 3 the Nazis executed six Norwegians for 'assisting enemies,' and assumed control of all vessels in the Norwegian fishing fleet.

Cooperation with Great Britain.

Throughout 1941 the Norwegian Government in London directed the Norwegian merchant marine and naval, land and air forces fighting with the Allies; Government representatives broadcast encouraging messages and advice to their countrymen at home, and maintained close diplomatic relations with foreign countries not under Axis domination. The only significant cabinet change was the resignation of Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht, who was replaced by Trygve Lie.

From January to May the Norwegian merchant marine lost an average of 48,000 tons each month. In June, however, only 24,000 tons were lost, and in July this figure was reduced to 12,000 — considerably less than the average monthly losses when Norway was still neutral. During the entire year, Norwegian tankers carried nearly half of all English oil imports.

On May 28 the Royal Norwegian Government signed an agreement with Great Britain describing the principles of military cooperation between Norway and the Allies. Both Britain and Norway promised to continue the war to victory which would reestablish the freedom and independence of the Kingdom of Norway. In December the Norwegian Government further expressed its willingness to cooperate with Britain by severing diplomatic relations with Finland and Japan a few days after the British declarations of war against the two countries.

Allied Raids on Norway.

British and Norwegian forces jointly carried out several successful raids on Norwegian islands and coastal districts during the year. The first was against the Lofoten Islands on March 4, when the raiders destroyed whale and fish oil plants, captured 215 Germans and 10 Quislingists, and sank ten Nazi ships totaling 18,000 tons. More than 300 loyal Norwegians left with the raiders to join the fighting forces of their government in London. Another raid was carried out the night of April 12-13 on the far northern port of Oksfjord. Norwegian seamen, arriving in a destroyer which had been transferred from the United States to the Royal Norwegian Navy, demolished the machinery of a factory producing fish oil for use in German explosives. A third successful raid was announced by the British War Office on Sept. 8. In that raid troops went ashore on Spitsbergen, Norwegian Arctic islands, and disabled five valuable coal mines there. Many Norwegian miners and their families accompanied the raiders to Britain where they joined King Haakon's forces. It was estimated that the fires left burning by the Allies destroyed 400,000 tons of coal and 125,000 gallons of fuel oil. During October the Royal Air Force launched extensive attacks on coastal fortifications and German ships in Norwegian fjords. Two more daring raids were made on Dec. 27, when Allied units landed again on the Lofoten Islands and also carried out a daylight raid on the port of Vaagsoe, between Trondheim and Bergen. As before, the raiders returned to Britain with Nazi prisoners and royal Norwegians after destroying military objectives. These raids tested the possibilities of land troops on German-occupied Norway and gave the local population hope that a large-scale invasion army from Britain might eventually arrive to free them.