War and Peace I: Norwegian Resistance

We awakened this morning to a glorious sunrise that promised a day of independent wandering in Norway’s capital Oslo. Because a larger ship needed our berth, the Viking Mars moved out into the harbor, and we were carried ashore in tenders. Arriving at Akershus, the old fortress to the city, we found the Resistance Museum. This collection of artifacts recalls the work of the native Norwegians who persisted against the murderous invasion by the Nazis in World War II. In the early morning hours of April 9, 1940 a coordinated air and sea attack began. Seeing a large cruiser approaching his outer harbor defenses, the Norwegian commander was unable to reach his superiors and made an on-the-spot decision to fire upon the unidentified vessel. When the smoke cleared, the defenders found that they had sunk the German heavy cruiser Blucher, allowing the Norwegian royal family just enough time to escape the city. Eventually King Hakon and his son Crown Prince Olaf reached England, while his wife and children fled to Sweden, to Finland, and then to the United States. Although the invading Wehrmacht quickly crushed the small Norwegian army, covert civilian resistors continued to sabotage German rail shipments, ports and transportation. We saw examples of makeshift radios, rifles, knives and outdoor camping equipment, all of which were outlawed by the Nazis. Some 670 Jews were deported from Norway. Only 24 returned. A contemporary sculptor has created a monument in a nearby public park. The artwork is called “Vacant Chairs,” commemorating those Jews who never returned to Norway. Throughout the war courageous individuals resisted the German onslaught, often at the cost of their own lives. This freedom loving nation was subjected to a Danish-Swedish coalition for several centuries until it gained its independence in 1905. It lost its independence for five years from 1940 to 1945. The last exhibit in the museum shows a happy crowd at the Oslo City Hall receiving their royal family back from exile in the West. The caption on the exhibit reads: “Five Years of foreign occupation at an end—NEVER AGAIN.”Read more