Following the general capitulation of Germany in Europe and in Norway on May 10, 1945, the legitimate Norwegian government moved quickly to prosecute individuals who were suspected of treason or war crimes during the German occupation. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union United Kingdom United States and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Franklin Roosevelt Joseph Stalin Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000... German battle cruisers in a Norwegian port in June 1940 The Norwegian Campaign led to the first direct confrontation between the military forces of the Allies — United Kingdom and France against Nazi Germany in World War II. The primary reason for Germany seeking the occupation of Norway was Germanys... Operation Weserübung was the German codename for Nazi Germanys assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. ... The Elverum Authorization (Elverumsfullmakten) was approved unanimously by the Norwegian Parliament on April 9, 1940 in the town of Elverum in Norway after the Norwegian royal family, executive branch, and parliament had evacuated Oslo to evade capture by German troops in the course of Operation Weserübung during World War... Starting with the invasion of April 9, 1940, Norway was under military occupation of German forces and civil rule of a German commissioner in collaboration with a Pro-german puppet government. ... Norwegian resistance to the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945 took several forms: Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled Norwegian government, and by implication the lack of legitimacy of the Quisling regime and Terboven administration The initial defense in Southern Norway, which was largely disorganized, but... Telavåg is a small village in the municipality of Sund, located 39 km south west of Bergen, Norway, with a population of about 600. ... The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions taken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the Germans from acquiring heavy water which could be used to produce nuclear weapons. ... King Haakon VII King Haakon VII of Norway, Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel (August 3, 1872 - September 21, 1957) was the first King of Norway after the dissolution of the personal union with Sweden in 1905. ... Campaign poster of Johan Nygaardsvold Johan Nygaardsvold (September 6, 1879 - March 13, 1952) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. ... Carl Joachim Hambro (usually C.J. Hambro) (January 5, 1885 – 15 December 1964) was a leading politician from the Norwegian Conservative Party. ... Carl Gustav Fleischer (1883-1942) was a Norwegian general and the first allied general(actually not allied, as the allies and Norway never had any official cooperation, in writing) to win a major victory against the Germans in World War II. In 1940, as commander of the Norwegian 6th division... Otto Ruge (January 9, 1882 - 1961) was a Norwegian general. ... Jens Christian Hauge (born 1915) was the leader of the secret military organisation Milorg in WWII occupied Norway. ... Gunnar Sønsteby (born 11 January 1918) is known as a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II. Known also as Kjakan and , he participated in the resistance effort from 1940. ... Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (July 18, 1887–October 24, 1945) was a Norwegian fascist politician and officer. ... Jonas Lie (1899-1945) was a Norwegian councillor of state in the NS government of Vidkun Quisling in 1940, then acting councillor of state 1940-1941, and minister between 1941 and 1945. ... Born May 14, 1915 in Levanger, Norway Died Executed on February 1, 1947 by shooting. ... Josef Terboven Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven (May 23, 1898 - May 8, 1945) was a Nazi leader most known for his brutal leadership during the Nazi occupation of Norway. ... Wilhelm Rediess (October 10, 1900 – May 8, 1945) was the German chief of secret police (General der Polizei) during the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. ... Milorg was a secret military organization under World War II in Norway. ... Xu can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames: 徐 (pinyin Xú, also spelled Hsu or Tsui or Eu) 許 (traditional) or 许 (simplified), (pinyin Xǔ, also spelled Hui or Hii) In this context it is pronounced somewhat like Shoo or simply Shh. ... Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, also Norisen) was a SOE group formed in March of 1941 for the purpose of perfoming commando raids in occupied Norway. ... The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission (Nortraship) was established in London in April 1940 to administrate the Norwegian merchant fleet outside German controlled areas. ... Nasjonal Samling (Norwegian for National Gathering or National Unification) was a fascist party in Norway before and during World War II, founded on May 17, 1933 by Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort. ... Starting with the invasion of April 9, 1940, Norway was under military occupation of German forces and civil rule of a German commissioner in collaboration with a Pro-german puppet government. ...

In all cases, the jurisdiction of Norwegian law was invoked, and the specific statutes were derived from the Treason Ordinance (Landssvikanordningen) passed by the Norwegian government in exile, authorized under the Elverum Authorization, civil claims for damages incurred by the Nazi authorities and their collaborators, laws concerning war crimes, and existing legislation concerning the death penalty during times of war. The Elverum Authorization (Elverumsfullmakten) was approved unanimously by the Norwegian Parliament on April 9, 1940 in the town of Elverum in Norway after the Norwegian royal family, executive branch, and parliament had evacuated Oslo to evade capture by German troops in the course of Operation Weserübung during World War...

The purge has been subject to some controversy in later years. The constitutional basis has been questioned, both because some of the laws were retroactive in that all members of Nasjonal Samling after April 9, 1940 were subject to prosecution. There were also questions about the constitutionality of the Elverum authorization. In addition, the prosecution of individuals who had served with the German Red Cross was questioned, among them Hanna Kvanmo, who later rose to fame as a socialist politican. Nasjonal Samling (Norwegian for National Gathering or National Unification) was a fascist party in Norway before and during World War II, founded on May 17, 1933 by Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort. ... The Anarchist Black Cross was originally called the Anarchist Red Cross. The band Redd Kross was originally called Red Cross. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Hanna Kristine Kvanmo (born June 14, 1926 in Sandtorg, outside the town of Harstad in Norway, died June 23, 2005 in Arendal) was a Norwegian politician from the Socialist Left Party. ...

In total, 28,750 individuals were arrested as part of the purge; these were subject to various kinds of penalties, including fines, prison sentences, and in a small number of cases, death.

Altogether, prosecutorial authorities called for the death penalty in 200 cases of treason; of these 30 were condemned, and 25 were carried out. The practice was controversial from the beginning, in part because the government instituted the death penalty before the parliament had convened after the war.

During the summer of 1945, there was a fierce debate in Norwegian newspapers about the prosecution and punishment of war criminals and traitors. Many spoke openly of retaliation, but others argued that death penalty was a "drawback for a civilized community". As tensions hardened, the ones fighting against death penalty for humanitarian reasons, were stigmatized as "the silk front". Those who favored harsh penalties were known as "the ice front". The editorial pages of Norwegian newspapers demanded harsh penalties reminiscent to many of a witch hunt. In later years, studies and inquiries have shown that justice was administered unevenly and - by today's standards - harshly. Those who sided with Nasjonal Samling during the war were often publicly shamed beyond the fines they paid and time they served. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ...

To this day, there is great sensitivity on this subject within Norwegian public life.

People executed as part of the legal purge

In total, 45 individuals were condemned to death as a result of the legal purge - 30 for treason and 15 for war crimes. Of these, 37 were executed - the first on August 17, 1945 and the last on August 28, 1948. All were executed by an 11-member firing squad at five meters' distance under the command of the local chief of police in one of the four designated cities (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Tromsø) for execution. As all those involved in the execution were sworn to secrecy, there are few reliable accounts of the executions. Execution by firing squad is a method of capital punishment, especially in times of war. ...

Executed for treason:

• Olav Aspheim, executed March 19, 1948, Akershus fortress, Oslo
• Per Fredrik Bergeen, member of the Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten Fortress, Trondheim
• Hermann Eduard Franz Dragass, executed July 10, 1948, Kristiansten
• Einar Olav Christianen Dønnum, executed April 22, 1947, Akershus
• Hans Birger Egeberg, Rinnan gang, executed October 4, 1945, Kristiansten
• Harald Grøtte, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Alfred Josef Gärtner, executed August 8, 1946, Sverresborg fortress, Bergen
• Albert Viljam Hagelin, executed May 25, 1946, Akershus
• Olaus Salberg Peter Hamrun, Rinnan gang, July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Harry Arnfinn Hofstad, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Reidar Haaland, executed August 17, 1945, Akershus
• Bjarne Konrad Jenshus, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Johny Alf Larsen, executed May 29, 1947, Bremnes fortress, Bodø
• Aksel Julius Mære, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten festning
• Hans Jakob Skaar Pedersen, executed March 30, 1946, Sverresborg
• Eilif Rye Pisani, executed April 2, 1947, Kvarven Fortress, Bergen
• Vidkun Quisling, executed October 24, 1945, Akershus
• Kristian Johan Randal, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Henry Rinnan, leader of the Rinnan gang, executed February 1, 1947, Kristiansten
• Max Emil Gustav Rook, executed June 5, 1947, Sverresborg
• Harry Aleksander Rønning, Rinnan gang, executed July 12, 1947, Kristiansten
• Ragnar Skancke, executed August 28, 1948 in Akershus, the last person to be executed in Norway.
• Arne Braa Saatvedt, executed October 20, 1945, Akershus
• Holger Tou, executed January 30, 1947, Sverresborg
• Ole Wehus, executed October 20, 1945, Akershus

Akershus Fortress (Akershus Festning) is the old castle built to protect Oslo, the capital of Norway. ... County Oslo NO-03 District Viken Municipality NO-0301 Administrative centre Oslo Mayor (2004) Per Ditlev-Simonsen (H) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 224 454 km² {{{arealand}}} km² 0. ... Kristiansten Fortress (or Christiansten) was built during the period from 1681 to 1685. ... County Sør-Trøndelag District Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2005) Rita Ottervik (A) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ... Albert Viljam Hagelin (1881 - 1946) was a businessman and opera singer. ... County Nordland Landscape Salten Municipality NO-1804 Administrative centre Bodø Mayor (2005) Odd-Tore Fygle (Ap) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 62 1,392 km² 1,308 km² 0. ... Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (July 18, 1887–October 24, 1945) was a Norwegian fascist politician and officer. ... Born 1915 in Levanger, Norway Died Executed on February 1. ... Ragnar Sigvald Skancke (1890 - August 28, 1948) was the Norwegian Minister of Labour and Minister for Church and Educational Affairs in Vidkun Quislings government of the Nasjonal Samling party during World War II. Before the war Skancke was a highly respected professor of electrical engineering at the Norwegian Institute...

Executed for war crimes:

• Richard Wilhelm Hermann Bruns, executed September 20, 1947 Akershus
• Siegfried Wolfgang Fehmer, executed March 16, 1948, Akershus
• Gerhard Friedrich Ernst Flesch, executed February 28, 1948, Kristiansten
• Nils Peter Bernhard Hjelmberg, executed August 8, 1946, Sverresborg
• Willi August Kesting, executed August 8, 1946, Sverresborg
• Karl-Hans Hermann Klinge, executed March 28, 1946, Akershus
• Emil Hugo Friedrich Koeber, executed March 22, 1947, Kristiansten
• Julius Hans Christian Nielson, executed July 10, 1948, Kristiansten
• Ludwig Runzheimer, executed July 6, 1946, Sverresborg
• Rudolf Theodor Adolf Schubert, executed September 20, 1947, Akershus
• August Stuckmann, executed March 28, 1947, Akershus
• Otto Wilhelm Albert Suhr, executed January 10, 1948, Akershus

Siegfried Wolfgang Fehmer (10 January 1911 in München - 16 March 1948) was a German Gestapo officer during World War 2. ...

External links

• University of Oslo: The Legal Purges in Norway after 1945 - A Research Project: Project Description
• Home page for project