Norwegian War Medal
__NOTOC__ The War Medal ( no, Krigsmedaljen) is a Norwegian war decoration for service during Second World War, and later for meritous service during war. Criteria The Norwegian War Medal was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway by Royal Decree on 23 May 1941 with the addition of the Royal Decree of 13 November 1942. It may be awarded to Norwegian and foreign members of the military who in a meritorious way have participated in the Second World War for Norway. The War Medal may also awarded posthumously to all Norwegians and foreigners who fought in the Norwegian forces and merchant marine and fell for the Norwegian Resistance. The distribution ceased in 1951, but in 1979 it was determined by Royal decree that this medal was to be awarded Norwegian and foreign seamen who served on Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission (Nortraship) vessels during World War II for 18 months, or on board Royal Norwegian Navy vessels. The criteria were again changed in 2012. The medal can be award ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Raymond Couraud
Raymond Couraud (aka Captain Jack William Raymond Lee, born 12 January 1920 at Surgères, Charente-Maritime – 1977), was a French soldier and gangster, who through his World War II military exploits became a highly decorated member of the French-section of the British Army's Special Air Service. Biography Couraud was born 12 January 1920 at Surgères, Charente-Maritime, France. Little is known of his early life, or education. French Foreign Legion On 19 March 1938, Couraud joined the French Foreign Legion under his real name, but with a birth date of 12 January 1916 in Namur, Belgium. This would have made him 22 and old enough to join, whereas he was actually just over 18 and too young. After training, on 3 March 1940, he was assigned to the 5th Company of the 13th Brigade. With this unit he took part in the Battles of Narvik, for which he won the Croix de Guerre with palm, for dislodging two enemy soldiers with a grenade attack: Returning to France, Courard found a France i ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hakon Lunde
Hakon Lunde (12 October 1918 – 2 October 2005) was a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party. He was born in Kristiania as a son of wholesaler Ragnvald Bredo Lunde (1889–1964) and housewife Bergljot Iversen (1892–1987). He attended his first years of school in Nordstrand and Oslo Commerce School from 1935 to 1937. During World War II he was a soldier, first in the Norwegian Campaign. After irregular resistance work, he fled to Sweden, where he worked in the Norwegian legation in Stockholm. He then continued to the United Kingdom, where he received further education in the Royal Norwegian Navy- in-exile and the Royal Navy. Among others, he participated in the D-Day invasion, surviving the sinking of his ship, the destroyer HNoMS ''Svenner''. He became heavily decorated with the UK Defence Medal, the Norwegian Defence Medal with Star, the Atlantic Star, the Norwegian War Medal with Star as well as two French and one Soviet medal. He chaired the ''Marinens Reserveoffise ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Leif Larsen
Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar (9 January 1906 – 12 October 1990), popularly known as "Shetlands Larsen", was a highly decorated Norwegian sailor. He was arguably the most famous of the men who operated the Shetland bus escape route during the war. He participated as a volunteer on the Finnish side during the Winter War and was a soldier in the defence of Norway following the German invasion at Kongsvinger Fortress. He had excellent leadership skills; one of the British officers at the Shetland base, David Howarth, described him as "one of the most remarkable personalities of the entire Second World War". Larsen preferred to downplay his own role and instead named his crew as the reason for his achievements. Shetland bus Larsen dramatically escaped Norway in February 1941 in the fishing boat ''MOTIG 1'', a voyage he recounted in his autobiography. He then joined the "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit", an unwieldy cover title far better known as the ''Shet ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Erik Sture Larre
Erik Sture Larre (31 March 1914 – 11 November 2014) was a Norwegian lawyer, resistance member, sports official and environmentalist. Early life and education He was born in Oslo, and grew up in Gamlebyen. He studied law, was a research assistant at the Norwegian Institute for Social Research from 1936 to 1940 and graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.jur. degree in 1941. World War II During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany Larre was active in Milorg, for some time heading the branch ''13100''. He was arrested by the Nazi authorities in February 1943. He was incarcerated in Møllergata 19 until June, then placed in Grini concentration camp until December. He was back in M19 until March 1944, then incarcerated at Grini again until the war's end. He was decorated with the War Medal with star. Later career From 1945 to 1989 he practised law in Oslo. In business, he chaired the supervisory council of Gjensidige NOR and was a supervisory council member of Spareb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dagfinn Kjeholt
Dagfinn Ellif Kjeholt (24 February 1912 – 17 September 2005) was a Norwegian naval officer. He was born in Horten to Andreas Marentius Kristiansen and Marie Larsen. He graduated as naval officer in 1936. During the Second World War he served as second-in-command on the destroyer HNoMS ''Sleipner'' from 1939 to 1942, and was in command of the destroyer ''Glaisdale'' from 1943 to 1944. His war decorations include the St. Olav's Medal with two Oak Branches, the Norwegian War Medal, the Defence Medal 1940–1945, and the Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal, the British 1939–1945 Star and the Atlantic Star, the French Legion of Honour, and he was Officer of the American Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight .... He continued a military career after the Second ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Margit Johnsen
Margit Johnsen Godø, , nicknamed Malta-Margit, (31 January 1913 – 20 July 1987) was a Norwegian sailor in the merchant navy. For her service on a merchant vessel in convoy to Malta in 1942 she was awarded the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch and several other gallantry decorations. Johnsen continued her work in the Norwegian merchant fleet until 1960. Her story is told in maritime and wartime history as an example of Norwegian women's effort during World War II. Torpedoed in June 1940 Johnsen worked for the Norwegian shipping company Wilh. Wilhelmsen as a messroom girl. She worked on board MV ''Tudor'', which was in the Mediterranean Sea when Germany invaded Norway on 9 April 1940."M/S Tudor" from the website warsailors.com. The ship left [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kasper Idland
Kasper Idland MM, (21 June 1918 – 25 May 1968) was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. Idland took part in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage in 1943. Early life and education Idland was born in Figgjo, the second child of Karsten og Gudrun Berg Idland, and had seven siblings. He graduated as an army sergeant in 1937, after 3½ years at ''Hærens underoffisersskole'' at Gimlemoen, Kristiansand. He then attended the school for postal officers, later working at the Post Office in Stavanger. World War II As Norway was invaded by Germany, Idland joined the Norwegian military forces at Sviland on 9 and 10 April 1940, and participated in the battles at Dirdal. He was held as a prisoner of war by the Germans at Madla, but was later released. Kompani Linge In September 1941, Idland travelled by boat from Egersund to Peterhead in Scotland, and was soon enrolled into the Norwegian Independent Company 1 ( no, Kompani Linge). He participated in the Commando raid Oper ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Rolf Hauge (army Officer)
Rolf Hauge (1915 – 1989) was a Norwegian army officer with the rank of colonel. Having participated in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign, opposing the German invasion of Norway, he later served with the Norwegian Armed Forces in exile, commanding ''No. 5 Norwegian Troop'' of the No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando. Personal life Hauge was born in Bergen, a son of Jørgen Ingjeldsen Hauge and Randi Urheim. He had his schooling at Bergen Cathedral School. He married Margaret Gerrard Watt Burnett from Scotland in 1942; the couple had a son in 1943. Hauge died in 1989. Pre-World War II In 1934–35, Hauge studied at and graduated from the Norwegian field artillery's officer school. Following his first round of military studies, he studied social economics in 1935–37. In 1937 he began two years of studies at the Norwegian Military Academy, becoming a lieutenant serving in the Kongsberg and Bergen anti-aircraft command in 1939.Møller 1959: p. 165. World War II During the Norwegian ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sverre Haug
Sverre Haug (22 July 1907 – 25 October 1943) was a Norwegian resistance member and pilot who died during World War II. He was born in Stokke in 1907. He was married and had one child, and had taken radio and telegraph education. In the Norwegian campaign, he participated for his country as an interpreter during the battles in Northern Norway, where soldiers from Norway, the United Kingdom, Poland and France fought. In September 1940 the Secret Intelligence Service established two stations for radio communication; the so-called Skylark A was led by Sverre Midtskau in Oslo while Skylark B was led by Erik Welle-Strand in Trondheim. Haug travelled the Norwegian Sea with the cutter ''Nordlys'', landed in Florø on 15 September together with Erik Welle-Strand, Sverre Midtskau and Finn Juell. They split up there, and Haug continued to Oslo with Midtskau. Later heavy water saboteur Knut Haukelid also became involved, summoned by Per Jacobsen with the words "Sverre Haug has ret ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nils Uhlin Hansen
Nils Uhlin Hansen (6 May 1919 – 11 January 1945) was a Norwegian long jumper and resistance member during World War II. He had a successful athletics career before the war; setting a Nordic long jump record which was not surpassed for 20 years (14 years after his death). He was killed less than four months before the end of the war, as he was surprised by Wehrmacht forces following a sabotage mission. Pre-war life He was born in Trondheim, the son of Haakon Hansen and Swedish citizen Agnes Collin. Representing sports club SK Freidig, he had a successful career in the long jump; only nineteen years old he won the Norwegian championships. Jumping 7.39 metres, he was 25 centimetres ahead of runner-up Kaare Strøm. In 1939, Hansen won a silver medal behind Kaare Strøm. On 11 September 1939, Hansen established a new Norwegian record. Jumping 7.54 metres at Bislett stadion, he broke the two-year-old record of Otto Berg with two centimetres. This was also a Nordic record. H ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gunnar Halle (officer)
Gunnar Halle DFC (19 November 1907 – 29 October 1986) was a Norwegian engineer and military officer. He was born in Nesodden to lieutenant colonel Einar Halle and Bertha Susanne Koren, and was married to Agnes Reiersen. During the Second World War he served with the Norwegian Air Forces, in Norway, Canada and England. His war decorations include the War Cross with Sword, the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch, War Medal, Defence Medal 1940–1945, Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal, the British Distinguished Flying Cross with bar, 1939–45 Star, and France and Germany Star. He continued his military career after World War II, and held various positions in the aviation industry and with the Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel .... He died ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |