Knut Haukelid ( May 17, 1911 - March 8, 1994) was a Norwegian military officer. He was a
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:
*Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...
soldier during
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 opposin ...
, most notable for participating in the
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage ( nb, Tungtvannsaksjonen; nn, Tungtvassaksjonen) was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involvi ...
.
Early life
Knut Anders Haukelid was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
His parents were Bjørulf Knutson Haukelid (1878–1944) and Sigrid Johanne Christophersen (1877–1969), a couple from Norway who were living in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
at that time. His father was civil engineer working for the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company, a now-defunct operator of part of the
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
(1902–1912). Knut Haukelid was the twin brother of Norwegian American motion picture actress
Sigrid Gurie (1911–1969). Since Haukelid and his twin sister were born in America, the twins held dual
Norwegian-American citizenship.
In 1914, the family returned to Norway. Haukelid subsequently grew up in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
, where his father worked as an engineer helping to lay out the
Oslo Metro. In 1929, Haukelid came back to America to attend
Massachusetts State College
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, it ...
. He returned to Norway and later completed his education at the
Dresden School of Technology and the
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
(1937–38). Returning to Norway, he worked for his father's engineering firm, Haukelid og Five.
World War II
Following the
German occupation of Norway
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...
during
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 opposin ...
, he joined the
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
(''
Kompani Linge'') in 1941. After extensive special training in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, he was selected as deputy commander of the Gunnerside group and sent back to Norway in 1943. Knut Haukelid and members of the Kompani Linge sabotaged the
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
-controlled
heavy water Vemork
Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power pl ...
plant in
Rjukan in a long-range raid which began at an airfield in England. On February 28, 1943, the demolition team entered the
Norsk Hydro plant and set explosive charges. The heavy water produced at a facility in occupied Norway was vital for the
Third Reich's participation in the
nuclear bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
race. The British
War Cabinet subsequently ordered Haukelid to sink the Norwegian ferry
SF ''Hydro'' as she transported containers of
heavy water across
Lake Tinn
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
. The ferry was sunk with hidden explosives on February 20, 1944, killing 4 Germans and 14 Norwegian civilians.
Post-war life
For his participation in these raids, Knut Haukelid received multiple awards including Norway's highest decoration for military gallantry, the
War Cross with sword. He was awarded this decoration twice, in 1944 and 1947: the War Cross with two swords. In addition, Haukelid was decorated by the British with the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
and later with the Military Cross.
Haukelid graduated from the
Norwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway.
History
The Commander- ...
in 1948. He served as major in the
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
Infantry Regiment, and was later appointed head of the Home guard of Greater Oslo. Haukelid became a lieutenant colonel in the Army Infantry in 1959 and served as colonel and district commander of Greater Oslo Homeguard from 1966 until his retirement. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1974.
In the spring of 1984, on the 40th anniversary of the sabotage action against the heavy water plant at
Vemork
Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power pl ...
, the survivors of the Kompani Linge group who participated in the action were honored at a reception at the residence
Mark Evans Austad
Mark Evans Austad (April 1, 1917 – October 20, 1988) was an American radio and television commentator in Washington D.C. (under the name Mark Evans), and served under Gerald Ford as United States Ambassador to Finland from 1975 to 1977, and as ...
, American Ambassador in Oslo.
On October 18, 1985, Knut Haukelid was honored at the Second Annual
Scandinavian-American
Nordic and Scandinavian Americans are Americans of Scandinavian and/or Nordic ancestry, including Danish Americans (estimate: 1,453,897), Faroese Americans, Finnish Americans (estimate: 653,222), Greenlandic Americans, Icelandic Americans (esti ...
Hall of Fame Banquet in
Minot, North Dakota.
Knut Haukelid died at the age of 83 on March 8, 1994 at Det Norsk Diakonhjemmet in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
.
He was buried at
Vår Frelsers gravlund.
Cultural references
*Knut Haukelid wrote his autobiography, in 1947 (revised edition 1953 under the name ''Kampen om tungtvannet'').
*Knut Haukelid's ''Skis Against the Atom'' (1953) told of the successful sabotaging of the Nazis' supply of heavy water.
*Thomas Gallagher's ''Assault in Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program'' provide accounts of the Norway raid and Haukelid's participation.
*The sabotage action against the
Vemork
Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power pl ...
plant was portrayed in the classic Norwegian 1948 film ''Kampen om tungtvannet''. Haukelid played himself, as did the rest of the sabotage group, when the film was released internationally as ''
Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water''.
*''
The Heroes of Telemark
''The Heroes of Telemark'' is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from ''Skis Against the Atom'', the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldier ...
'' (1965) was a largely fictional account of the sabotage, starred
Richard Harris as Knut ''Straud''.
*In the 2015 TV mini-series ''
The Heavy Water War
''The Heavy Water War'' (original title ' and alternative title ''The Saboteurs'' ( UK)) is a six-episode war drama TV miniseries written by Petter S. Rosenlund and produced by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
It is a Norwegian/Danish/Bri ...
'' produced by the
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
, Norwegian theatre and film actor
Frank Kjosås
Frank Kjosås (born 28 July 1981) is a Norwegian actor of theatre and film, known for ''The Half Brother'', and his role as Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid in ''The Heavy Water War''.
Early life
Frank Kjosås was born in Øystese in H ...
portrays Haukelid's role in the heavy water operations.
[ ]
Honors
* -
War Cross with sword (1944)
* - War Cross with two swords (1947)
* -
St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch (1943)
* -
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
* -
Military Cross
The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries.
The MC i ...
* -
Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm
* -
Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
* -
Croix de Guerre
The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
with Palm and Star
* - Commander of
Order of the Sword
See also
*
German nuclear energy project
References
Additional sources
* Haukelid, Knut (1989) ''Skis Against the Atom: The Exciting, First Hand Account of Heroism and Daring Sabotage During the Nazi Occupation of Norway'' (North American Heritage Press.
Minot, North Dakota)
*
*
Related reading
*Dahl, Per F. (1999) ''Heavy water and the wartime race for nuclear energy'' (Institute of Physics Publishing)
*Gallagher, Thomas (2002) ''Assault In Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program'' (The Lyons Press;
Globe Pequot Press
Globe Pequot is a book publisher and distributor of outdoor recreation and leisure titles that publishes 500 new titles. Globe Pequot was acquired by Morris Communications
Morris Communications, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, is a privat ...
) )
External links
Norwegian American Hall of FameBiography for Knut HaukelidNorsk Høstfest GalleryNorwegian Heavy Water Sabotage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haukelid, Knut
1911 births
1994 deaths
Norwegian twins
American people of Norwegian descent
Norwegian resistance members
Norwegian World War II memoirists
Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel
Norwegian Army personnel of World War II
Norwegian Military Academy alumni
Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch
Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway)
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Recipients of the Military Cross
Recipients of the Medal of Freedom
Recipients of the Legion of Honour
Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
Commanders of the Order of the Sword
20th-century Norwegian writers
Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour
American emigrants to Norway