Olaf Helset (28 July 1892 – 21 August 1960) was a Norwegian military officer with the rank of

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

, and a sports administrator. He played a central role in the early resistance during 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 ...

, both civil and military resistance. He was later in command of the Norwegian police troops in exile in Sweden. After the war he served as head of the Norwegian Army for two years.

Personal life

Helset was born in Nannestad, as the son of Peder Helset and Ingeborg Kristiane Skjegstad. He grew up in Romerike. He married Nini Eugenie Hansen in 1920.

Early career

Helset 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 1915, from the State Gymnastics School in 1917, and from the

Norwegian Military College The Norwegian Military College ( no, Den militære høyskole) was a military educational institution in Norway. It was established on 16 February 1817, with headquarters at Akershus Fortress. It was originally meant for artillery and engineer off ...

in 1919. He chaired the sports club IL i BUL in 1917, 1920–1922, 1923–1924, 1925–1926 and 1927.

World War II

During the Norwegian Campaign in 1940 Helset was in command at the

Battle of Midtskogen The Battle of Midtskogen was a minor battle fought on the night of 9–10 April 1940 during the Second World War between a German raiding party and an improvised Norwegian force. The site of the battle was Midtskogen farm, situated approximately ...

. As a sports leader he fronted the sports boycott against the Nazi authorities. He was also a leader in the military organization

Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...

, the main

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, ...

during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. Helset was arrested in 1941, but eventually released from prison and fled to Sweden. There, he worked first as a refugee chief in 1943–44 and then in 1944–45 as head of the Norwegian police forces in Sweden. For his war efforts, he was decorated with the Norwegian War Cross with Sword (1949), Finnish Freedom Cross in gold, the British King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom and other foreign decorations.

Later career

Helset served as Head of the Norwegian Army from 1946 to 1948, when he resigned after a conflict with the government on defense policy. After his resignation he served as head of the district of Southern Norway, with the rank of

. He served as commander of the Fredriksten fortress from 1951 to 1953. He was a leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 1946 to 1948. In 1947 he was decorated Commander with Star of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

. He was a Commander of the French

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

and Commander of the Swedish Order of the Sword.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Helset, Olaf 1892 births 1960 deaths People from Nannestad Norwegian Military Academy alumni Norwegian School of Sport Sciences alumni Norwegian Military College alumni Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Norwegian Army generals Norwegian resistance members Norwegian sports executives and administrators Presidents of the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Sword Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Liberty Recipients of the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom