Operation Sunshine was an anti-demolition operation in
occupied Norway from October 1944 to May 1945. It was planned by
Norwegian military personnel in the United Kingdom in cooperation with British forces, and part of an effort to protect essential installations and industry, in particular large
power stations, against destruction in a possible
scorched earth
A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...
action by the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
towards the end of
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 ...
.
Planning
Operation Sunshine was planned by
Leif Tronstad from his position within the exiled
Norwegian Ministry of Defence
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence ( no, Det kgl. Forsvarsdepartement) is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of th ...
in London. An important goal was to protect the power plant industry in Norway, and the targeted operation area was chosen such that it comprised sixty percent of the energy supplies in Eastern Norway. This included power stations in the
Rjukan district,
Notodden,
Kongsberg
Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...
and
Nore
The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...
.
Nine
SOE SOE may refer to:
Organizations
* State-owned enterprise
* Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation
** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel
* Society of Opera ...
agents, among them several from the
heavy water sabotage team, were selected for the mission and para-dropped over Ugleflott in
Øvre Telemark
Upper Telemark ( no, Øvre Telemark) is a Norwegian region comprising the inland of the traditional district Telemark in Vestfold og Telemark county. More than two thirds of the total area of Telemark, or above 10,000 square kilometres, belong to ...
5 October 1944. The overall leader of Operation Sunshine was Major
Leif Tronstad, with assistance from
Gunnar Syverstad
Gunnar Bryde Syverstad, BEM (6 February 1910 – 11 March 1945) was a Norwegian resistance member. He is known for his assistance in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage.Norman Lind
Norman Lind (1920/1921 – 23 October 1985) was a British-Norwegian military officer and consul.
He was born in Bergen as a son of Norwegian coffee planter with connections in England and Guatemala. He took his higher education in the United K ...
.
Einar Skinnarland
Einar Skinnarland DCM (27 April 1918 – 5 December 2002) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during the Second World War.
Einar Skinnarland was born in Vinje, in Telemark county, Norway. Skinnarland graduated from Telemark Engineering ...
, who already was in Norway, received the agents, and also joined as wireline operator. Second-in command of Operation Sunshine was
Jens-Anton Poulsson
Jens-Anton Poulsson DSO, (27 October 1918 – 2 February 2010) was a Norwegian military officer. During World War II he was a Norwegian resistance member, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943. He continued hi ...
, also leader of the ''Moonlight'' section. When Tronstad was killed in March 1945, Poulsson took over as leader of Sunshine.
The operation covered parts of
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 ...
and
Buskerud counties, and overlapped existing
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 ...
districts. The district covered by Sunshine was separated out as
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 ...
district 16 (D-16), and was divided in three subsections, with the codenames ''Starlight'', ''Moonlight'' and ''Lamplight''. The SOE agents would cooperate with and develop existing Milorg groups already established in the districts. The groups would be supplied with weapon and provisions by
air drop
An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tro ...
s from allied aircraft, and provided with military instruction.
[
]
Sunshine subsections
Starlight (D161, Nore section)
The Nore section was led by Arne Kjelstrup
Arne Kjelstrup, MM (30 October 1913 – 5 May 1995) was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943, and for being military leader of Milorg section D-161 (Kon ...
, with Eldar Hagen as wireline operator.[
Their main defending target was the Nore Hydroelectric Power Station, which was then the largest power station in Norway. The section also included ]Numedal
Numedal () is a valley and a traditional district in Eastern Norway located within the county of Buskerud. It traditionally includes the municipalities Flesberg, Nore og Uvdal and Rollag. Administratively, it now also includes Kongsberg.
Geog ...
, Kongsberg
Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...
, Rollag
Rollag is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The admini ...
and Rødberg
Rødberg is the administrative centre of Nore og Uvdal municipality in Buskerud, Norway.
Rødberg is located in the Norwegian traditional district and valley of Numedal. Its population (2005) is 498, and it is located on the Rødberg dam ( no, ...
. This was the original 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 ...
district D16, under command of district leader Oscar Beck, and Milorg organized around 450 men in this district in October 1944. In the end this section could mobilize a military force of 900 soldiers.[ The troops received air drops with weapons, ammunition, uniforms and food supplies. Some of the men had left their homes and stayed in mountain cabins, organized in small cells, each of around ten men. ''Starlight'' had five such cells. Others still lived and worked as normal, having attended short military courses, and belonging to a group local to their home place. ''Starlight'' had around ten such group, where the number of group members varied from 30 to 150.][Berg]
Moonlight (D162, Rjukan section)
The Rjukan section was led by Jens-Anton Poulsson
Jens-Anton Poulsson DSO, (27 October 1918 – 2 February 2010) was a Norwegian military officer. During World War II he was a Norwegian resistance member, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943. He continued hi ...
, with Claus Helberg as wireless operator. In the surrounding mountains a military force consisting of 300 soldiers was built up. Main defending targets were the dam at Møsvatn
Møsvatn (or Møsvann) is the tenth-largest lake in Norway with a surface area of 78.31 km2. It lies primarily Møsstrond, Vinje in Vestfold og Telemark. The lake lies in the watershed of the Skien river (''Skiensvassdrag'') and discharges ...
, factories and power stations at Rjukan and 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 ...
, and the ferries on 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 ...
.[
]
Lamplight (D163, Notodden section)
The Notodden section was led by Herluf Nygaard
Herluf Nygaard (1 October 1916 – 3 December 2001) was a Norwegian military officer. He was born in Lurøy. He graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1946. He was promoted to Colonel in 1965, and Major General in 1968. He served as G ...
, and with Leif Brønn as wireline operator. About 500 men were organised in this section at the end of December 1944.[ Important defending targets were Svelgfoss Power Station and other power stations along the river ]Tinnelva
Tinnelva is a river in Notodden, Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. It flows from Lake Tinn to Heddalsvatnet. The waterfalls Årlifossene, Grønvollfoss, Svelgfoss and Tinnfoss are exploited, and the hydroelectric power stations have a combined installe ...
.[
]
Notes
References
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*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sunshine, Operation
Special Operations Executive operations
Military history of Norway during World War II
Norwegian resistance movement