Per Askim (24 February 1881 – 8 March 1963) was a Norwegian naval officer who was in command of the two

coastal defence ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

s defending

Narvik ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...

during the

German invasion of Norway German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

on 9 April 1940.

Personal life

Askim was born in

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

to military officer Carl Askim and Alette Henrikke Kristiansen. He was married to Anna Marie Hanssen from 1906 until her death in 1935, and from 1937 to Signe Hanssen, sister of his first wife.

Career

Early career

Askim graduated from the

Norwegian Naval Academy The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy (RNoNA, ''Sjøkrigsskolen'' in Norwegian) is located at Laksevåg in Bergen. It was formally established 27 October 1817 in Frederiksvern. The institution educates officers for the Royal Norwegian Navy. History ...

, and was promoted to second lieutenant in 1901. He was promoted to premier lieutenant in 1904, and to Captain in 1910. By 1934 he was promoted to the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Commander (''kommandørkaptein''), and he retired from the Navy in 1936. He worked at the Ministry of Defense from 1905 to 1907, and chaired Larvik sjømannsskole from 1907 to 1911. From 1911 to 1919 he lectured at the Norwegian Naval Academy, and worked for the Admiral staff from 1921 to 1930. From 1930 to 1939 he was section leader in the

Norwegian Coastal Administration Norwegian Coastal Administration ( no, Kystverket) is a Norwegian government agency responsible for the water transport infrastructure along the 9,200 km Coast of Norway. It is responsible for coastal navigation infrastructure, pilotage a ...

(Fyrvesenet). In 1940 he was recalled to the Navy, and given the command of the coastal defence ship HNoMS ''Norge'', and was in charge of the coastal defence in Northern Norway.

Second World War

On 9 April 1940 Askim's ship ''Norge'' was hit by two torpedoes during a confrontation with the German destroyer ''

Bernd von Arnim Z11 ''Bernd von Arnim'' was a built for 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 1 ...

'', at the

Harbour. 101 men from ''Norge'' perished, while 90 were saved, including Askim. He evacuated to Britain in 1940, and served as naval attaché in Washington from 1940 to 1943. From 1943 he served as head of the Planning section at the

Norwegian High Command The Norwegian High Command ( no, Forsvarets Overkommando, FO) was Norway's top military leadership from 1970 to 2003. It was established in Northern Norway in 1940 by General Otto Ruge. It was then re-established by the Norwegian Government-in-exile ...

in London. On 8 May 1945 he was the only Norwegian member of the Allied Surrender Commission at

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

, when the German general

Franz Böhme Franz Friedrich Böhme (15 April 1885 – 29 May 1947) was an Army officer who served in succession with the Austro-Hungarian Arny, the Austrian Army and the German Wehrmacht. He rose to the rank of general during World War II, serving as Comm ...

signed the surrender conditions on behalf of the German troops in Norway.

Post war

From May to December 1945 Askim headed the Norwegian naval command ''Marinekommando Øst''. He then returned to his job in the Norwegian Coastal Administration, where he worked until his retirement in 1952. He died in Oslo in 1963, at the age of 82.

Honours

Askim was awarded the Norwegian

War Cross with Sword The War Cross with Sword (Norwegian Bokmål: ''Krigskorset med sverd, '' Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Krigskrossen med sverd'') is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadersh ...

for achievements during the

Second World War 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 ...

Selected works

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Askim, Per 1881 births 1963 deaths People from Moss, Norway Royal Norwegian Naval Academy alumni Academic staff of the Royal Norwegian Naval Academy Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II Norwegian military attachés Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway)