Per Egeberg Giertsen (26 June 1906 – 1990) was a Norwegian physician, especially known for helping members of the

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 and after

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 ...

Pre-war career

He was born in

Kristiania 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 ...

(Oslo), and graduated from the

Royal Frederick University The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

with the

cand.med. Candidate of Medicine ( la, candidatus medicinae (male), ''candidata medicinae'' (female), abbreviated cand. med.) is an academic degree awarded in Denmark, Iceland, and Norway following a six-year medical school education. Medical students in ...

degree in 1932. He worked as a municipal physician in

Nedre Eiker Nedre Eiker was a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mjøndal ...

from 1932 to 1934, and then moved back to Oslo where he had his own physician's office.

World War II

During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany 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 ...

, he became involved in the

. Starting on 14 September 1944 he was a contact of the sabotage squad

Aks 13000 Aks 130000 or Aks 13 was a sabotage squad which existed from 1944 to 1945, during parts of the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany in World War II. It was a part of the Norwegian resistance movement, specifically Milorg. "Aks" was short for ''Aksj ...

.Øyen, ed, 2007: p. 97 During a sabotage attack against gasoline tanks at Vestheim School, saboteur Reidar Smith was shot, but managed to crawl home to his aunt Frieda Smith, who contacted Giertsen. Giertsen went to Smith's home, then brought the injured saboteur to his own home the following morning, and kept him there for three weeks. This pattern, with Giertsen both making "field visits" as well as providing housing, continued. Giertsen helped with almost all in-battle injuries of Aks 13000. He also helped with injuries sustained elsewhere, such as Per Røed's arm injury caused by a horse bite.

Post-war career

After the

liberation 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 ...

in May 1945, when Aks 13000 became ''Sentralledelsens Aksjonskommando'' under the temporary Home Front rule, Giertsen continued to serve. Without payment he performed medical checks of all sabotage personnel in the district, at a hotel in

Frogner Frogner is a residential and retail borough in the West End of Oslo, Norway, with a population of 59,269 as of 2020. In addition to the original Frogner, the borough incorporates Bygdøy, Uranienborg and Majorstuen. The borough is named after ...

together with Ole Øyseth. He later struggled to gain recognition and acknowledgement of certain saboteurs' injuries as war injuries eligible for

welfare benefits Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

. One particular case, in which a saboteur was ultimately granted veteran's welfare, lasted from 1950 to 1958.Øyen, ed, 2007: p. 210 Giertsen also continued his physician career, and worked part-time in the companies Fred. Olsen & Co. from 1935 to 1947, ''

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 million ...

'' from 1945 to 1973, Esso Norway from 1945 to 1955, Leif Höegh & Co from 1955 to 1975 as well as the Norwegian royal court administration from 1945 to 1984. He was also a physician at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

as well as

Holmenkollen Holmenkollen () is a mountain and a neighbourhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. It goes up to above sea level and is well-known for its international skiing competitions. Overview In addition to being a residential area, the are ...

events. He was decorated with the

Defence Medal 1940 – 1945 Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

. He also received an award plaque from the

Association for the Promotion of Skiing The Association for the Promotion of Skiing ( no, Foreningen til Ski-idrettens Fremme, or Skiforeningen) is a large association in Norway promoting Nordic skiing and other outdoor recreational activities. Skiforeningen was founded in 1883 and has ...

. He died in September 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giertsen, Per 1906 births 1990 deaths Physicians from Oslo University of Oslo alumni Norwegian military doctors Norwegian resistance members Veterans' rights activists Norwegian activists