Axel Aubert (11 December 1873 – 16 December 1943) was a Norwegian chemical engineer who served as Director-General of

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around the world an ...

Biography

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 ...

(now Oslo, Norway). He was the son of Otto Benjamin Andreas Aubert (1841–98) and Hilda Thaulow (1846–1923). After first studies at the Oslo Technical College, he then studied engineering at 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 ...

and earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

in 1895. He became the managing director of Engene Dynamitfabrik and Norsk Sprængstofindustri. In 1926 he was hired as Director-General (CEO) of

. In 1940, while Norway was still neutral in

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 ...

, Aubert was contacted by agents from French military intelligence regarding Norsk Hydro's production of heavy water (

deuterium Deuterium (or hydrogen-2, symbol or deuterium, also known as heavy hydrogen) is one of two Stable isotope ratio, stable isotopes of hydrogen (the other being Hydrogen atom, protium, or hydrogen-1). The atomic nucleus, nucleus of a deuterium ato ...

oxide) at its Vemork hydroelectric plant. Heavy water was an important material for Germany's nuclear weapon project and was only produced in any significant quantities at Vemork. He agreed to 'lend' Norsk Hydro's entire existing stock of heavy water to France for the duration of the war, observing that if Germany won the war he was likely to be shot. The French agents

transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she w ...

of heavy water secretly to

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 ...

, to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

in Scotland, and then to France. Aubert retired as Hydro president in late 1941, but took over as the company's chairman and held this position until his death in 1943. Aubert emphasized the scientific and technological research. He was a member of the Executive Board of the Norwegian Industry Association from 1926 to 1934.

Honours

Aubert was appointed Knight of the 1st Class of the Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1928. He also held the Belgian Order of Leopold, the French

Legion of Honour 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, ...

, the Danish

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

and the Polish

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

References

1873 births 1943 deaths University of Basel alumni Norwegian chemists Businesspeople from Oslo Norsk Hydro people Engineers from Oslo Norwegian people of World War II Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal d'Aubert family {{Norway-business-bio-stub