Leif Welding-Olsen (15 August 1895 – 8 April 1940) was the commander of the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

patrol boat HNoMS ''Pol III''. He was the first Norwegian to be killed 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 **G ...

. On 8 April 1940, Leif Welding-Olsen raised the alarm as the

German 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 **Ge ...

navy ships moved past the guard lines in outer

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

. Norway had been attacked at 2205hrs that evening as German ships passed the Norwegian territorial borders. Captain Welding-Olsen had a brief conversation with the commander of one of the German

torpedo boat A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...

s, who demanded that he surrender, but Welding-Olsen refused. Realizing that the enemy would not turn away, and was going to violate Norwegian neutrality, ''Pol III'' fired flares to alert Norwegian coastal batteries and rammed the ''Albatros''. From the ''Albatros'' it was clear that the guns on ''Pol III'' were manned, and that the Norwegians intended to fight. The ''Albatros'' promptly hit the small Norwegian vessel with anti-aircraft fire, wounding Captain Welding-Olsen in the leg and starting several fires. As ''Pol III'' was burning, her crew abandoned the vessel. The lifeboat overturned, forcing them to cling to its sides. Leif Welding-Olsen, weakened by blood loss, let go from the boat and drowned, becoming the first casualty in the war between Norway and Nazi Germany. His last words were reportedly: "Bry dere ikke om meg gutter, jeg er ferdig likevel. Men kommer dere hjem, så hils fra meg!" This is roughly translated as: "Don't worry about me boys, I am done for anyway. (If) you make it back home, give them my regards".

Legacy

*SHV-205 ''Welding'', a vessel of Sea Home Guard was named after Leif Welding-Olsen * Welding Olsens vei was named after him. *Leif Welding Street in Horten (Welding's birthplace) is named after him

References

Other sources

*Dildy, Douglas C. (2007) ''Hitler's Boldest Operation; Osprey Campaign Series'' (Osprey Publishing) {{DEFAULTSORT:Welding-Olsen, Leif Royal Norwegian Navy personnel of World War II Norwegian military personnel killed in World War II People from Horten 1895 births 1940 deaths Deaths by drowning in Norway