Einar Olav Christiansen Dønnum (19 April 1897 – 22 April 1947) was a Norwegian
Nazi collaborator who was executed during the
legal purge in Norway after World War II
The legal purge in Norway after World War II (; ) took place between May 1945 and August 1948 against anyone who was found to have Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaborated with the German occupation of Norway, German occupat ...
.
Early life
Before the war, Einar was a manager and Sunday school teacher at a church. He worked there for 8 years before being forced to quit. Einar had been unfaithful to his wife and initiated a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl.
itation neededOutside the church he ran a scrap shop, buying and selling used clothes.
When the Nazi occupied Norway, Einar became a member of
Nasjonal Samling
The Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norway, Norwegian far-right politics, far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling a ...
on November 1, 1940. After a few weeks at the Order Police in Oslo, Einar came to the surveillance department, a unit that was a kind of forerunner of the State Police.
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 th ...
, Einar became a member of
Nasjonal Samling
The Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norway, Norwegian far-right politics, far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling a ...
on November 1, 1940. The following year, he began as a temporary police constable. Einar joined the
Statspolitiet in 1941.
Einar was known for brutal interrogation methods, which included
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
. He hired his teenage son, Ole Bernhard Dønnum, as an assistant. In addition to torturing resistance fighters, Einar also participated in several executions of them. Members of the
Norwegian resistance movement, including
Asbjørn Sunde, made several failed assassination attempts on Einar. Near the end of the war, Einar's name became synonymous with torture.
In May 1945, Einar fled with his son to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. They were both arrested there, and extradited to Norway in July 1945. The two were tried for treason. Einar faced underlying charges of assault, torture, and murder, but Ole only faced underlying charges of torture. During his trial, Einar tried to portray himself as an insignificant figure who had not done anything particularly serious.
Both Dønnums were found guilty. Einar was sentenced to death and Ole was sentenced to six years in prison with hard labour.
Einar was executed by
firing squad
Firing may refer to:
* Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination
* Firemaking, the act of starting a fire
* Burning; see combustion
* Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms
* Execution by firing squad, a method of ...
at
Akershus Fortress on 22 April 1947. Ole Dønnum was released from prison on 18 December 1948, and changed his name after his release.
[Side 309/310. Eirik Veum: ''Nådeløse Nordmenn. Statspolitiet 1941 - 1945''. Kagge Forlag 2012 ISBN 978-82-489-1174-6]
References
1897 births
1947 deaths
Norwegian police officers convicted of murder
Norwegian people convicted of war crimes
Executed Norwegian collaborators with Nazi Germany
{{crime-bio-stub
Members of Nasjonal Samling
People convicted of torture
People convicted of murder by Norway
Police officers convicted of assault
Police officers executed for murder
Police officers executed for treason
Statspolitiet personnel