Osmund Lindgaard Brønnum (23 March 1907 – 3 March 1944) was a Norwegian sports official and

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

resistance member. He was born in Sandar outside of Sandefjord as a son of Nils Olsen and Hilda Larsen; both from Sandar. After his father's death in 1908, his mother Hilda lost the small farm and moved with the children to

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, then named Kristiania, in order to find work. From 1929 to 1932 he was enrolled at the KUNMZ University in Moscow, Russia. On his return he was elected leader of the NKU, The Young Communist League, the youth wing of the NKP, the Communist Party of Norway. In 1937 he married Dagny, a woman from

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

. He was employed as a functionary for the municipal sports fields of

. He was active in the trade union ''Friområdenes Fagforening'', a member body of the

Union of Municipal Employees The Union of Municipal Employees (, GdG) was a trade union representing local authority workers in Austria. The union was founded in 1945 by the Austrian Trade Union Federation The Austrian Trade Union Federation or Austrian Federation of Trade ...

. As a boxer, he represented the sports club Vika IF, and was a part of the leadership in the Workers' Confederation of Sports. In 1939 he supported the merger between the workers' and bourgeois sports organizations, in order to create a

unity front Unity is the state of being as one (either literally or figuratively). It may also refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, ...

against

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

. 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 ...

, Brønnum participated in the

Norwegian resistance movement The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian language, Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the German occupation of Norway, occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *As ...

in various ways. He worked in the illegal press, and also joined the military organization

Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...

, founding its East End branch of District 13. He was also a central committee member of the

Communist Party of Norway The Communist Party of Norway (, NKP) is a communist party in Norway. The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. It was Stalinist from its establishment and, as such, supported the Soviet government while oppo ...

, which was banned from August 1940. He was arrested by the Nazis for the first time on 3 October 1940, and was incarcerated in

Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway, where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This ...

until 4 December 1940. In April 1943 he had to flee the country for neutral Sweden, but this was discovered by a denouncer, and Brønnum was held up at

Skotterud Skotterud is the administrative centre of Eidskog Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian National Road 2 and the Kongsvingerbanen railway line. Skotterud sits about south of the town of Kongsvinge ...

, not far from the Swedish border. Before his second arrest, he briefly held the title as military leader of the Communist Party resistance. Arrested on 8 April 1943, he was held in Møllergata 19 to 4 May 1943, then in

Grini detention camp Grini prison camp (, ) was a Nazi concentration camp in Bærum, Norway, which operated between 1941 and May 1945. Ila Detention and Security Prison is now located here. History Grini was originally built as a women's prison, near an old croft ...

to 2 March 1944. He was then transferred to

Trandum Trandum leir is a former army camp Ullensaker, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the a ...

. He had been sentenced to death in November 1943, by a

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

(a ''SS- und Polizeigericht'') led by Hans Paul Latza. He was executed at Trandumskogen on 3 March 1944 together with six other men, including biologist

Iacob Dybwad Sømme Iacob Dybwad Sømme (5 September 1898 – 3 March 1944) was a Norwegian ichthyologist and resistance member. Personal life He was born in Etnedal Municipality as a son of chief physician Jacob Dybwad Sømme (1866–1923) and Helene Sofie Søren ...

. Brønnum is buried at

Nordre gravlund Nordre Gravlund is a cemetery located between Ullevål University Hospital and the district of Sagene in Oslo, Norway. History The cemetery was first established on the site in 1884. The cemetery has been expanded several times and now has an ...

, at the memorial to the 20 members of the Communist Central Committee who were killed by the Nazis during the occupation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broennum, Osmund 1907 births 1944 deaths People from Sandefjord Politicians from Oslo Norwegian sports executives and administrators Communist Party of Norway politicians Norwegian resistance members Norwegian civilians killed in World War II Communists executed by Nazi Germany Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany People executed by Nazi Germany by firing squad Deaths by firearm in Norway Grini concentration camp prisoners Burials at Nordre gravlund Norwegian people executed by Nazi Germany