Norwegian Independent Company No. 1
The Norwegian Independent Company No. 1, NOR.IC1, later colloquially known in Norway as Linge-Folk ( German “the Linge people” ) or Kompani Linge ( German “ company Linge” ), was formed in the United Kingdom in March 1941 after the Norwegian government and the loyal military leadership and some of the armed forces lived there in exile after the occupation of Norway by Germany since 1940 .
The name common among Norwegians is known after the founder and first director, Captain Martin Linge , who was deployed on December 27, 1941.
NOR.IC1 initially consisted of parts of the Norwegian armed forces that had escaped to England, but was soon supplemented by voluntary Norwegians (e.g. those in third countries at the start of the war) and incorporated into the British Special Operations Executive (SOE).
The task was to support the Allies in the fight against Germany with intelligence required information and acts of sabotage, operations that were essentially limited to the national territory of Norway. The unit worked with Norwegian resistance organizations such as the Milorg , which had also been under the Norwegian High Command in exile since 1941, but competed with the SOE until 1942.
Agents of the Linge company were, for example, heavily involved in the preparations for the destruction of the battleship Tirpitz and the Norsk Hydro power station in Vemork (" Norwegian heavy water sabotage ").
Neutral Sweden tacitly tolerated what was officially called the Norwegian Police on its border with Norway . It allowed Norwegian machines to use Swedish airfields to drop agents off at their destinations, and enabled fugitive Norwegians and Jews to leave the country by air or sea.
Members (selection)
- Martin Linge : founder, commander and namesake. Operation Archery , 1941.
- Joachim Rønneberg : Sabotage Vemork and Stuguflåt Railway Bridge, 1942–45
- Knut Haugland : Sabotage Vemork, 1942–43
- Knut Haukelid : Sabotage Vemork and Schiff Hydro, 1942–43
- Max Manus : Operation Mardonius 1943; Member of the "Oslogjeng" (Oslobande)
- Torstein Raaby : sinking of the Tirpitz, 1944
- Einar Skinnarland : Sabotage Vemork, 1942–43
- Gunnar Sønsteby : Various actions; Sønsteby is so far the Norwegian with the highest military awards.
Of around 530 members of the unit known by name, 57 died in action.
Notes and sources
- ↑ There was also Sivorg ("Civil Organization", no: Sivorg , summarized under "Home Front", no: Hjemmefronten ), as well as the communist Komorg and splinter groups.
- Ralph Tuchtenhagen : Small history of Norway.
Web links
- O. Janson: Norwegian Independent Company No.1 (NOR.IC1) or Kompani Linge. In: Fighting knives used by British commandos and SOE during WW2. Retrieved June 1, 2015 .
- Kompani Linge. In: Lokalhistoriewiki.no. Retrieved June 1, 2015 (Norwegian).