Torstein Raaby
Torstein Raaby (born October 6, 1920 in Dverberg ( Andøy ), † March 23, 1964 in the Arctic ) was a highly decorated Norwegian resistance fighter and adventurer. He became known to a worldwide public as a participant in the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition.
Education
Raaby graduated from the Lycée Corneille in Rouen , France, but had also attended school in Germany. He spoke both foreign languages fluently. He obtained an engineering degree in Switzerland.
Resistance fighters
Raaby worked as a resistance fighter in Norway during World War II . Equipped with a suitcase transmitter ( Paraset ) and a camera, he spent 10 months in a hiding place in Alta by the Kåfjord . Via the radio antenna of a German occupation officer, he sent detailed reports on German warships, installations and troop movements to England. Its use enabled the British Royal Air Force to sink the battleship Tirpitz . One of his code names was Pettersen. In memory of his activity as a resistance fighter, the Raabystupet rock face in the Antarctic is named after him.
Kon-Tiki expedition and polar radio operator
In 1947 he was on the Kon-Tiki as an expedition operator. He then lived in northern Norway for a while, until he moved to Bear Island - again as a radio operator . From 1959 to 1961 he was station manager of the radio station on the arctic island of Jan Mayen .
death
He died in 1964 of a heart attack during a failed expedition to reach the North Pole on skis. His body was flown home and buried in his homeland.
Awards
Raaby is the recipient of the highest Norwegian distinction, the War Cross with Sword , the British DSO and King's Medal and the French Croix de guerre .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Raaby, Torstein |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Raaby, Torstein Pettersen (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Norwegian polar explorer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 6, 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dverberg , Nordland , Norway (today: Andøy ) |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 23, 1964 |
| Place of death | Arctic |