Scandinavian American. [volume], June 01, 1945, Page 3, Image 3

About Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
THE SCANDINAVIAN AMERICAN
News from Norway
Issued by the Royal Norwegian Information
Service, Washington, D. C.
Today All Norweigan Hearts Are
Filled with Jay and with Gratitude
To a Norway hanging midway between peace and war the
afternoon of May 7 was possibly the high point of five years
of tension and uncertainty. Earlier in the day the Allies had
broadcasted orders in English and German that flying boats
bearing an Allied commission would soon be landed south of
Oslo; this commission was to accept the capitulation of the
German garrison in Norway. To a population torn between
an overwhelming desire to believe that five years of servitude
were 'about to end, and a restraint imposed by years of
experience with the German op
pressors. the reception extended
this Allied commission would do
much to forecast the immediate
future of Norway.
Only the day before the streets
had been fully lighted for the first
time in five years; political pris
oners were being released from
Mollergaten 19. Viktoria Terrasse,
Mysen and Fornebu; but as late as
the day before at 10:30 in the
morning, the Gestapo had made a
raid in Olav Kyrresgaten in Oslo
and 30 Norwegians had been ar
rested. What was one to think?
Word of the unconditional surren
der of all German forces had al
ready been announced, and had
spread the length and breadth of
the country in a few hours.. Still
the reaction of the Gestapo and
the fanatical elements of the Ger
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man army was yet to be ascer
tained.
As the time drew near and the
Allied planes appeared in the sky,
the question in every' mind was.
"Will the Germans open fire?" As
we now know. the Germans did not
open fire. Instead they chose to
follow the orders issued by the Al
lied High Command to maintain
their discipline and observe the
terms of final surrender.
Liberation Scene
Indescribable
It appears that the Germans are
concluding a five.year occupation
of Norway in a peaceful manner
which is exceeding the wildest
dreams of even the most optimis
tic Norwegians. From fully light
ed streets. decorated with Norwe
gian flags and jammed with crowds
alternately singing and weeping.
with the Norwegian National An
them swelling from thousands of
throats. the day of liberation was
celebrated. Mollergaten. especially,
was the scene of wild jubilation.
where prisoners were carried from
their cells on the shoulders of a.
delirious populace, and paraded
down the streets while thousands
of Osloites alternately laughed and
wept.
Dr. Harry Soderman, leader of
the Norwegian Police troops in
vaeden, had already arrived. and
las he went from prison to prison
informing the prisoners that they
Were free. the scenes of release and
thanksgiving were indescribale.
The high point of the first hours
of liberation was reached as he
threw open the cell doors of five
prisoners who had been condemned
to‘ death. Among the fantastic
;scenes witnessed in Oslo was the
‘sight of German soldiers tearing
‘off their uniforms and joining the
crowds of Norwegians to sing and
shout the liberation. .
Crown Prince. Olav
Welcomed Home
At 4:00 p. m. on the afternoon of
May 13. Crown Prince Olav again
set foot on the free soil of Norway.
To the hundreds of thousands of
Osloites who lined the streets from
the W'harf of Honor to the Royal
Palace. it was a day of fantasy,
a fairy tale. Less than five days
before, Oslo and most of Norway
had been an armed camp under
complete Nazi control. and now in
a few short hours Norway and its
people were free.
For hours a British naval force.
headed by the Norwegian destroyer
“Arendal,” had been moving up
the Oslo Fjord through hundreds
of Norwegian fishing boats and
sail craft decked with fresh green
leaves and flowers.
No sooner had they drg‘fiped
anchor than the light c ser
“Apollo" arrived with the Crown
Prince and Ministers Oscar Torp.
Terje Wold and Sven Nielsen
aboard. The "Apollo" is the same
criiiaer which carried King Haakon
and Prince Olav to Great Britain
in June of 1940. A small motor
launch slipped away from the
cruiser's side, and in a few mo
ments the strains of the Norwe
gian National Anthem were min
gled with tumultuous cheers of
"God Bless our Crown Prince."
Thu Nunvegian (‘unimandvr in
Chief stepped ashore. Smiling and
clad in a new Norwegian uniform.
he moved down the quay to be
greeted by the waiting delegation.
As the entourage moved into
Tordenskjold‘s Square. the Crown
Prince stopped to inspect Home
Front Forces assembled there. Men
and women who for five years had
kept the underground press alive
and had relayed Norwegian news
to the outside world, who had
sabotaged the German military
machine and liquidated enemies of
the Home Front. were now stand
ing inspection by their Commander
in Chief.
May I7, I945
For the first time since 1939.
Norwegians celebrated their Con
stitution Day as a free people on
their own free soil. Festivities in
0310 were more extensive than
ever before in the history of Nor
way, in spite of the limited time
for preparations. Through cheer
ing thousands, the traditional chil
dren’s parade moved up Karl Jo
han's Gate. wound through the
palace grounds, and passed before
the Royal Palace, where Crown
Prince Olav received the cheers
and greetings of over 25,000 school
children. Only a few hours before.
the children had been treated to
what for many of them was pos
sibly the first good meal 'of their
lives. Fresh sausages, for which
many German hogs had offered up
their lives, and fish balls donated
by the Danish Relief. brought joy‘
to the heart's of 0510’s children.
Before the palace was an area
reserved for the sick, the aged,
and all newly liberated prisoners:
and in the center of the city. all
sidewalks were set aside for allied
prisoners of war.
i The festivities were opened by
;a worship service in the Fortress
Square, where Bishop Berggrav
stressed the importance of justice,
and warned the Norwegian people
against taking the law into their
own hands. Later in the day.
wreaths were placed on the graves
of Bjornson, Wergeland, and Fal
'sen. About mid-day. detachments
of the Norwegian armed forces
iparad'ed up Karl Johan's Gate.
i T h e Norwegian Broadcasting
isystem opened its day with a proc
‘lamation to the Norwegian people
from King Haakon in London. who
said, in part:
“Never before have We, with
more understanding or with great~
er conviction. been able to compre
hend the truth of these words of
our National Anthem: ‘
" ‘Norsemen. whe'er life has placed3
you. 1
Thank your Lord on high. ‘
That our land has stood protected
Though grave peril drew nigh. ‘
That for which our fathers strug
gled;
Mothers prayed to see,
Has a gracious God provided:i
right and victory.’ " I
it ill 2‘.
400 Norwegians
Die In Germany
The Norwegian Department of
Social Welfare in London has re
vealed that over 8,000 Norwegians
were sent to prison camps in Ger
many during the five-year occupa
tion of their homeland. Approxi
mately 600 of these were gradually
repatriated by the Germans, while
in the last weeks the Swedish Red
Cross has removed 3.500 more to
Sweden and Denmark. Four hun
dred have died in German camps.
The greater percentage of the
Norwegian prisoners held at Sach
senhausen (Oranienburg). Dachau.
and Ravensbruk, together with
the large contingent of Norwegian
students imprisoned in Germany.
have now been safely removed by
the Swedish Red Cross.
0 V t
Norse Govemment
Leaves London
On Sunday. May 27. the Nor
wegian Government formally
closed its London headquarters and
departed for an east coast port on
route to Norway. Thus ended the
five-year period during which Lon
don. and not Oslo. was headquar
ters for Norwegians throughout
the world. At the time of depart
ure. Norwegian Foreign Minxsior
TrygTe Lie spoke over the Ann-ri-
can Broadcasting System in Eu
rope, thanking Great Britain and]
the United States for the help and
hospitality extended the Norwe-l
gian Government during the yearsI
of exile.
King Haakon and the remainder
of the Royal Family will not pro
ceed to Norway until the disarma
ment of the German forces in Nor
way is more complete. A recent
report from Allied Headquarters
in 0510 indicates that this dis
armament is proceeding according
to plan. and in complete compli
ance with Allied orders.
Quisling To Be
Tried August 25
Maj. Vidkun Quisling's trial has
been set. for Aug. 25. which gives
the Norwegian state three months
in which to bring definite charges
against the former puppet Pre
mier. At a preliminary hearing in
Oslo. May 26, Maj. Quisling was
ordered to be detained in custody
until his trial.
Another prominent Norwegian
collaborator, wealthy Olaf Fer
mann, was said by the Norwegian
police to have attempted to pur
chase his freedom by donating
8.000.000 kroner (approximately
$1,600,000) to the Norwegian Red
Cross the day Germany capitu
lated. The money was part of
more than $11,000,000 Mr. Fer
mann is suspected to have amassed
during the Nazi occupation.
American Soldiers
To Go To Norway
American troops, handpicked
among soldiers of Norwegian ex—
traction. will arrive in Oslo early
in June to join the British garri
son. which has been stationed then:
for the past three‘ weeks.
Americans will be stationed in
the Oslo area, while the British
will move to other areas.
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GREETINGS
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County Commissioner
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G. 5829