Memorialized in movies, books and TV mini-series, the winter sabotage of the Vemork chemical plant in Telemark County of Nazi-occupied Norway was one of the most dramatic and important military missions of World War II. 28 marks the 75th anniversary of Operation Gunnerside, and though it hasn’t yet been 100 years, the memory of this successful Norwegian mission remains strong both within Norway and beyond. If similarly captured, these Norwegians could expect the same fate as their British counterparts, hence the suicide pills.įeb. The survivors were quickly captured by German soldiers, tortured and executed. Two gliders transporting the men had both crashed while en route to their target.
These commandos did know, however, that an earlier attempt at the same mission by British soldiers had been a complete failure. The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Īfter handing them their suicide capsules, Norwegian Royal Army Colonel Leif Tronstad informed his soldiers, “I cannot tell you why this mission is so important, but if you succeed, it will live in Norway’s memory for a hundred years.”
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