Newsletter Stutthof Diaries Collection

November 30, 2016 Newsletter Stutthof Diaries Collection

In the premier issue of our Newsletter we thought it necessary to acquaint the reader with the historical events that led to the creation of the Stutthof Diaries Collection. These stories must be told before “clouded fact and memory have fused into what can be accepted as truth, whether it be so or not.” Theodore H White Tore and Grace Jørgensen The Stutthof project began 64 years ago when I first came across a publica- tion entitled ‘Norsk Politi bak Piggtråd’ (Norwegian Police behind Barbed Wire). I later learned that it contained excerpts from diaries of Norwegian police prisoners imprisoned at KZ Stutthof concentration camp in Eastern Poland, between December 1943 and April 1945, of which my fa- ther was one. Finally, after many years the Stutthof Diaries project is becoming real and will include publications, a documentary and a TV mini-series. Though initially the project was to trans- late and retell the diaries kept by the Norwegian police, the project has taken on a broader scope

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Haakon VII became the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the union with Sweden. He reigned from November 1905 to September 1957. As one of the few elected monarchs, Haakon quickly won the respect and affection of his people. He played a pivotal role in uniting the Norwegian nation in its resistance to the Nazi invasion and subsequent five-year-long occupation of his country during World War II. Regarded as one of the greatest Norwegians of the twentieth century, he is particularly revered for his courage during the German invasion—he threatened abdication if the government cooperated with the invading Germans—and for his lead- ership and preservation of Norwegian unity during the occupation. In this issue we present part one of King Haakon’s reign. Story Page 3-5

“I didn’t know the story of King Haakon VII—democratically elected king of Norway!—and his noble opposition to the Ger- man National Socialist invasion of the Kingdom of Norway in 1940 until today. That such heroism existed in the twentieth century gives me great hope for humanity.” Bradley J Blizer The movie “Kongens Nei” (The King’s Choice) is the Norwegian film contending to be the best non-English language film at the Oscars. The film is based on a true story about the three dramatic days in April 1940. Read more about this potential Oscar winner. Review Page 6

November 30, 2016

H7 Monogram—Resistance Symbol Norwegian Krone with H7 Monogram to include stories of other nationalities whose lives intertwined with the Norwegian prisoners. The Stutthof Project in reality began during the early years of WW II, with the then king of Norway, Haakon VI. In a recently released Norwegian movie (September 26, 2016), entitled ‘Kongens Nei’ (The Kings Choice), King Haakon VII is given an ultimatum by the Germans to surrender the government and appoint Vidkun Quisling (Nasjonal Samling leader) to take control of the government or suffer the consequences. In a speech to the Norwegian Government on April 10, 1940 King Haa- kon said: “I am deeply affected by the responsibility laid on me if the German demand is rejected. The responsibility for the calamities that will befall people and country is indeed so grave that I dread to take it. It rests with the government to decide, but my position is clear. For my part I cannot accept the Ger- man demands. It would conflict with all that I have considered to be my duty as King of Norway since I came to this country nearly thirty-five years ago. The decision is yours. But if you choose to accept the German demands, I must abdicate. For, I cannot appoint Quisling as prime minister.” The elected Government of Johan Nygaard, inspired by the king’s resistance, voted to not surrender and fight the Germans. The king and the elected government escaped to England where they sup- ported the Allied war efforts. Three years later Norwegian police officers all over Norway were arrested and given an ultimatum by the Germans, either to sign an oath of loyalty to the German occupying powers and the puppet government of Quisling, or suffer the consequences. They refused to comply and stood as a collective protest against the Nazi Regime. They realized they could no longer sit on the fence, but like their king, take a stand. This Newsletter issue is largely dedicated to King Haakon VII, whose ‘Nei’ became a rally cry for all those who defied the German occupation of Norway during World War II. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bjørn Tore Godal, speaking at the 50th anniversary for Victory in Europe Day, said Norway was the only country in which the initials of the head of state became a resistance symbol. The monogram, with H superimposed on 7, was drawn on fences, walls, houses, roads, in the snow and otherwise in the public sphere. It was also used in illegal art. Coins with the H7 symbol were also attached to clothes. Such coins were confiscated by the Nazi authorities. It was also used in the private sphere, among others on the inside of blinds. A symbol used in a similar way was the "V for victory", as popularized by Winston Churchill. The symbol was also evoked after World War II to have a commemorative effect, among others at the first post-war Holmenkollen ski jump event, when the symbol was formed in large scale by people. It was also used on post-war coins. Continued Page 3

For information on The Stutthof Diaries Collection or to receive our bi-monthly News- letter, please contact us at: Website: www.stutthofdiaries.com Email: [email protected]

November 30, 2016

Prince Carl of Denmark Queen Maude King and Queen of Norway

After the Union between Sweden and Norway was dissolved in 1905, a committee of the Norwe- gian government identified several princes of European royal houses as candidates to become Nor- way's first king since 1387. Gradually, Prince Carl of Denmark became the leading candidate, largely because he was descended from independent Norwegian kings. He also had a son, providing an heir-apparent to the throne, and the fact that his wife, Princess Maud, was a member of the British Royal Family was viewed by many as an advantage to the newly independent Norwegian nation Prince Carl born, Christian Frederik Carl Georg Valdemar Axel on August 3, 1872 and was known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905. He was the second son of King Frederik VIII of Denmark and his wife Louise. Furthermore, he was a younger brother of Christian X, the future king of Denmark. Prince Carl was born at Charlottenlund Palace near Copenhagen. He belonged to the Schleswig- Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg branch of the House of Oldenburg. The family had permanent links with Norway beginning from the late Middle Ages. Several of Prince Carl’s paternal ancestors had been kings of independent Norway (Haakon V of Norway, Christian I of Norway, Frederick I, Christian III, Frederick II, Christian IV, as well as Frederick III of Norway who integrated Norway into the Oldenburg state with Denmark. Prince Carl was raised in the royal household in Copenhagen and educated at the Royal Danish Naval Academy. At Buckingham Palace on July 22, 1896, Prince Carl married his first cousin Princess Maud of Wales, youngest daughter of the future King Edward VII of England. Their son, Prince Alexander, the future Crown Prince Olav (and eventually king Olav V of Norway), was born on 2 July 1903. The democratically-minded Carl, aware that Norway was still debating whether to remain a kingdom or to switch to a republican form of government, was flattered by the Norwegian government's overtures, but he made his acceptance of the offer conditional on the holding of a referendum to show whether monarchy was the choice of the Norwegian people. After the referendum overwhelmingly confirmed by a 79 percent majority that Norwegians desired to retain a monarchy, Prince Carl was formally offered the throne of Norway by the Storting (parliament) and was elected on November 18 , 1905. When Prince Carl accepted the offer that same evening, he immediately endeared himself to his adopted country by taking the Old Norse name of Haakon, a name used by six previous kings of Norway and became King Haakon VII. The new royal family of Norway left Denmark on the Danish royal yacht Dannebrog and sailed into Oslofjord as far as the Oscarsborg Fortress. At the Fortress they boarded the Norwegian naval ship Heimdal and arrived in Kristiania (old name for Oslo) early on the morning of November 25, 1905. Two days later, Haakon took the oath as Norway's first independent king in 518 years. The corona- tion of Haakon and Maud took place in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on June 22, 1906. King Haakon gained much affection from the Norwegian people. He traveled extensively through Norway. Although the Constitution of Norway bestows the King with considerable executive powers, in practice nearly all major governmental decisions were made by the Government (the Council of State) in his name. Haakon confined himself to non-partisan roles without interfering in politics, a practice continued by his son and grandson. However, his long rule gave him considerable moral authority as a symbol of the country's unity. Continued Page 4

November 30, 2016

Battleship Lützow Oscarsborg Fortress Crownprincess Märtha Louise

King Haakon, Queen Maud and Crown Prince Olav became interested in skiing. This sport is often viewed as typically Norwegian. They were often seen with their skis while on tour. Olav later became a champion ski jumper. During the first years of King Haakon's reign, Norway experienced an economic boom, thanks to development of the nation's hydroelectric potential. Although Norway remained neutral during World War I, its merchant fleet carried much cargo for the Allies, adding to the country's economic development. That economic boom came at a cost, however, as about half of Norway's merchant ships were sunk by German submarines and mines. After the war, with most of Europe devastated and Norway's merchant fleet seriously depleted, the country's economic boom came to an end. Like most of the world, Norway suffered during the Great Depression of the 1930's, with almost half the population out of work at one time. The King’s Choice In the early years of World War II, Norway found itself threatened by Nazi Germany, which invaded in the early morning hours of April 9, 1940. The German naval detachment, sent to capture Oslo, was opposed by Oscarsborg Fortress. The fortress fired at the invaders, damaging the battleship Lützow and sinking the heavy cruiser Blücher, with heavy German losses that included many of the armed forces, Gestapo agents, and administrative personnel who were to have occupied the Nor- wegian capital. This led to the withdrawal of the rest of the German flotilla, preventing the invaders from occupying Oslo at dawn as had been planned. The German delay in occupying Oslo, along with swift action by the President of the Storting, C. J. Hambro, created the opportunity for the Norwe- gian Royal Family, the cabinet, and most of the 150 members of the Storting (parliament) to make a hasty departure from the capital by a special train. The Storting was able to reconvene at Hamar that same afternoon, but was again forced to flee in advance of the rapidly approaching Germans. Reconvening at Elverum, the Storting unanimously adopted the Elverumsfullmakten (Elverum Authorization), which granted the Cabinet full authority to protect the country until such time as the Storting could meet freely again. The next day, Curt Bräuer, the German Ambassador to Norway, demanded a meeting with King Haakon. The German diplomat called on Haakon to accept Adolf Hitler's demands to end all resistance and appoint Vidkun Quisling as prime minister. Quisling, the leader of Norway's fascist party, the Nasjonal Samling, had declared himself prime minister hours earlier in Oslo as head of what would be a German puppet government; had Haakon formally appointed him, it would have effec- tively given legal sanction to the invasion. Bräuer suggested that Haakon follow the example of the Danish government and his brother, Christian ,X which had surrendered almost immediately after the previous day's invasion, and threatened Norway with harsh reprisals if it did not surrender. Haa- kon told Bräuer that he could not make the decision himself, but only on the advice of the Govern- ment. While Haakon would have been well within his rights to make such a decision on his own authority (since declaring war and peace are part of the royal prerogative), even at this critical hour he refused to abandon the convention that he acted on the Government's advice. Continued Page 5

November 30, 2016

Crown Prince Olav V Escaping from the Germans. Curt Braüer Hitler’s Messenger

In an emotional meeting inNybergsund , the King reported the German ultimatum to his cabinet. While Haakon could not make the decision himself, he believed he could use his moral authority to influence it. Accordingly, Haakon told the cabinet: “I am deeply affected by the responsibility laid on me if the German demand is rejected. The responsibility for the calamities that will befall people and country is indeed so grave that I dread to take it. It rests with the government to decide, but my position is clear. For my part I cannot accept the Ger- man demands. It would conflict with all that I have considered to be my duty as King of Norway since I came to this country nearly thirty-five years ago. The decision is yours. But if you choose to accept the German demands, I must abdicate. For, I cannot appoint Quisling as prime minister.” Nils Hjelmtveit, Minister of Church and Education, later wrote: “This made a great impression on us all. More clearly than ever before, we could see the man behind the words; the king who had drawn a line for himself and his task, a line from which he could not deviate. We had through the five years [in government] learned to respect and appreciate our king, and now, through his words, he came to us as a great man, just and forceful; a leader in these fatal times to our country.” Inspired by Haakon's stand, the Government unanimously advised him not to appoint any government headed by Quisling. Within hours, it telephoned its refusal to Bräuer. That night, NRK (Norsk rikskringkasting AS) , broadcast the government's rejection of the German demands to the Norwe- gian people. In that same broadcast, the Government announced that it would resist the German invasion as long as possible, and expressed their confidence that Norwegians would lend their sup- port to the cause. Germany was outraged at Norway's refusal to surrender, and even more outraged that King Haakon had chosen to telephone the news rather than convey it in person. On April 11, 1940, the German Luftwafte bombed the small town of Nybergsund, where the Cabinet had been meeting. King Haa- kon and his ministers were able to take refuge in a snow-covered forest and escape harm, but the town was destroyed. Although Norway and the Allied powers did their best to stave off the Germans, the Norwegian government was finally forced to board the British ship HMS Devonshire and take refuge in London, on June 7. There, King Haakon and his Cabinet established a government-in-exile, which formed air force, navy, and some army units to fight against Germany. For the next five years the government- in-exile led and coordinated Norwegian war efforts from its base in London. King Haakon became the foremost symbol of the Norwegian people’s will to fight for a free and independent Norway, and his radio broadcasts from London served as a source of inspiration. Alt- hough their country was now in the hands of the Nazis, the Norwegian people refused to complete- ly surrender. Throughout the war many citizens wore clothing or jewelry made from coins bearing Haakon's "H7" monogram as a symbol of their resistance to occupation and solidarity with their ex- iled king.

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November 30, 2016 Newsletter Stutthof Diaries Collection

KONGENS NEI’ (THE KING'S CHOICE) is an historical drama portraying three days in April 1940, between the German invasion of Norway and the Royal Family and the Government narrow escape to England to set up the Norwegian Government in exile, to co-ordinate the war effort to free Norway. With the German Luftwaffe and soldiers hunting them down, the royal family is forced to separate, not knowing if they'll ever see each other again. While Crown Prin- cess Märtha leaves Norway with the children to seek refuge in Sweden, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav stay on to fight the Germans. After three days of desperately trying to evade the Germans, King Haakon faces a choice that may cost him, his family and many Norwegians their lives. A choice that will change his country forever. CV Wedgewood wrote, “History is lived forwards but it is written in retrospect. We know the end before we consider the beginning and we can never wholly recapture what it was to know the beginning only.” . With its engaging themes and strong cinematic qualities ‘ The King’s Choice’ enables us to enter into the dramatic events and experience what it was like ‘to know the beginning on only’.

Three years after ‘The King’s Choice’ the Norwegian police were forced to make a similar choice. On the morning of August 16, 1943 police all over Norway were arrested by the Germans under the code name ‘Aktion Polarkreis’ and ordered to sign a loyalty agreement to the Nazi Regime and the Fascist party of Vidkun Quisling - Nasjonal Samling, or face the consequences. On that same morning Oslo Police Chief Gunnar Eilifsen was executed for refusing to arrest three girls who did not show up for man- datory work detail. Faced with the threat of execution, they were ordered to sign the following oath:

“I promise that I will conscientiously and to the best of my ability fulfill my duties as a policeman by the regulations applicable to my service and follow the orders given me.” The orders included the arrest of teachers who refused to teach the new Nazi curriculum, confiscate radios, confiscate property from the Jews, arrest all Jewish men over the age of 16 and become members of Nasjonal Samling. Faced with the threat of execution, and like their king, they stood together as a collective protest against the German Regime and would not sign. They under- stood that time had come to no longer sit on the fence, but to take a stand. Instead of being executed they were imprisoned in camps in Norway, but 271 were transported to concentration camp KZ Stutthof in eastern Poland. At Stutthof , many kept diaries and detailed their imprison- ment between December 1943 and April 1945. ‘For Truth and Honor’ is their story and will be available first quarter 2017.