Norwegian resistance movement
During World War II the Norwegian resistance movement (both civilian resistance and some units of armed resistance, notably the Mil.org. became very active after German attempts to install a puppet government under Vidkun Quisling.
Norwegian resistance, coupled with two British raids in Lofoten, convinced Hitler that the Allies would invade Europe through Norway, and he insisted to keep many German divisions tied down in occupation duty. At the most, 380 000 Wehrmacht soldiers were posted in Norway, a number equal to 11% of the entire Norwegian population. Half that should have been more than sufficient to occupy Norway, but veterans from the Eastern front were often sent there as a break from the heavy fighting.
Norwegian spotters aided in the destruction of numerous German warships, such as the Bismarck and the Tirpitz. The Norwegian resistance also smuggled people in and out of Norway during the war. Perhaps its most famous achievements were a series of operations to destroy the Vermork heavy water plant and the existing stockpile of heavy water, crippling the German nuclear program (see: Norwegian heavy water sabotage). The Germans attempted to stifle Resistance activities and executed several innocent Norwegian men, women and children in retaliation after any Resistance act.
A symbol of the Norwegian resistance was the paperclip displayed on a lapel; an innocent item that would pass unnoticed, the paperclip was (falsely) assumed to be a Norwegian invention, and represented "binding things together."
See also
