''Hirden'' (the ''

hird The hird (also named "Håndgangne Menn" in Norwegian), in Scandinavian history, was originally an informal retinue of personal armed companions, hirdmen or housecarls, but came to mean not only the nucleus ('Guards') of the royal army, but also ...

'') was a uniformed paramilitary organisation during the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

, modelled the same way as the German Sturmabteilungen.

Overview

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (, ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Nazi collaborator who nominally list of heads of government of Norway, headed the government of Norway during t ...

's fascist party

Nasjonal Samling Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such ...

frequently used words and symbols from the old Norse Viking era. During the Second World War, membership was compulsory for all Nasjonal Samling members. In total, about 8,500 Norwegians were members of ''Hirden'' during the war. The organisation was dissolved after the liberation, and many of its former members were prosecuted and convicted for treason and collaboration.

History

During the German occupation Hirden got a more military slant. The intention was that it should form the nucleus of a future Norwegian Nazi army, and a " hirdmarine" (Hirden navy) and a " Hirdens flykorps"(Hirden's air force corps) were created in 1942 in addition to the real Hirden, Rikshirden. However, many Hirden members volunteered to Norwegian military units in the war on Nazi German side or served as guards in the various prison camps. Hirden had a broad mandate to conduct operations against dissidents, independent of all police authorities, many of which included the use of violence.Veum A 2014 ''

Dagsavisen ''Dagsavisen'' is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. ...

'' article said that "8 of 10 died in the prison camps where Hirden performed guard duty under the leadership of SS".

Gallery

NS ÅRBOK 1944 Nasjonal Samling Rikspropagandaledelsen 1943 Nasjonalbiblioteket no-nb digitidsskrift 2019082781057 001 Public domain 123 Rikshirden hirden uniform (Norwegian Nazi Party uniform) 400ppi Retouched clean cropped.jpg NS_ÅRBOK_1944_Nasjonal_Samling_Rikspropagandaledelsen_1943_Nasjonalbiblioteket_no-nb_digitidsskrift_2019082781057_001_Public_domain_126_Hirdens_flykorps_Hirdmarinen_uniformer_(Norwegian_Nazi_Party_uniforms_WW2)_400ppi_Retouched_clean.jpg, Uniform of the naval hird, Hirdmarinen. File:NS ÅRBOK 1944 Nasjonal Samling Rikspropagandaledelsen 1943 Nasjonalbiblioteket no-nb digitidsskrift 2019082781057 001 Public domain 128 Kvinnehirden Kvinneorganisasjonen NSK (Norwegian Nazi Party uniforms) 400ppi Retouched clean crop.jpg, Uniform of the female hird, Kvinnehirden. Sarpsborg juli 1942 (8617784245).jpg, Vidkun Quisling on the rostrum speaks to Hirden in Halden. 8. Parteitag – Gefallenenehrung (8615544971).jpg, Hirden spectacle march to be greeted by Quisling. 8. Parteitag – Hirdaufmarsch på Karl Johan. (8616649948).jpg, Hirden women march up Oslo's main street. Hirdoppmarsj på Universitetsplassen i Oslo. (8615512231).jpg, Quisling speaks to Hirden after oath has been given to him. Hirden flag.svg, The flag of the Hirden

Ranks and rank insignia

References

Sources

*Eirik Veum: ''Nådeløse nordmenn - Hirden'', Kagge Forlag, Oslo 2013,

External links

*
Her er Eirik Veums liste over de 20 verste torturistene i Hirden:
ere is Erik Veum's list of the 20 worst torturers in Hirden {{Ranks, uniforms and insignia of Nazi Germany Norway in World War II Nasjonal Samling Paramilitary organisations based in Norway Norwegian collaborators with Nazi Germany Organizations disestablished in 1945 1945 disestablishments in Norway Organisations based in Oslo Organizations with year of establishment missing Collaboration with the Axis Powers Fascist organizations Military wings of fascist parties