Erik Gjems-Onstad
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Erik-Ørn Gjems-Onstad (22 February 1922 – 18 November 2011) was a Norwegian resistance member, officer, lawyer, sports official, politician, author and anti-immigration activist. Gjems-Onstad joined the Norwegian resistance movement after
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...
Norway in 1940. He was arrested in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
for his involvement with Norwegian resistance activity in the country in 1941, and was sent to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
where he joined the
Norwegian Independent Company 1 Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
(''Kompani Linge'') and received British military training. He was deployed to Norway in 1943 as part of
Lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occ ...
, assigned with establishing radio connection with
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. He led Lark in
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
between 1943 and 1945, which constituted the leadership of
Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...
in the region. His other activities included assisting with weapons smuggling, preparing for the sinking of the German battleship ''
Tirpitz Tirpitz may refer to: People * Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930), German admiral ** Tirpitz Plan, a plan for Germany to achieve world power status through naval power Ships * German battleship ''Tirpitz'', a World War II-era Bismarck-class ...
,'' and plotting to assassinate Nazi collaborator
Ivar Grande Ivar Grande (28 April 1911 – 11 December 1944) was a police officer and Gestapo agent in Trondheim, Norway during World War II. He was second-in-command of the group ''Sonderabteilung Lola'', led by Henry Rinnan. Grande was responsible for the ...
. He also founded the Durham organisation for conducting
psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), has been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations ( MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...
towards the end of the war, and he took part in blowing up railway tracks. Gjems-Onstad's efforts during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
led him to become one of Norway's highest decorated war heroes. He joined the
Norwegian Home Guard The Norwegian Home Guard () is the rapid mobilization force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main tasks are safeguarding ter ...
after the war, where he served as a captain. He completed his education in law, and also worked as a judge and lawyer. He ultimately reached the rank of colonel in the military, as military lawyer of the
Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...
. For some years he was CEO of a project that planned to develop the
Vaterland Vaterland means "Fatherland" in German. It may also refer to: *Vaterland, Norway, a neighborhood in Oslo *The ocean liner SS ''Vaterland'', later known as SS ''Leviathan'' *''Liechtensteiner Vaterland'', largest daily newspaper in Liechtenstein * ...
neighbourhood in Oslo. Gjems-Onstad also had a career in sports, representing the sports club
SK Rye Sportsklubben Rye is a sports club based in Oslo, Norway. It has sections for cycling, triathlon, swimming, and athletics. SK Rye is responsible for arranging ''Nordmarka Rundt'', ''Øyeren Rundt'', ''Oslo Triathon'', ''Ryeløpet'' and one stage ...
in
cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
and
racewalking Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...
. He later worked as a sports official, as a board member, and as chairman of various national sports bodies. A former member of the Conservative Party and the libertarian organisation
Libertas Libertas (Latin for 'liberty' or 'freedom', ) is the Roman goddess and personification of liberty. She became a politicised figure in the late republic. She sometimes also appeared on coins from the imperial period, such as Galba's "Freedom ...
, Gjems-Onstad joined Anders Lange's Party when it was founded in 1973 and became the party's deputy leader. He was elected a Member of Parliament in the 1973 parliamentary election, and became the party's
parliamentary leader A parliamentary leader is a political title or a descriptive term used in various countries to designate the person leading a parliamentary group or caucus in a legislature, legislative body, whether it be a national or sub-national legislature. ...
following
Anders Lange Anders Sigurd Lange (5 September 1904 – 18 October 1974) was a Norwegian political organiser, speaker and editor who led his eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adject ...
's death in 1974. Many of his views and proposals caused controversy, and he was in conflict with the new leadership of the party, which was eventually headed by
Carl I. Hagen Carl Ivar Hagen (born 6 May 1944) is a Norwegian politician and former Vice President of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament. He was the leader of the Progress Party from 1978 to 2006, when he stepped down in favour of Siv Jensen. Under his ...
. Gjems-Onstad was expelled from the party in 1976, and finished his term as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
. He also became known for criticising the Norwegian government's policy in
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
, and for defending the governments of countries such as
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
and
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. In the 1980s he worked as an attorney for several anti-immigration activists, and from the late 1980s he became involved in anti-immigration politics himself. He stood in election for the
Stop Immigration Stop the Immigration (, SI) was a political party in Norway, founded by Jack Erik Kjuus in 1987. The party was never particularly successful, and its only elected representative was in the Drammen city council, in both 1991 and 1995. The party was ...
party in 1989 and for the Fatherland Party in 1991, and he was later involved in the People's Movement Against Immigration and
Stop Islamisation of Norway Stop Islamisation of Norway (, SIAN) is a Norwegian anti-Muslim group that was originally established in 2000. Its stated aim is to work against Islam, which it defines as a totalitarian political ideology that violates the Norwegian Constitutio ...
.


Early life

Erik-Ørn Gjems-Onstad was born in
Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...
(modern-day Oslo) to jurist and civil servant Olaf Gjems-Onstad (1882–1945) and architect Ågot Urbye (1886–1959). He worked at sea as a
cabin boy A cabin boy or ship's boy is a boy or young man who waits on the officers and passengers of a ship, especially running errands for the captain. The modern merchant navy successor to the cabin boy is the steward's assistant. Duties Cabin boys ...
in 1937, and went to port in both
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
. He finished his secondary education in 1940. Gjems-Onstad had been active in the
Boy Scouts Boy Scouts or Boy Scout may refer to: * Members, sections or organisations in the Scouting Movement ** Scout (Scouting), a boy or a girl participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouting America, formerly known as Boy Scouts of America ...
, where he learned navigation and map-reading. In late 1939, he was asked to teach these skills in a volunteer military training program. He later replaced the scout leader who was called up to fight in the
Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
. Due to the war in Europe, scouting exercises were treated seriously, and Gjems-Onstad claims the movement played an important role in the early organisation of Norwegian resistance. In the winter of 1939/40, Gjems-Onstad commenced training in nighttime
orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that involve using a map and compass to navigation, navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specia ...
and signaling. The weekend before the invasion, he and a friend "prepared" for war by sleeping in a tent in the snow in the forest.


Second World War


Early activities

On 9 April 1940,
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
invaded An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives of co ...
and
occupied Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the World War II, Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the Norwegian Campaign, German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi G ...
as a part of the Second World War. Gjems-Onstad became aware of the German presence when he and his family saw German planes flying right over their home. They received no notification of what was happening, and music was the only thing playing on the radio. Gjems-Onstad took his bike and cycled to his school, the
Oslo Cathedral School Schola Osloensis, known in Norwegian language, Norwegian as Oslo Katedralskole (''Oslo Cathedral School'') and more commonly as "Katta",
, only to find it closed and in chaos. He then went to the city centre and ''
Karl Johans gate Karl Johans gate is the main street of the city of Oslo, Norway. The street was named in honor of King Charles III John, who was also King of Sweden as Charles XIV John. Karl Johans gate is a composite of several older streets that used to be s ...
'', where he witnessed the Germans marching through. Either that day or the day following, a German
Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English language, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft manufacturer, aircraft and aircraft engine manufactu ...
plane crashed near him and his friend when they were on their way from
Lysaker Lysaker is an area in Bærum Municipality, Akershus County, Norway. Lysaker is the easternmost part of Bærum and borders Oslo proper. Lysaker was initially a farming community, later becoming a residential area. Today it is primarily known as ...
to get a closer view of the captured
Fornebu Airport Oslo Airport, Fornebu was the primary international airport serving Oslo and Eastern Norway from 1 June 1939 to 7 October 1998. It was then replaced by Oslo Airport, Gardermoen, and the area has since been redeveloped. The airport was located at ...
. They attempted to rescue the Germans trapped inside the plane, but the heat was unbearable, and the Germans told them to run to safety just moments before the plane exploded. The proclamation by Norwegian Prime Minister
Johan Nygaardsvold Johan Nygaardsvold (; 6 September 1879 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party who served as the prime minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945. From June 1940 until May 1945, he oversaw the Norwegian Government-in-exile f ...
on 10 April (that rejected the German claim to appoint
Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...
as Norwegian Prime Minister), was according to Gjems-Onstad received with great disappointment by him and his friends. He thought it contained nothing but verbiage, with no remarks about mobilisation, defence, fighting or war. He thereafter wanted to join the resistance, but on his way met a man who told him that he would be rejected if he had not been through
recruit training Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which Resocialization, resocializes its subjects for ...
, and he thus returned home. After a few days, he and a friend nevertheless set out for
Northern Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...
. They came as far north as
Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a counties of Norway, county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Sør-Trøndelag ("South Trøndelag") county as well as the county of Nordl ...
, where they however gave up and returned home. Gjems-Onstad started studying at the
University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
in late 1940, and he got in touch with students who wanted to organise a resistance movement. One time, he and other youth who sympathised with the resistance disrupted a public meeting held by the fascist party ''
Nasjonal Samling The Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norway, Norwegian far-right politics, 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 a ...
'' (NS). They deliberately clapped their hands so relentlessly (they considered that they could not get punished for "cheering") that the speakers could not speak, and thereafter started leaving the room. Many were however blocked from leaving, and Gjems-Onstad and a few others were arrested and fined due to their role in the event. In September he participated in a clash between students and a group of ''
Hirden ''Hirden'' (the ''hird'') was a uniformed paramilitary organisation during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, modelled the same way as the German Sturmabteilungen. Overview Vidkun Quisling's fascist party Nasjonal Samling frequently use ...
'' members (the NS's paramilitary organisation) outside the university. A young boy came by during the initial stand-off, asking Gjems-Onstad what was happening. Gjems-Onstad responded that the others were traitors, and ''Hirden'' members thus captured him and beat him up. Later, due to an outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious disease, infectious and sometimes fatal virus (biology), viral disease that primarily affects even-toed ungulates, including domestic and wild Bovidae, bovids. The vir ...
in December, Gjems-Onstad took part in digging mass graves for slaughtered cows in Dikemark and in Nesøya. In late 1940, Gjems-Onstad's group wanted to bring some newly created military devices to Allied forces. It was decided that one of them was to travel to the UK, while Gjems-Onstad was to travel to
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. Gjems-Onstad was joined by three others, and they decided to let themselves be arrested in
Östmark Östmark is a locality situated in Torsby Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 216 inhabitants in 2010. Climate Östmark has a climate that in recent decades has leaned towards a humid continental climate (Dfb), that formerly was a mild s ...
in Sweden. They were transported to Stockholm, but the Norwegian
legation A legation was a diplomatic representative office of lower rank than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an ambassador, a legation was headed by a minister. Ambassadors outranked ministers and had precedence at official events. Legation ...
was not interested in the inventions. Gjems-Onstad was then directed to contact the British
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
. He reached Major
Malcolm Munthe Major Malcolm Grane Ludovic Martin Munthe MC (30 January 1910 – 24 November 1995) was a British soldier, writer, and curator, and son of the Swedish doctor and writer Axel Munthe and his English second wife Hilda Pennington-Mellor. Early ...
, who was interested in the devices. Gjems-Onstad was arrested by Swedish police in Stockholm on 25 March 1941, as parts of Munthe's organisation had been compromised. Gjems-Onstad was imprisoned at the Stockholm police station for 13 days, and then for 59 days in the Stockholm Remand Prison. On 23 May 1941, the government decided that he was to be expelled and banned from entering Sweden (the ban was repealed after the war). He was originally scheduled to be deported to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
via
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, but the plans were halted due to the German invasion of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He was instead sent to the Norwegian refugee camp in
Öreryd Öreryd () is a village and parish in Småland, Sweden, in the county of Jönköping. During World War II, Öreryd hosted a refugee camp and transit center for refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in occupied Norway, from March 1941 until June 1942, ...
. He was ordered by the British to escape from Öreryd in October 1941 and travel to Norway. He was captured by the
Swedish Home Guard The Home Guard – National Security Forces () is a military reserve force of the Swedish Armed Forces. It was formally established on May 29, 1940, during World War II upon popular demand. While originally composed of former militia groups, tod ...
close to the Norwegian border, but was sent by plane to the UK by Swedish authorities in December.


In the resistance

After arriving in the UK, Gjems-Onstad joined the
Norwegian Independent Company 1 Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
(''Kompani Linge'') and took British military education. The British decided in 1943 to deploy him to
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...
in Norway together with Odd Sørli, Johnny Pevik and
Nils Uhlin Hansen Nils Uhlin Hansen (6 May 1919 – 11 January 1945) was a Norwegian long jumper and resistance member during World War II. He had a successful athletics career before the war; setting a Nordic long jump record which was not surpassed for 20 ...
. The deployment was necessary as Evald Hansen and
Herluf Nygaard Herluf Nygaard (1 October 1916 – 3 December 2001) was a Norwegian military officer. He was born in Lurøy Municipality. He graduated from the Norwegian Military Academy in 1946. He was promoted to Colonel in 1965, and Major General in 1968. ...
had been captured and tortured in December 1942 (Nygaard later escaped, Hansen died at Falstad). Sørli and Gjems-Onstad were set to maintain
Lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occ ...
, establish radio connection with London and get intelligence about the German battleship ''
Tirpitz Tirpitz may refer to: People * Alfred von Tirpitz (1849–1930), German admiral ** Tirpitz Plan, a plan for Germany to achieve world power status through naval power Ships * German battleship ''Tirpitz'', a World War II-era Bismarck-class ...
'', at the time located in the
Trondheimsfjord The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's List of Norwegian fjords, third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from Ørl ...
. When he was training at Glen More Lodge near
Aviemore Aviemore (; ) is a town and tourist resort, situated within the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Badenoch and Strathspey committee area, within the Highland council area. The town is popular for skiing and ...
, Gjems-Onstad was ordered to go to London, where he was supplied with a 20 kg radio transmitter and other equipment. Together with Sørli he travelled to
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
by train, and to
Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...
by plane, under stormy weather conditions. They initially set out with the fishing boat ''Harald II'' from
Scalloway Scalloway (, name of the bay) is the largest settlement on the west coast of the Mainland, Shetland, Mainland, the largest island of the Shetland, Scotland. The village had a population of roughly 900, at the 2011 census. Now a fishing port, u ...
in late February, but due to unusually stormy weather they were driven back to Shetland three times after three unsuccessful attempts to reach
Ålesund Ålesund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Ålesund, Aspà ...
; the last attempt destroyed their equipment as the boat was bursted open. They had their equipment replaced, and set out for
Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, county. The admin ...
in March instead on a bigger boat. With easier, yet still poor weather, the voyage took two days. When they reached land they noticed that they had reached
Kya Lighthouse The Kya Lighthouse () is a coastal lighthouse in Osen Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lighthouse is located on the small island of Kya in the ocean about northwest of the village of Seter, Osen, Seter. The Buholmråsa Lighthouse ...
, much farther to the north of their original destination, but they decided to make landfall anyway. From there they travelled with fake identification via
Namsos Namsos may refer to: Places *Namsos Municipality, a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway *Namsos (town) Namsos is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative center of Namsos Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. ...
to Trondheim, where they reunited with fellow Lark members Johnny Pevik and Nils Uhlin Hansen, the other group sent from London. Gjems-Onstad thereafter assisted Pevik and Hansen with transporting five tons of weapons from an uninhabited island near Lyngvær to Trondheim. Lark received missions from London (sometimes via Stockholm), and constituted the leadership of
Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of militær organisasjon – military organization) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II. Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of ...
in Trøndelag where they in practice were the same entity. Gjems-Onstad started his operations in Trondheim by establishing radio connection with London and operating the radio transmitter, and he soon became one of the most important persons in the leadership of Milorg. His saboteur activity included to prepare the sinking of ''Tirpitz'', but the plans were never realised as the ship had left the Trondheimsfjord in early 1943. Sørli commanded Gjems-Omstad to a spontaneous assassination of Nazi collaborator
Ivar Grande Ivar Grande (28 April 1911 – 11 December 1944) was a police officer and Gestapo agent in Trondheim, Norway during World War II. He was second-in-command of the group ''Sonderabteilung Lola'', led by Henry Rinnan. Grande was responsible for the ...
after spotting him incidentally, but Gjems-Onstad aborted after noticing a division of Russian
POWs A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
, fearing for what in turn might happen to them if he went through with the assassination. Some days later he again plotted to assassinate Grande together with Sørli and Ingebrigt Gausland. They delivered a box
booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or an animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap may b ...
ped with an egg hand grenade to his home, but Grande foiled the attempt with advice Norwegian
Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...
agent Henry Rinnan (who was present at the time) had received on not to open such boxes. Following the attempted assassination, he was ordered to not get himself involved in any further such attempts, as it was considered too risky for him. Gjems-Onstad took over as leader of the group from Sørli in October 1943, and it was decided to pull him out of Norway and close the radio station following news that Pevik had been arrested. He left Trondheim for Stockholm later that month, and received training in
psychological warfare Psychological warfare (PSYWAR), or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations (PsyOp), has been known by many other names or terms, including Military Information Support Operations ( MISO), Psy Ops, political warfare, "Hearts and Mi ...
. When Sørli came to Stockholm in January 1944 he took over for Gjems-Onstad, while Gjems-Onstad was to take over the leadership of Lark as well as to reorganise Milorg. Gjems-Onstad also founded the propaganda organisation Durham when he came back to Trondheim in March 1944. Lark and Durham were to be kept completely separate, with Gjems-Onstad as their only mutual connection. Durham's mission was to influence the moral of the enemy, mainly through distributing brochures (an estimated 115,000 copies in total) and posters (an estimated 257,000), while also to cause irritation by minor sabotage. The brochures were chiefly distributed in the enemy's quarters, and the posters were put up throughout Trondheim. Members of the group also tore down Nazi posters, sabotaged German vehicles, threw
stink bomb A stink bomb, sometimes called a stinkpot, is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from being used as simple pranks to military grade malodorants or riot control chemical agents. History A stink bomb ...
s into restaurants and cinemas, and applied
itching powder Itching powder is a Powder (substance), powder or powder-like substance that induces itching when applied onto human skin. This is usually done as a Practical joke device, practical joke or prank to an unsuspecting victim. Description and uses Th ...
—notably in
condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...
s for sale to German soldiers. Sabotage on a bigger scale had to be authorised from London, and was largely discouraged as it would risk unnecessary German reprisals. Gjems-Onstad reported back in Stockholm at the end of June. Eager to bring supplies to Trondheim, he and Sørli soon decided to transport propaganda material, handguns and explosives to the Norwegian border. After finding a lost resistance member in the mountains, Gjems-Onstad joined a course in Alby near Stockholm where he worked as instructor in "silent killing" for a month. He went for a short mission to Trondheim in July in order to insert Egil Løkse as Lark's new radio operator there. By his next time in Trondheim, the Gestapo had gained knowledge of Gjems-Onstad's activities, and did their utmost to capture him. Gjems-Onstad went back to Trondheim at the end of October. He was to establish a new radio station, and investigate if Milorg and Lark could be rebuilt, as the organisation had been severely damaged by multiple arrests and murders. Durham was however largely intact. The mission went into a new phase, as the Norwegian resistance started organising defence against potential destructions during the now largely inevitable German withdrawal. A continuation of the
scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy of destroying everything that allows an enemy military force to be able to fight a war, including the deprivation and destruction of water, food, humans, animals, plants and any kind of tools and i ...
policy practiced in Northern Norway was particularly feared. Gjems-Onstad and Lark were not to lead the defence, but rather to organise it and train new recruits. In November he authorised the creation of the illegal newspaper ''For Friheten'' by his own initiative, the first in Trondheim in years. He also operated the paper ''DFP'', or ''Deutsche Freiheitspartei'', a form of
black propaganda Black propaganda is a form of propaganda intended to create the impression that it was created by those it is supposed to discredit. Black propaganda contrasts with gray propaganda, which does not identify its source, as well as white propagan ...
distributed to German soldiers and officers. He became increasingly frustrated with the damages caused by Rinnan and his gang of Nazi collaborators, and he vocally advocated their assassination. He reported back to Stockholm in November, and as he saw it, little remained of Milorg in Trøndelag after this. He however noted the importance of Durham, which he considered to have grown very powerful. In early 1945 Gjems-Onstad took part in blowing up railway tracks on the stretches around
Støren Station Støren Station () is a railway station located in the village of Støren in Midtre Gauldal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located at the split between the Dovre Line and the Røros Line, with the former heading south v ...
, but the group had a limited supply of explosives, and the practical effects of the bombings could thus not cause as much effect as wanted. They could for instance not go through with blowing up the railway bridge near Hovin, which they sought as their main target. He was transferred back to Stockholm in March 1945, and Durham was dissolved. He reacted with shock that London had decided that it was too dangerous for him to return to Trondheim. He was uneasy about being set on the sideline, and headed a mission of four men from Stockholm to
Namsvatnet or is a lake in Røyrvik Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The river Namsen used to be the primary outlet, but the lake has been regulated for hydroelectric generation since 1959 and part of the water is diverted south towards a pow ...
at the end of the month to receive British sabotage supplies. They established a base of operations, as well as radio connection to the UK by the station ''Quail''. The mission returned to Stockholm in early April, and Gjems-Onstad was transferred to a mission in Northern Norway. He was in
Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...
at the time of the German capitulation.


Decorations

In 1944 Gjems-Onstad was promoted to second lieutenant ('' fenrik''). He was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1941, and decorated with the
Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 27 October 1942. It was awarded in recognition of military personnel who served in the Norwegian armed forces in Britain on the ...
in 1942, the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch in 1944, the Defence Medal,
War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...
,
1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Battl ...
and the Norwegian Defence Medal in 1945 and the Norwegian War Cross with Sword in 1947. As such he was one of Norway's highest decorated war heroes. In 1947 he played himself in the documentary film '' Det grodde fram'' about the Norwegian resistance movement in Trondheim.


Views

Gjems-Onstad became critical of the "retracted regional leadership" of the Home Front (''hjemmefronten'') which he became aware of in late 1944. According to him, he and his fellow resistance members had not even heard of their existence. He sent a wire to London requesting that they should take over what remained of Milorg, rather than remaining passive during the occupation only to step forward as leaders of Milorg when the war was over. He became more critical when he became aware that they had started entering the administration in London and Stockholm, according to him without the necessary experience from practical fieldwork. He was shocked at the recklessness of one of them who arrived at one of their bases in Trondheim, concluding that they "obviously had no idea about how strong the infiltration really was in Trondheim, nor how we worked." The regional leadership that stepped forward after the war was according to Gjems-Onstad not identical with the actual leadership of Lark and Milorg during the war. Historians have noted that it was "very surprising" that Erling Gjone stepped forward as the leader of the Home Front in Trøndelag after the German capitulation. He had entered the administration in Stockholm in February 1945, but he had not been contacted whatsoever by Lark. The decision of putting Gjems-Onstad on the sideline in March 1945 led him to become increasingly critical of the leadership in London, which had gradually become more Norwegian than British, and subsequently decayed into what Gjems-Onstad considered to be a lack of professionality. He also questioned Norway's military abilities in a possible future war in Norway, based on post-war developments. According to Gjems-Onstad, what influenced him and his contemporaries to join the resistance was a national feeling that—speaking some 60 years after war—he then considered that was "almost gone." Gjems-Onstad deliberated his post-war views on the war in a 2008 ten-minute television special. As he saw it, the Norwegian Labour Party government before the war stood "entirely on the side of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
." He pointed to the Soviet Union as the greatest murderer of the war, and considered that nobody had "opened their eyes" to the fact that the Soviet Union was the only country that won territorial gains following the war. While he maintained that the coup headed by
Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...
was both bad and illegal, he considered that Quisling should be judged softer in light of the situation at the time. He pointed to the government fleeing the country, and what he considered the "pitiful" reaction of Prime Minister
Johan Nygaardsvold Johan Nygaardsvold (; 6 September 1879 – 13 March 1952) was a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party who served as the prime minister of Norway from 1935 to 1945. From June 1940 until May 1945, he oversaw the Norwegian Government-in-exile f ...
. He also noted that while some of the figures in the
Quisling regime The Quisling regime, or Quisling government are common names used to refer to the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, collaboration government led by Vidkun Quisling in German occupation of Norway, German-occupied Norway during th ...
had acted out far too harshly, some others had tried to maintain Norway's interests against the occupiers; the alternative of letting the Germans run the country completely unopposed under
Josef Terboven Josef Antonius Heinrich Terboven (23 May 1898 – 8 May 1945) was a German Nazi Party official and politician who was the long-serving ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Essen and the '' Reichskommissar'' for Norway during the German occupation. Terboven wa ...
could in his mind have ended up far worse. Gjems-Onstad said he believed that the treason by Quisling should be compared with the lack of preparations for war by Nygaardsvold and the Labour Party government. Gjems-Onstad also complained that he for unexplained reasons had been kept away from public arrangements related to the Second World War. He said he had not been invited to a single such event. He was also in possession of a large archive of wartime material from the resistance movement in Trøndelag, but said he had not been approached with interest by any public institution.


Professional career

Gjems-Onstad joined the
Norwegian Home Guard The Norwegian Home Guard () is the rapid mobilization force within the Norwegian armed forces. Its main focus is local defense and civil support, but it can also detach volunteers for international operations. Its main tasks are safeguarding ter ...
after the war. From 1947 to 1959 he held the rank of captain there. He was mobilisation manager as military lawyer colonel at Strike Command Southern Norway (''Luftkommando Sør-Norge''), one of the Air Commands of the
Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...
, from 1970 to 1980. He also completed his education in law, graduating with a
cand.jur. Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...
degree in 1948. He worked as a judge in southern
Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...
from 1948 to 1949, and in 1949 he opened a
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...
in Oslo. From 1957 he had access to work with
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
cases. He was also a consultant or secretary for ''Norsk Gartnerforening'', ''Bruktbilhandlerforeningen/Autoriserte Bruktbilhandleres handelsforbund'' and for the local branch of the
Norwegian Bar Association The Norwegian Bar Association () is an association of Norwegian lawyers. It was established in 1908 as , and assumed its current name from 1965. As of 2008 the association had about 7,000 members. Among its publications are the journals '' Norsk ...
. He was a board member of the local Bar Association chapter from 1960 to 1964 and of Max Manus AS, the eponymous company belonging to former resistance member
Max Manus Maximo Guillermo Manus DSO, MC & Bar (9 December 1914 – 20 September 1996) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during World War II, specialising in sabotage in occupied Norway. After the war he wrote several books about his adventures and ...
, from 1965 to 1969. Gjems-Onstad had served with Manus in the Norwegian Home Guard after the war, and had met his later wife
Tikken Manus Ida Nikoline "Tikken" Manus (''née'' Lindebrække, previously Bernardes; 28 June 1914 – 12 October 2010) was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement, Norwegian resistance during World War II. Born Ida Nikoline Lie Lindebrække, she was a ...
for the first time in 1943 when she worked as a
military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...
in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. The three remained lifetime close friends ever since they met during the war. In 1961 Gjems-Onstad left his lawyer's firm to work as a consultant in
Den norske Creditbank Den norske Creditbank or DnC is a defunct Norwegian commercial bank created in 1857. In 1990 it merged with Bergen Bank to create Den norske Bank (DnB). The bank was based in Oslo and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange Oslo Stock Exchange () ( ...
. He became a central figure in the DnC's plans to develop the
Vaterland Vaterland means "Fatherland" in German. It may also refer to: *Vaterland, Norway, a neighborhood in Oslo *The ocean liner SS ''Vaterland'', later known as SS ''Leviathan'' *''Liechtensteiner Vaterland'', largest daily newspaper in Liechtenstein * ...
neighbourhood in Oslo. AS Vaterland was created soon after the DnC had been granted construction rights in 1965, and was a project designated for planning to develop the Vaterland neighbourhood into a business and office centre. Gjems-Onstad was a board member of AS Vaterland from 1966 to 1972, and was its CEO from 1970. He soon got the nickname the "Vaterland King" (''Vaterlandskongen''), after a local 1930s house owner. After a while, the plans for the development was dropped, as neither the bank nor the municipality saw it to be in their interests to realise the plans. Gjems-Onstad was removed from his position with a
golden parachute A golden parachute is an agreement between a company and an employee (usually an upper executive) specifying that the employee will receive certain significant benefits if employment is terminated. These may include severance pay, cash bonuses, ...
of in 1972 and lost his faith in the project. From 1972 to 1977 he operated a lawyer's firm in Oslo again, and from 1977 he moved his office to
Hvalstad Hvalstad is a village and a small part of the municipality of Asker. Hvalstad has slightly over 2,000 inhabitants, a number that has doubled since the 1970s. Hvalstad lies 20 kilometres from the centre of Oslo. Hvalstad Station is on the Drammen ...
and worked as a defender in
Asker and Bærum District Court Asker (), also called Asker proper (''Askerbygda'' or ''gamle Asker'' in Norwegian), is a district and former municipality in Akershus, Norway, located approximately 20km southwest of Oslo. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative mun ...
. He retired as a defender in 1990, but remained a lawyer until 2001. During the 1980s he defended several anti-immigration activists, including Vivi Krogh, Jan Ødegård and
Arne Myrdal Arne Johannes Myrdal (2 November 1935 – 8 August 2007) was a Norwegian local politician and later a convicted anti-immigration activist. He also saw himself as a very religious man. He had a varied working career, including as a military officer ...
. He also stated that he by 1994 had helped draft the wills of several anonymous persons who wanted to designate their fortunes, ranging from to , to persons and organisations working against immigration.


Sports official

Gjems-Onstad had an active career in sports. He represented the club
SK Rye Sportsklubben Rye is a sports club based in Oslo, Norway. It has sections for cycling, triathlon, swimming, and athletics. SK Rye is responsible for arranging ''Nordmarka Rundt'', ''Øyeren Rundt'', ''Oslo Triathon'', ''Ryeløpet'' and one stage ...
which he joined on 1 August 1936, and was made an honorary member of the club in 1986. He became the Norwegian junior champion in
cycling Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
in 1939. He was also an active
race walker Race walking, or racewalking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times. Race judges carefully asses ...
, with two sixth places in the Norwegian championships achieved between 1967 and 1969. He chaired the
Norwegian Cycling Federation The Norwegian Cycling Federation or NCF (In Norwegian: ''Norges Cykleforbund'') is the national governing body of cycle racing in Norway. The NCF is a member of the UCI and the UEC. See also * Norwegian Cyclists' Association, association ...
from 1959 to 1965 and the Norwegian Walking Association from 1967 to 1973. He was a member of the
Norwegian Olympic Committee The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports ( NIF), commonly known as the Norwegian Sports Confederation () is the umbrella organization for sport in Norway. It is the largest volunteering organization in Norway, ...
from 1959 to 1973 and a deputy board member of the Norwegian Confederation of Sports from 1965 to 1967. He was an official for Norway at the Summer Olympics in
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...
and
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...
, and in 1993 he sat on the committee that organized the
1993 UCI Road World Championships The 1993 UCI Road World Championships took place in Oslo, Norway between 28–29 August 1993. Events summary Medals table References {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 UCI Road World Championships by year World Championships Uci Road Wor ...
. In 1967 he initiated
Styrkeprøven , also called ('The Great Trial of Strength'), is a long bicycle cyclosportive which starts in Trondheim and finishes in Oslo, Norway. It was first held in 1967, initiated by Erik Gjems-Onstad and has taken place since then in late June eve ...
, a yearly
cyclosportive A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually. The Italian term ''Gran Fondo'' is commonly used for these events in the United States, Australia and som ...
from
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. He completed the race himself more than fifteen times; the last times with the starting number "1".


Politics


Member of Parliament

From 1960 to 1964 Gjems-Onstad was a member of the school board in Oslo, representing the Conservative Party. He was also a member of the libertarian organisation
Libertas Libertas (Latin for 'liberty' or 'freedom', ) is the Roman goddess and personification of liberty. She became a politicised figure in the late republic. She sometimes also appeared on coins from the imperial period, such as Galba's "Freedom ...
, but had left it by 1971 as he considered that it had become "too tame." When Anders Lange's Party (ALP) was founded in 1973 he joined the party and became deputy leader under
Anders Lange Anders Sigurd Lange (5 September 1904 – 18 October 1974) was a Norwegian political organiser, speaker and editor who led his eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adject ...
. He had been present at the founding meeting at ''Saga kino'', and was offered a place in the party's central leadership by Anders Lange after they one day incidentally met outside Gjems-Onstad's lawyer's office. From then on he was the most central person in the party after Lange himself. Besides his leading positions in business and sports, Gjems-Onstad had for years expressed his political views in newspapers and journals, which broadly coincided with Lange's views. By offering him positions in the party, Lange particularly thought that Gjems-Onstad could help develop the party politically and organisationally. In the 1973 parliamentary election he won a seat in the
Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
from
Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...
, and became a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and the Election Committee. During his term he set a new record for number of times speaking to the assembly—325 times in one year. At the start of his parliamentary term he made some proposals that were opposed by the entire parliament, including his own party. He proposed in November 1973 to introduce gun and shooting training as an optional course for students in high school, and to separate church and state (with its financial implications). The proposals were criticised in a press statement by Anders Lange and the party's two other MPs. Turmoil later also erupted in the Akershus and Bærum chapters of the party, and calls were made for expelling Gjems-Onstad due to his proposals in parliament; this wing however left the party in 1975 after being in clear minority. Gjems-Onstad and Lange nonetheless stood together in their conflict with
Carl I. Hagen Carl Ivar Hagen (born 6 May 1944) is a Norwegian politician and former Vice President of the Storting, the Norwegian parliament. He was the leader of the Progress Party from 1978 to 2006, when he stepped down in favour of Siv Jensen. Under his ...
and Kristofer Almås, who sought to strengthen the party's deliberately loose organisation. After Lange's death in 1974, Gjems-Onstad became leader of the party's parliamentary group. While Hagen and Almås had broken out and formed the Reform Party earlier the same year, Gjems-Onstad welcomed Hagen back to the party in 1975 for "constructive cooperation". He thereafter changed to support the work led by Hagen and
Arve Lønnum Arve Johannes Lønnum (2 October 1911 – 18 December 1988) was a Norwegian professor of medicine and politician for the Progress Party. He was born in Egge Municipality. He took the cand.med. degree in 1945 and the dr.med. degree in 1966. ...
of strengthening the party organisation. Gjems-Onstad's cooperation with Hagen was however not to last. In early 1976 Gjems-Onstad voiced his discontent with the ever-ongoing conflicts within the party, and he had by mid-year not decided whether or not he wanted to run for re-election. He eventually felt squeezed out of the party, and wanted no part in the intriguing he considered Hagen to represent. He was replaced as parliamentary leader of the party at the start of October. After he in turn recommended voters to rather vote for the Conservative Party in an interview with ''
Aftenposten (; ; stylized as in the masthead) is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation as well as Norway's newspaper of record. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 daily copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen ...
'', he was finally expelled from the party by a unanimously approved motion put forward by Carl I. Hagen later the same month. Gjems-Onstad finished his term as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
.


Positions in parliament

Before the 1973 election Gjems-Onstad advocated a restrictive immigration policy in an interview with ''
Morgenbladet is Norway's oldest daily newspaper, covering politics, culture and science, now a weekly news magazine primarily directed at well-educated readers. The magazine is notable for its opinion section featuring contributions exclusively from Norweg ...
''. After being elected to parliament, he was the sole member of the Finance Committee to oppose agreements of raising
fuel tax A fuel tax (also known as a petrol, gasoline or gas tax, or as a fuel duty) is an excise tax imposed on the sale of fuel. In most countries, the fuel tax is imposed on fuels which are intended for transportation. Fuel tax receipts are often dedica ...
es in 1973. He proposed steep budget cuts in 1974, notably in
press support Press may refer to: Media * Publisher * News media * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press TV, an Iranian television network Newspapers United States * ''The Press'', a former name of '' The Press-Enterprise'', Riverside, Califor ...
and in the Office of the Prime Minister. He proposed to abolish the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Administration, as well as 22 laws the same year. Gjems-Onstad also wanted to abolish
conscription Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it conti ...
. In 1975 he criticised parliament for violating the
Norwegian Constitution The 'Constitution of Norway'' (complete name: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway; Danish: ; Norwegian Bokmål: ; Norwegian Nynorsk: ) was adopted on 16 May and signed on 17 May 1814 by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll. ...
by regularly holding session with less than half of the representatives present. Prime Minister
Trygve Bratteli Trygve Martin Bratteli (11 January 1910 – 20 November 1984) was a Norwegian newspaper editor, a politician with the Norwegian Labour Party, and Nazi concentration camp survivor. He served as the prime minister of Norway from 1971 to 1972 a ...
in turn claimed that Gjems-Onstad "undermined democracy" because he was present and spoke in parliament too much. Gjems-Onstad was among the signatories of a
petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to an officia ...
in 1974 that called on the Norwegian government to secure
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
's existence. He wanted to terminate the Norwegian government's support of liberation movements in
Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea (), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as G ...
the same year. He proposed to end all public
foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
, and instead grant
tax deduction A tax deduction or benefit is an amount deducted from taxable income, usually based on expenses such as those incurred to produce additional income. Tax deductions are a form of tax incentives, along with exemptions and tax credits. The diff ...
to private donations. He also proposed to prioritise Norwegian interests in
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...
higher, and to align Norway's ambassador to
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
with
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...
. He advocated expelling the five
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
spies who had been exposed in Norway in 1975, but gained no support from the government. He was criticised by the Norwegian Foreign Minister the same year for claiming that
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
n President
Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika (1961–1964), Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as presid ...
used Norwegian taxes for "national socialist" experiments of forcibly moving populations.


Gjems-Onstad and Africa

Gjems-Onstad travelled extensively in Africa. He toured
Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...
for a week in 1973, and was in
Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea (), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a Portuguese overseas province in West Africa from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as G ...
in 1974. He later claimed that blacks and whites had lived peacefully together in these countries when he had visited them before their decolonisation—after which he considered the conditions to be grim—and that the standard of living among blacks had been higher there than in many other places in Africa. He came to regard it as a life's mission to work for Africa, and believed that the Norwegian government's policy in Africa contributed to destroy the continent through supporting "wars of liberation" and failed
foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
. He maintained that his prime concern was to warn against the entrenchment of
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
and
communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
in Africa. He also travelled extensively throughout
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, and said that conditions for blacks were better there than in other African countries. He was introduced to a South African official visiting Norway in 1974 by Anders Lange, and visited the country himself in 1975 after being invited by the South African Department of Information. He met with figures including
Connie Mulder Cornelius Petrus Mulder (5 June 1925 – 12 January 1988) was a South African politician and cabinet minister. Early life Mulder was born on 5 June 1925. He was the son of a school principal and grew up with nine siblings. He studied for his b ...
, and following Lange's death he considered himself as the continuation of Lange's legacy with regards to the country. He supported the South African policy since the 1970s of gradually dismantling the
apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English:  , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...
system, which included the granting of independence to tribal homelands. He was in the country in April 1976 for a conference that was to prepare the establishment of
Transkei Transkei ( , meaning ''the area beyond Great Kei River,
he river The He River is a tributary of the Xi River in Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it ...
Kei''), officially the Republic of Transkei (), was an list of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognised state in the southeastern region of South Africa f ...
. He later considered the homelands to be true democratic states governed by the rule of law, which he considered that many other African states were not. Gjems-Onstad strongly opposed the
African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...
and the Norwegian government's support of the group, as he believed their agenda would lead to civil war and a government led by
revolutionary socialists The Revolutionary Socialists (; ) (RS) are a Trotskyist organisation in Egypt originating in the tradition of ' Socialism from Below'. Leading RS members include sociologist Sameh Naguib. The organisation produces a newspaper called ''The Social ...
—as had happened in other African countries. He later pointed to the development in former Rhodesia,
Robert Mugabe Robert Gabriel Mugabe (; ; 21 February 1924 – 6 September 2019) was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who served as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987 and then as President from 1987 to 2017. He served as Leader of th ...
's
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. He arranged several study trips to South Africa, and was part of a group of eight Norwegians who toured the country in 1987 and issued an "apology" to the South African government for the Norwegian government's policy towards the country. Gjems-Onstad traveled to
Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...
in April 1979 as the sole Norwegian observer of the
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
, after he had been invited by the Rhodesian Department of Information. He admitted at the same time that he for years had corresponded with the Rhodesian government about how he considered various institutions and individuals in Norway, particularly in the news media. The relationship was initiated after Gjems-Onstad had written a letter of sympathy to Rhodesian Prime Minister
Ian Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 191920 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to 1979. He w ...
some years ahead. When in
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, he met with Smith, Foreign Minister P. K. van der Byl and Head of the Military
Peter Walls Lieutenant General George Peter Walls (1927-201Walls: "We will make it work" Time magazine and CNN20 July 2010) was a Rhodesian soldier. He served as the Head of the Armed Forces of Rhodesia during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1977 until his ...
. Eager to participate with the government army during the
Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also known as the Rhodesian Civil War, Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Independence, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country U.D.I. ...
, he was authorised by Walls to patrol with Rhodesian Security Forces around a garrison near Lake Kariba for two days. While he earlier had written he did not think democracy and human rights was optimal in the country—he considered Botswana to be one of the better countries—he considered rule of law to be better than in countries the Norwegian government had supported financially, such as Idi Amin's Uganda.


Later political activity

Carl I. Hagen wrote in his book ''Ærlighet varer lengst'' in 1984 that he would put his office on the line in order to prevent Gjems-Onstad from making a "comeback" to the Progress Party (Norway), Progress Party (ALP's successor), despite his alleged requests. Gjems-Onstad criticised Hagen strongly for his complicity in the establishment of a Brundtland's Second Cabinet, Labour Party government in 1986, and was a member of the Conservative Party by 1988. He supported prospects of a Conservative Party government led by Jan P. Syse, but criticised the Norwegian political system for being a "caricature" of democracy, instead considering it a particracy. Gjems-Onstad had according to his own statement in 1987 not seen any reason for getting himself involved in the public debate about immigration until then. The reaction followed a comment by Students' League of the Conservative Party (Norway), Conservative Party student politician Knut Albert Solem, in which he "presupposed" that anti-immigration sentiment was based on feelings of "foreign-hate", something which Gjems-Onstad disputed. Gjems-Onstad contested the 1989 Norwegian parliamentary election, 1989 parliamentary election for the
Stop Immigration Stop the Immigration (, SI) was a political party in Norway, founded by Jack Erik Kjuus in 1987. The party was never particularly successful, and its only elected representative was in the Drammen city council, in both 1991 and 1995. The party was ...
party in
Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...
, and chaired its regional chapter from 1988 to 1990. He was expelled from the party together with Hege Søfteland and Torfinn Hellandsvik due to their vocal criticism of the leadership of the party's leader Jack Erik Kjuus. In 1991 Gjems-Onstad ran unsuccessfully in the 1991 Norwegian local elections, local election for the Fatherland Party, and he was later active in the People's Movement Against Immigration. He was also present at the Godlia kino meeting controversy, meeting at Godlia kino in 1995. Gjems-Onstad expressed his outrage at the Lund Report in 1996 after it was revealed that he had been under surveillance by the Norwegian Police Security Service (POT), considering it defamatory and demanding an apology. Gjems-Onstad came to believe that the recent mass immigration to Norway was a greater threat than the Nazi invasion of Norway, although he made clear he had nothing against "normal immigration" and individuals, nor about Norwegians finding spouses in other countries. What he stated he was concerned about was increasing ethnic tensions and Norwegians being outnumbered in Norway in the course of the 21st century, and he stated that what worried him the very most was the growth of Islam. Gjems-Onstad praised anti-immigration Progress Party MPs Vidar Kleppe and Øystein Hedstrøm at their election campaign rally in 1999, and participated in the Stop Islamisation of Norway#Early history, demonstration against Muslim prayer calling in 2000. He was involved in the Conservative Party in Asker from 2005 to 2007, but joined the Pensioners' Party (Norway), Pensioners' Party in 2007 as their top ballot candidate for the 2007 Norwegian local elections, municipal election. As Gjems-Onstad called for a halt of immigration to Asker, he was instantly denounced by his own party. He also maintained that "Norway is the fatherland of the Norwegians, and Norwegians are a nation within the white race," and during a television debate with fellow lawyer and politician Abid Raja said that he could not call himself a Norwegian, only a Norwegians with Pakistani background, Pakistani-Norwegian—they both nevertheless affirmed that they had great respect for each other. Gjems-Onstad was expelled from the Pensioners' Party before the election, but removal from the ballot is legally impossible. As the election was held the Pensioners' Party did not win any seats, and the local party leadership expressed their delight. Gjems-Onstad was also active as the internal meeting leader of
Stop Islamisation of Norway Stop Islamisation of Norway (, SIAN) is a Norwegian anti-Muslim group that was originally established in 2000. Its stated aim is to work against Islam, which it defines as a totalitarian political ideology that violates the Norwegian Constitutio ...
(SIAN) and its predecessor FOMI from 2001 to 2009, and participated in a demonstration alongside SIAN's leader Arne Tumyr in 2009. Gjems-Onstad made news in 2008 when he had talks with the disturbed man who fired a gun towards a refugee centre. He was also involved in a heritage distribution controversy. In her will, millionaire Clara Westin declared that be given to anti-immigration activists, and that the distribution be decided by a board consisting of four people. Egil Karlsen backed out and gave up his vote to Gjems-Onstad, and the other three were Gjems-Onstad, Norvald Aasen of the People's Movement Against Immigration and Bjarne Pettersen. It surfaced that suggestions by board members included the mother of one of the convicts of the murder of Benjamin Hermansen, Ole Nicolai Kvisler. While the background for involving Kvisler was his anti-immigration views, the pressing issue was the matter of his court ruling. Having followed the case closely as a former lawyer, Gjems-Onstad had disputed the court ruling as he believed there was not evidence to conclude that Kvisler had any more than possibly a subsidiary role in the murder; he thus explained the suggestion with providing funds for reopening his case. Gjems-Onstad maintained that it was only the other convict, Joe Erling Jahr, who had committed the murder. Pettersen had in addition wanted to distribute money to people from his circle around Vigrid (Norway), Vigrid (a group Gjems-Onstad loathed), such as Tore Tvedt and Øyvind Heian, but was squeezed out of the board after this was opposed by Gjems-Onstad and Aasen. The left-wing anti-racist organization SOS Rasisme petitioned the Norwegian state to confiscate Gjems-Onstad's war decorations, but to no avail. After all disputes were resolved, it was not made public who actually received any money.


Personal life

Gjems-Onstad was married in 1949 to Borgny Pedersen (9 November 1921 – 2 July 2003). They divorced in 1973. He was married for the second time to Inger Opseth (born 2 October 1937) in 1974. Gjems-Onstad met Inger when he worked for the Vaterland-project, where she worked as an Interior architecture, interior architect. Gjems-Onstad had three children, including his son, jurist Ole Gjems-Onstad. He lived in
Hvalstad Hvalstad is a village and a small part of the municipality of Asker. Hvalstad has slightly over 2,000 inhabitants, a number that has doubled since the 1970s. Hvalstad lies 20 kilometres from the centre of Oslo. Hvalstad Station is on the Drammen ...
, Asker, where he owned a nine Hectare#Decare, decare small farm. The property included three equal parts of garden, forest and arable land. He often cut lumber from the forest to build his own furniture. At various times, he had rabbits, sheep, cows, calves, piglets and a fish pond of brown trout at his property. According to himself, he kept the livestock largely in protest against tax authorities, while also as a hobby. Erik Gjems-Onstad died in November 2011 after short illness at the Bærum Hospital. He left behind his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


Writings

Gjems-Onstad has authored several books. He wrote about the psychological warfare of the Norwegian resistance movement in ''DURHAM: hemmelige operasjoner i Trøndelag mot tysk okkkupasjonsmakt 1943-45'', released in 1981. Durham was the codeword for the operations which to a large extent consisted of distributing flyers, brochures and posters with the purpose of demoralising the Germans. This was also the topic in ''Psykologisk krigføring i Norge under Annen Verdenskrig 1940-45'', published in 1994. In 1990 he wrote about the resistance group
Lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occ ...
in ''LARK: Milorg i Trøndelag 1940-1945''. He released the book ''Krigskorset og St. Olavsmedaljen med ekegren'' in 1995, which gives an overview of all the holders of Norway's highest Orders, decorations, and medals of Norway, wartime decorations. The reasons given for awarding the War Cross (Norway), War Cross (Norway's highest decoration) was in the book also made public for the first time. In 1984 he published the books ''Dagbok fra Tanzania: U-hjelp uten mening'', a travel diary from
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
discussing what he considered to be failed
foreign aid In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. The ...
, and a travel diary from
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, ''Dagbok fra Israel: Reiser og tanker''. He wrote about alternative Norwegian policies towards
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
in the 1985 book ''Syd-Afrika i dag: Boikott eller samarbeid''. These books were published by Afrikainstituttet, of which he was board chairman from 1983 to 1990. In 1994, he chronicled the trials against
Arne Myrdal Arne Johannes Myrdal (2 November 1935 – 8 August 2007) was a Norwegian local politician and later a convicted anti-immigration activist. He also saw himself as a very religious man. He had a varied working career, including as a military officer ...
in ''Myrdal-sakene''. Gjems-Onstad has in addition released his own periodical, ''Nytt og kommentarer''.


References


Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gjems-Onstad, Erik 1922 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Norwegian judges Asker politicians Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Counter-jihad activists Cycle racing executives Fatherland Party (Norway) politicians Folkebevegelsen mot innvandring Honorary members of the Order of the British Empire Norwegian Army personnel Norwegian critics of Islam Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom Norwegian male cyclists Norwegian male race walkers Norwegian military personnel of World War II Norwegian non-fiction writers Norwegian resistance members Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel Norwegian sports executives and administrators Norwegian World War II memoirists Pensioners' Party (Norway) politicians People educated at Oslo Cathedral School Progress Party (Norway) politicians Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) Stop Islamisation of Norway University of Oslo alumni World War II resistance press activists Writers from Oslo Members of the Storting 1973–1977 20th-century Norwegian sportsmen