Kasper Idland MM (21 June 1918 – 25 May 1968) was a Norwegian resistance member during

World War II 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 ...

. Idland took part in the

Norwegian heavy water sabotage The Norwegian heavy water sabotage (; ) was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water (deuterium) production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involving both Norwegian commandos and Al ...

in 1943.

Early life and education

Idland was born in

Figgjo Figgjo is a borough of the Sandnes (town), city of Sandnes in the west part of the large municipality of Sandnes in Rogaland county, Norway. The borough is located in the southern part of the city. It has a population (2016) of 2,213. The borou ...

, the second child of Karsten og Gudrun Berg Idland, and had seven siblings. He graduated as an army

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in 1937, after 3½ years at ''Hærens underoffisersskole'' at Gimlemoen in

Kristiansand Municipality Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

. He then attended the school for postal officers, later working at the Post Office in

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

World War II

As Norway was invaded by Germany, Idland joined the Norwegian military forces at Sviland on 9 and 10 April 1940, and participated in the battles at Dirdal. He was held as a

prisoner of war 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 ...

by the Germans at

Madla Madla is a borough of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. It lies in the western part of the city, along the coast of the Hafrsfjorden. T ...

, but was later released.

Kompani Linge

In September 1941, Idland travelled by boat from Egersund to

Peterhead Peterhead (; , ) is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is the council area's largest settlement, with a population of 19,060 at the 2022 Census for Scotland, 2022 Census. It is the largest fishing port in the United Kingdom for total landi ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and was soon enrolled into the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (). He participated in the

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

raid Operation Anklet to

Reine Reine is the administrative centre of Moskenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The fishing village is located on the island of Moskenesøya in the Lofoten archipelago, above the Arctic Circle, about southwest of the city of Tromsø. ...

and

Moskenes Moskenes may refer to: Places *Moskenes Municipality, a municipality in Nordland county, Norway *Moskenes (village), a village within Moskenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway *Moskenes Church, a church in Moskenes Municipality in Nordland c ...

in December 1941.

Heavy water sabotage

30855 Klingenberg kino Kampen om tungtvannet

Idland was noted for his role in the

in 1943. As a member of the ''Gunnerside'' team, he was parachuted onto the

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda () is a mountain plateau ( Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Telemark, and Buskerud counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate, and o ...

plateau on 16 February 1943. He was one of the four saboteurs who entered the

Vemork Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside the town of Rjukan in Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. ...

facility right after midnight 27/28 February, where the team leader Joachim Rønneberg placed explosives on the

heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...

cylinders. After the mission at Vemork he escaped by ski to Sweden, together with four other members of the group.

Vestige 4

From 1944 to 1945, Idland was active in

Egersund Egersund is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Eigersund municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town is located along the southwestern coast of Norway, about south of the city of Stavanger (city), Stavanger. The town is situat ...

, as a member of the resistance group ''Vestige 4''. The primary aim of the Vestige operations was shipping sabotage, but the Vestige 4 group never carried out ship sabotage. As a member of this group, he participated in burning down the AT camp in Bjerkreim in January 1945.

Varg

From March 1945, Idland was working to establish the base area ''Varg'' in the

Setesdal Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the val ...

area. Idland was leading one of the Varg resistance groups, located at the mountain cabin ''Langelona''. The group received supplies (weapons, ammunition and food) from parachuted containers delivered from allied aircraft. The Langelona group was still small when the war ended in May 1945.

Post war

Idland lived in Stavanger until 1955, when he moved to the United States and settled in

East Farmingdale, New York East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Babylon in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,617 at the time of the 2020 census. In the ...

Honours and awards

* St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch * War Medal *

Defence Medal 1940–1945 The Defence Medal 1940–1945 () is the award rewarded to those military and civilian personnel who participated in the fight against the German invasion and occupation of Norway between 1940 and 1945. The Defence Medal 1940–1945 can be award ...

with Rosette * Haakon VII's 70-Medal *

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

(United Kingdom) *

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(France) *

Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France) Croix (French for "cross") may refer to: Belgium * Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut France * Croix, Nord, in the Nord department * Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...

* Medal of Freedom (with bronze palm) (United States)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Idland, Kasper 1918 births 1968 deaths People from Sandnes Norwegian expatriates in the United States Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian prisoners of war in World War II Norwegian resistance members Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Medal of Freedom Recipients of the Military Medal Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel World War II prisoners of war held by Germany