Knut Lier-Hansen (8 September 1916 – 28 March 2008) 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 ...

. He was born and grew up in

Rjukan Rjukan () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The town is also the administrative centre of Tinn Municipality. The town is located in the Vestfjorddalen valley, between the lakes Møsvatn ...

. Around 1940 he was a sergeant in the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army () is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway in 1628. The ...

, and tried to repel the German invaders in April 1940, among others in a skirmish at Gransherad. He later joined the more irregular

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized group of people that tries to resist or try to overthrow a government or an occupying power, causing disruption and unrest in civil order and stability. Such a movement may seek to achieve its goals through ei ...

. His most notable mission was the sinking of SF ''Hydro'' as a part of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage. After placing explosives below deck in the ferry, the saboteurs had to wait until the ferry's departure in the morning to oversee that nothing went against the plan. After witnessing the ferry leave harbor in a normal way, Lier-Hansen fled the scene for Einar Skinnarland's house. The ferry went down in the middle of Lake Tinn, and in addition to sabotaging the heavy water program, eighteen lives (fourteen civilians) were lost. When the war between Germany and Norway was over, on 8 May 1945, Lier-Hansen was dispatched together with Henry Johansen and another person to arrest '' Reichskommissar für die besetzten Norwegischen Gebiete'' Josef Terboven. The Norwegians reached Skaugum where Terboven had entrenched himself, but they were warded off by guards. Soon after, Terboven blew himself up. After the war he participated in the film '' Kampen om tungtvannet''. He also received death threats linked with successive anniversaries of the SF ''Hydro'' sinking. He was sparsely decorated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lier-Hansen, Knut 1916 births 2008 deaths Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian resistance members People from Rjukan