Operation Bittern (, known as Bitern in the oldest sources) was a military operation in

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 ...

planned and carried out in 1942 by the British

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

(SOE) and the

Norwegian government-in-exile __NOTOC__ Nygaardsvold's Cabinet (later becoming the Norwegian government-in-exile) was appointed on 20 March 1935, the second Labour cabinet in Norway. It brought to an end the non-socialist minority governments that had dominated Norwegian p ...

in London. Four SOE agents and instructors—Thor Helliessen, Jan Allan, Ruben Langmo and

Johannes S. Andersen Johannes Sigfred Andersen (9 July 1898 – 29 July 1970) was a Norwegian resistance fighter during the Second World War, a member of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1). He was nicknamed "Gulosten"; 'The Yellow Cheese'. He also used ...

—were sent to Norway and parachuted into

Nordmarka Nordmarka is the mostly forested region which makes up the northern part of Oslo, Norway. Nordmarka is the largest and most central part of Oslomarka. The area called Nordmarka also extends into the municipalities of Hole, Ringerike, Lunner, ...

north of

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 ...

in October 1942. Their primary mission was to help the resistance movement

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 ...

with the assassinations of Norwegian Nazis and informers by training selected Milorg personnel for the task. If asked by Milorg they would also help as executioners. According to Chief of Defence, General Wilhelm von Tangen Hansteen, the group should only act upon decisions by the Home Forces, and they brought no liquidation lists from the UK.Moland (1999): pp. 60–64 The problem was that the operation had not been approved by Milorg in advance. In a meeting between Milorg leaders

Jens Christian Hauge Jens Christian Hauge (15 May 1915 – 30 October 2006) was a Norwegian lawyer and leader in the World War II resistance—and one of the two incumbent Milorg Council members in May 1945. Njølstad p.125 He served as Minister of Defence from 1 ...

and Arthur Hansson and the expedition leader, it turned out that Bittern operated with a list of persons that SOE wanted to get rid of. The list contained 62 names, which not only included informers and

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

rs, but also Nazi politicians such as the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

"ministers" Hagelin,

Lie A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false, typically used with the purpose of deceiving or misleading someone. The practice of communicating lies is called lying. A person who communicates a lie may be termed a liar. Lies can be int ...

and Fuglesang. Milorg feared that the reprisals might be terribly harsh compared with the benefits of such assassinations, based on recent experience from

Telavåg Telavåg or Tælavåg is a village in Øygarden municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Sotra, about southwest of the city of Bergen. The village has a population (2019) of 581 and a population densi ...

and Majavatn. It was decided that the agents should be used as instructors for military training and hand-to-hand combat, and the four persons were split into two teams. While one team solved its tasks satisfactorily, the other team's behaviour led to a scandal. After episodes of heavy drinking, too much talking, and other hazardous behaviour, Milorg demanded the two SOE agents to be recalled to the United Kingdom. Operation Bittern was severely criticized by the Norwegian Home Forces in letters and other communications to the Norwegian government-in-exile in London. The government in London was distinctly unimpressed that SOE, with the tacit acceptance of

Norwegian High Command The Norwegian High Command () was Norway's top military leadership from 1970 to 2003. It was established in Northern Norway in 1940 by General Otto Ruge. It was then re-established by the Norwegian Government-in-exile in London in 1942, lasting unt ...

, had selected a former notorious criminal to take part in such a task. The incidents led to a long-lasting conflict between

, the government-in-exile and SOE, although eventually a more cooperative climate developed between them.Gjelsvik (1977): pp. 99-100

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bittern, Operation 1942 in Norway Special Operations Executive operations Military history of Norway during World War II Norwegian resistance movement