Torfinn Bjørnaas (1 August 1914 – 15 September 2009) was a Norwegian

resistance member Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

. He was born in

Sulitjelma , , or is a village in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley at an elevation of above sea level. It is located on the shore of Langvatnet lake, about southeast of the town of Fa ...

, but the family soon moved to Løkken Verk. He served his

compulsory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

in His Majesty The King's Guard in 1936, and attended Trondheim Technical School and a ''Technische Hochschule'' in Germany. He visited Norway in the spring of 1940, and while he was here World War II reached Norway with the

German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) ...

. Bjørnaas participated in the subsequent fighting to repel the invaders, but Norway capitulated. Bjørnaas tried to reach Northern Norway via Sweden, then England, but both to no avail. In the spring of 1941, Bjørnaas and others fled to England via India. He went through training for the Norwegian Independent Company 1 in England and Scotland, and was later dispatched to Norway to conduct sabotage. He was best known for the Thamshavn Line locomotive sabotage in 1943, but also had sabotage missions in Sulitjelma and Terningmoen. He is also known for missing an assassination attempt on

Henrik Rogstad Henrik Rogstad (13 April 1916, in Trondheim – 10 May 1945) was a politician for the Norwegian fascist party ''Nasjonal Samling''. During the Second World War he was a ''fylkesfører'' (''Gauleiter'') in the county of Sør-Trøndelag. Rogstad wa ...

in 1945, an attempt to which the central 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 ...

had given the green light. He was decorated with the War Cross with Sword, the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch, the

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 awarde ...

and 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 ...

. He was a member of the Linge Club, for Norwegian Independent Company 1 veterans. A square in Løkken Verk, ''Torfinn Bjørnaas' plass'', has been named after him. Bjørnaas spent his professional career in Orkla Grube Aktiebolag at Løkken Verk. He was active in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or military reserve force, reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the America ...

, and was an active sport shooter in the club

Løkken IF Løkken Idrettsforening is a Norwegian sports club from Løkken Verk, Sør-Trøndelag. It has sections for association football, speed skating and Nordic skiing. It was founded on 21 November 1896 as ''Meldalskogen SL''. The name was changed ...

and the

National Rifle Association of Norway Det frivillige Skyttervesen (DFS) (), known in English as the National Rifle Association of Norway, and by DFS themselves as the Norwegian Civilian Marksmanship Association since 2020, is a civilian marksmanship association in Norway and the lar ...

. He died in September 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjornaas, Torfinn 1914 births 2009 deaths People from Meldal Norwegian expatriates in Germany Norwegian Army personnel of World War II Norwegian resistance members Norwegian Special Operations Executive personnel Norwegian male sport shooters Recipients of the War Cross with Sword (Norway) Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch Sportspeople from Trøndelag