Norway’s national broadcasting council unleashed some harsh criticism on Wednesday against NRK’s series about the late Crown Princess Märtha’s war years in the US. The council claims NRK and the creators of “Atlantic Crossing” took too many artistic liberties with history, although several members were supportive. The series has sparked sharp debate in Norway as […]
Storm rages over ‘Atlantic Crossing’
November 23, 2020
An estimated 1 million Norwegians settled down in front of their televisions Sunday evening to watch the latest episode of “Atlantic Crossing,” state broadcaster NRK’s new series about Crown Princess Märtha’s exile years in the US during World War II. Viewers are drawn not only by royal glamour and dramatic war history, but also by […]
Christmas tree on its way to London
November 20, 2020
Oslo’s mayor and the British ambassador to Norway ceremoniously helped chop down a large Norwegian spruce tree on the outskirts of the capital this week, proving that at least some traditions are intact even during the Corona crisis. The tree, an annual gift from Oslo to the people of London during the Christmas holidays, is […]
Corona closed the Liberation jubilee
May 8, 2020
The 75th anniversary of Norway’s Liberation Day on Friday was supposed to be a major public celebration, where war veterans would be honoured as well. Ceremonies instead had to be scaled back and closed to the public, because of the Corona virus crisis that has served as a reminder of just how fragile freedom and […]
Lots to be learned from earlier crises
April 9, 2020
NEWS ANALYSIS: It’s almost eerie how Norway has had to mark significant anniversaries of three major crises just in the past two weeks, and right in the middle of the current Corona virus crisis. Valuable lessons can be learned from them all. The sun was shining brilliantly over Oslo’s historic Akerhus Fortress on Thursday, the […]
War hero granted a state funeral
December 5, 2019
UPDATED: One of Norway’s last resistance heroes from World War II will be honoured next week with a funeral to be conducted at state expense. Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen will also attend the funeral for Ragnar Leif Ulstein, who died this week at the age of 99. Ulstein was just shy of 20 when Nazi […]
Last ‘border pilot’ for refugees dies
November 18, 2019
Åge Aulie was only eight years old when he joined Norway’s resistance forces during World War II, guiding refugees over the border to safety in Sweden. He died last week at the age of 85, the country’s last so-called grenselos (literally, “border pilot”). Aulie grew up in a poor but highly engaged resistance family living at […]
New book exposes media’s Nazi past
October 4, 2019
Norwegian historians and newspaper officials have downplayed the role of the Norwegian press in spreading anti-Semitism both before, during and after World War II, claims the author of a new book provocatively entitled Det Norske Jødehatet (The Norwegian Hatred of Jews). The current editor of Norway’s biggest newspaper, Aftenposten, agrees, and has responded with a […]
Norway remembers its D-Day heroes
June 6, 2019
Prime Minister Erna Solberg was among allied government leaders invited to D-Day memorials in Portsmouth this week, because of the role exiled Nowegians played in the massive invasion 75 years ago. She said it was sad that many members of Norway’s merchant marine never received the recognition they deserved. “It’s an honour to be able […]
‘Book bomb’ blasts Resistance history
November 13, 2018
Norway’s famed Resistance (Hjemmefronten) forces have long been viewed as the country’s heroes of World War II, as they sabotaged Nazi German occupiers and ultimately helped drive them out. A new book, however, reveals how some key Resistance fighters knew about plans to round up Norway’s small Jewish population and literally ship them off to […]
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