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Nazi concentration camps in Norway

Nazi concentration camps in Norway (Norwegian: konsentrasjonsleirer) were concentration camps or prisons in Norway established or taken over by the Quisling regime and Nazi German authorities during the German occupation of Norway that began on 9 April 1940 and used for internment of persons by the Nazi authorities. 709 prison camps[1][2] or concentration camps, [including some death camps,] were counted by a project that had Randi Bratteli (author and widow of former prime minister and concentration camp prisoner), as an advisor. Another source has claimed that there were around 620 prison camps.[3]

Russian POWs in a barracks near Saltfjellet, 1945.

There were [at least] 14 different categories of prisoners, in addition to forced laborers, and they came from various countries.[4]

The civilian occupying authorities with the Quisling regime and the German Wehrmacht operated a number of camps in Norway, including around 110 prison camps.[5]

The Wehrmacht camps were largely prisoner of war (POW) camps scattered throughout the country. Some of these had extremely high mortality rates, owing to inhumane conditions and brutality.

Both established and improvised jails and prisons throughout the country were also used for internment by the Nazi authorities. In particular the Sicherheitspolizei and Sicherheitsdienst, headquartered at Victoria Terrasse, were notorious for torture and abuse of prisoners. Also, Arkivet in Kristiansand and Bandeklosteret in Trondheim became synonymous[citation needed] with torture and abuse. Some distinction was made between camps and prisons run by Norwegian Nazis and those run by German Nazi organizations, though it is safe to say that all atrocities took place under the authority of a unified command.

The designated concentration camps were not classified as "KZ-Lager" by the Nazis, but rather as Häftlingslager ("detainee camps") under the administration of the Nazi "security police," the SS and Gestapo. The Nazi authorities deported over 700 Jews from Norway to Auschwitz, over 500 Nacht und Nebel prisoners to Natzweiler; and thousands more to Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück and other prisons and camps in Germany. Most of these were kept in Norwegian camps during transit.

Although abuse, torture, and murder were commonplace in these camps, none of them were designated or functioned as extermination camps, nor did they reach the scale seen in camps in Germany, occupied Poland, and Austria. It is estimated that between 38,000 and 40,000 individuals passed through this camp system, for a total of 60,000 prisoner years.

The camps served varying purposes, including:

  • internment of political prisoners, especially socialists and communists, but also religious dissenters.
  • internment of prisoners of war (Stammlager / Stalag) - especially Soviet and Yugoslavian soldiers
  • internment of so-called "bomb hostages" (Geisellager) - prominent Norwegians who would be executed in the event of the resistance movement bombing Nazi targets
  • transit internment of various prisoners bound for camps in Germany and Poland (Durchgangslager / Dulag) - including Jews, prominent political prisoners, and others.

The Nazi authorities destroyed most of the records related to the camps and prisons they ran during the occupation. Effectively every local prison was used for these purposes by the Nazis, but several full-fledged camps were also established.

Finnmark

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In the county of Finnmark, 110 prison camps had a total of around 14,000 prisoners, including 10,000 Soviet POWs that had been transported to Oslo via Germany, then on to Trondheim before being sailed northwards. Some prisoners came from the German penal system. Some prisoners were Norwegian[6] including those who had been linked to the so-called Teacher Strike of 1942.

Karasjok Municipality
Sør-Varanger Municipality

There were concentration camps for teachers at:

Troms

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Nordland

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Russian POW photographed after his release from Bjørnelva in Saltdal Municipality.

28 prison camps were located between Mo i Rana and Fauske (and 25 of these were for Soviet POWs).[11]

  • Lager I Beisfjord ("No. 1 camp Beisfjord" - in Norwegian Beisfjord fangeleir)
  • Railroad slaves lived in "barracks near Bjørnelva".[12]

Trøndelag

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Model of Falstad concentration camp.

Vestland

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Photo of Espeland detention camp.

Vestfold

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Akershus

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Østfold

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Oslo

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Ljanskollen prison camp around 1945
 
Ljanskollen prison camp's location in present-day Oslo
See also: Bredtveit Prison

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rapporter fra Norge under okkupasjonen. Oversikt over antall sider i rapportene
  2. ^ Bache, Andrew. De sovjetiske, polske og jugoslaviske (serbiske) krigsfanger i tysk fangenskap i Norge 1941-1945. Oversikt over 709 krigsfange- og arbeidsleirer for utenlandske krigsfanger. Fordelt på 19 fylker
  3. ^ FORNYET INTERESSE FOR DE MANGE KRIGSFANGENE I NORGE: HVOR ER BESTEFAR BEGRAVET? [Renewed interest in regard to the many POWs in Norway: Where is grandfather buried?]. Vitja 2018-05-10
  4. ^ – Her er det meste kartlagt. Sør-Varanger Avis. Accessed 17 March 2021
  5. ^ a b Sergej ble «skutt under flukt» i Finnmark [Sergej was "shot during escape" in Finnmark]
  6. ^ Samuelsen, Geir; Lieungh, Erik. Sergej ble «skutt under flukt» i Finnmark. NRK. Vitja 9. august 2020
  7. ^ Følelsesladet møte med Karasjok [Emotianal meeting with Karasjok]
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 11 Eitinger-rapporten - del 1
  9. ^ "Panorama". www.himmelstigen.no. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  10. ^ https://www.aftenposten.no/amagasinet/i/rll5al/de-upassende-minnene. Aftenposten.no. Retrieved 2022-11-06
  11. ^ Halvor Hegtun (2015-02-27). NSB sa ja til slavedrift - Disse russerfangene ble tvunget til å bygge Nordlandsbanen. Så skulle de glemmes. Aftenposten A-magasinet.
  12. ^ Halvor Hegtun (2015-02-27). NSB said yes to. Aftenposten A-magasinet. p. 27.
  13. ^ «Takk til det norske folk» - Med utstillingen «Takk til det norske folk» fortelles historien om krigsfangene fra Jugoslavia, og om den norske lokalbefolkningens hjelp og vennskap.
  14. ^ Halkvor Hegtun (2015-02-27). NSB said yes to. Aftenposten A-magasinet. p. 32.
  15. ^ Fossum, Anitra (2013-09-02). "Krigsfangeleiren på Mellom Bolæren" (in Norwegian). Vestfold fylkeskommune. Archived from the original on 2014-05-05. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  16. ^ Det siste vitnet
  17. ^ https://www.lillestrom.kommune.no/natur-kultur-og-fritid/bibliotek/Inspirasjon/2020/2020-mai/dramatikk-i-ditt-distrikt/. Accessed 17 March 2021. "[...] den russiske fangeleiren på Øvredalen skole. Det var mye elendighet og sykdom blant slavearbeiderne som bl.a. hogg tømmer for tyskerne"
  18. ^ "Archived copy". oslosydavisen.no. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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