The Police Troops, Norway - Sweden during WWII

[Erwin Kretschmer]

well, I want to share to you what is defined as "The biggest of the untold stories of WWII, yet one of the most unknown". I will write this article myself, and of what I know. I'm currently reading a book on the subject, so more may come.


So what were the "Policetroops"? No, they were not Military Police, actually, it had nothing with police to do. So here goes.

from 1940-1945, roughly 60.000 Norwegians escaped from occupied Norway to Neutral Sweden. Norway was the only country Sweden had confidence to to give the Norwegians their own "government" in Sweden. Danish escapers didn't get their own Government in Sweden, and so on.

In 1943, around 20 camps were established around in Sweden. These camps were to train ordinary men into soldiers in arms. Most of these were Norwegians, with only a handfull of Swedish men amongst them. The purpoe of this was to build a fighting force in Sweden, to invade and liberate Norway, or to put them in at the capitulation of Germany in Norway. Some of the men also wished to go to Great Britain to join theirs massive armed forces, and most of all, get to Little Norway in Canada, which was the Norwegian military airbase.

These men got the covername "Policetroops". Roughly 15.000 men! Some Germans that were in Sweden (From Norway to Finland mostly) often passed by these camps, but didn't notice it was what it really was, as the camps were disguised as villages.

One question may come to you when you read this. "What sort of training did these 15.000 men, in a neautral country, get?!"
Well, the training is compareable to other Elite and Commando troops as for example the S.A.S. Of course with another style, but that's how well these men were trained. some of the very few also got to train with tanks (Mostly Panzer 38(t), which Sweden used during the war), and they even got to train with artillery (How they got to do that in a neautral country is still a mysery for me).

Another way of describing the Policetroops is that they simply were elite commandoes. And did the Allied High Command know of this? Yes. Several SOE and OSS agents were sent to train the men a little extra.

So these policetroops had tanks, artillery, even medics. The whole shibang. Some of the men also got their dream come true. To get to England. Some were also sent into Norway to aid the resistance, or the "Home Front". But many did never see combat, as only about 2000 were set in in 1945, when Germany capitulated.

My grandpa were one of the roughly 2000 that were sent in. My grandpa was a Medic, trained at Strotenbo, which was a camp for medical personell. And he were sent to Narvik. And you would perhaps guess that the situation was still dangerous, as you knewer know what the enemy can do. So my grandpa entered a bunker in Narvik, armed only with a pistol, he saw a handfull of German soldiers, all armed to the theeths with Schmeissers and Mausers, and more, against one man armed with a pistol, medicbag and the title "Norway" on his shoulder sleeve. Fortunately, the handfull of Germans surrendered after a short bit.

Pictures from the book I'm reading, with my own captions (refer to photograph #). More is coming.

3: Batallionpainter and private first class Stephan Tschudi-Madsen
4: Ole Berg and Harry Söderman "Revolver-Harry" planning fieldmanouvers
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0004.jpg

5: Nils Swedlund and Ole Berg
6: Lars Bratt - Swedish instructor of Norwegian family
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0005.jpg

7: Odd M¨lster, veteran. Battalionchief.
8: "The Hero from Midtskogen" - Major Olaf Helset. (He also escaped from Gestapo at "Nr 19").
9: Carl Semb and Lauritz G. Bryhn.
10: The men gathered at Korsnäs in Dalarna, summer 1943.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0006.jpg

11: 20mm Cannon.
12: The dogschool I mention in the next reply :icon_lol: .
13: Inger S. Meyer with policedog. Picture from Axvall 1944.
14: Cityfight practice in close quarter. Älgberget in Dalarna (Note the British Battledress uniforms. As these men were trained in a neatral country, some got the Battledress and some got the Swedish military uniforms, which I'll show later).
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0007.jpg

15: At the star; exercise without real firearms.
16: Training with light Mortar.
17: 17th may (Norways national day) 1944. Ytterslö church, close to Mälsäker.
18: Mälsäker castle after the fire, 24th January 1945. It was at this very castle that the 28 year old pilot Cramer, were the 1st September 1939.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0008.jpg

19: Exercise with real firearms, Mälsäker.
20: Policetroop orchestra is training in Mälsäker castleyard.
21: Sparetime. Mälsäker.
22: lining up...
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0009.jpg

23: The Swedish captain Bengt Hjelm on a Panzer 38(t) instructing at the Norwegian officerschool in Mälsäker.
24: Training at Mälarens beach at Mälsäker.
25: Shooting at Mälsäker.
25: Pistolshooting at Gottröra, march 1944. From left: The swedish instructor Sven Gustafson, Imset, Knut L. Meyer and Lystad.
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i257/norwaysempire/Scan0010.jpg

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EDIT 4 JANUARY 2009

I got a few pictures of some items that my grandpa got while in the policeforce. First I'd like to show 3 diplomas. The double holes on the sides are not original, and is sad that they are there...
With translations.

Diploma for wartlethics. Dated 4th october 1944. To my grandpa, Kåre Thun.
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0286.jpg

Diploma awarded 7792 Thun for 23th place in 20 km (12.5 miles, for you US) - time 2.13.00 - Baekehagen 18/11 44 (That would be place and date).
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0289.jpg

Diploma for campcompetition 1st price - orienteering - Stråtenbo 7-9-44 awarded Kåre Thun.
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0290.jpg

closeup:
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0291.jpg

Then we hop to my grandpas emblem that he got, finishing medicschool in Stråtenbo. You see how nice it looks, tough being original? :icon_smile:

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0292.jpg

Scale:
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0293.jpg

Backside:
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0294.jpg

Zoomed picture, using Macro and a magnifier of the backside.
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0296.jpg

And my dad happen to have a Swedish WWII helmet that he bought. It is not the one used originaly by the policetroops, but it is the same type of helmet. The only variation is that the big Swedish emblem in front is gone on the policetroops ones, and the decals should not be there... You can see the same helmet without these features on the mortarcrew up above..

As you can see, it do actually protect very well:
http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0323.jpg

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0324.jpg

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0325.jpg

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0326.jpg

http://i431.photobucket.com/albums/qq39/huxyp/IMGA0328.jpg



So that's the story of the biggest of the unknown stories of WWII - the policetroops. And of course one episode where my grandpa were. I can only say I hope you enjoyed this, and you learned it!


-Erwin Kretschmer

[Karl Ritter]

Very interesting Kretschmer, as always.
yet, risky games your Swedish friends played,
risking retaliating bombruns or even war with Germany
for something they themself gained little to no benifit from.

Ironic part is, one of the main reasons why Norway was occupied by Germany, is to secure its raw materials it bought from Sweden, and those passed in shipping lanes past the Norwegian coast.
So to protect Swedish supply, they occupied Norway, and then Sweden helps the Nors to fight them of again..awkward situation.:rolleyes:

[Johann Bauer]

I doubt they only cared about protecting the metal from Sweden. Hell the stradegic location of norways west coast is what i think the Germans cared mostly of!

[Karl Ritter]

Despite its strategic position, Hitler had no intention to drag Norway in the war.
He only did so after he heard the British where planning to invade Norway.
This would:
-Cut of Swedish supply
-Prevent German ship to sail to the open ocean and allow British ships in their inner sea.
-Bring near every part of Germany in bomber range, including some important cities in short bomber range.
-Germany already had set eyes on Finland as a potential ally against Russia and this would also endanger their borders.

The German invasion was planned under the motto to protect poor Norway from British occupation.

[Erwin Kretschmer]

The German invasion was planned under the motto to protect poor Norway from British occupation.

Very true Ritter. The Germans that needed rescue the 8th April 1940, because of Polish submarines, were mostly saved by Norwegians. When they were asked why they were around the Norwegian coast, they replied with that they was protecting Norway against a possible British invasion...

[Ernst Hoffmann]

Great post Kretschmer I am sure our Swedes and Norwegians will fine that particularly interesting.

Regards
Ernst Hoffmann

[Friedrich Zelich]

Very good post enjoyed reading it!

[Friedrich Werner]

I think a smarter move would have been to keep a "intervention" force at hand which could move into norway as soon as the brits decided to land. If the Brits were to invade a neutral European country the rest of the world, specifically America in my opinion would have had different thoughts on how morally good the western allies were.

Then germany could have been the real protector of norway. Also if the brits landed on norway in larger numbers, this would bee a perfect oppertunity to confront the brits on turf, by themselves, near Germany allowing for a more destructive confrontation which could have whiped out many more british units putting Britains capability to fight at a lower state on land and in the air. Would this not be true?

[August Schreiner]

I remember this post before, it's a great unknown story.

[Erwin Kretschmer]

Thanks all! I appreciate the comments!