The anti-Nazi Partisan movement and their operations between
1940-1945 in Northern Norway are not well known. Their main task was to spy on Nazis
and to collect information from local people. Many of the Partisans were people from Northern
Norway. Some of them also had heritage, like that of Jørgund Mikkalsen from
Kramvik near Keberg, who had a Finnish grandmother.
Harsh winters made it very difficult for Partisans to
survive hiding outside during their spy operations. They couldn´t trust anyone.
Some of the locals collaborated with Nazis and cost them lives. Partisans had
their base in Murmansk, Russia. They use to come with the submarines and boats
to the Norwegian coasts. Partisans hated Nazis, quislings and traitors and they
had only one dream: to see Norway free again.
Local people had the very important task to feed Partisans
with news about Nazi development in eastern Finnmark. Partisans in eastern Finnmark were moving
between Nålneset, Kongsfjorden and Laukvika. Many Partisans left their lives in North
Norway as well as many civilians that were helping Partisans. Nazis didn´t
spare even the pregnant women and newly born children like little Oidis, a
daughter of Jørgund Mikkalsen. The Gestapo had tortured pregnant Jørgund because
she was helping Partisans. The torture was so bad that her newly born daughter died,
and she lived with pains for the rest of her life.
My great grandfather was a Partisan in Serbia. He survived
the war and kept his memories until he died, to remind us about the sacrifice
these people gave for our freedom today.
Norwegian Partisans were often not considered to be good Norwegians after the war, because of
their links to Russia and Communism. For many people these tight connections
with Russia are not positive, but still their efforts to liberate Norway from
Nazi Germany shouldn’t be forgotten.
Hitler’s Teeth how the locals called them, were placed by Nazis to stop the Partisans in Vadsø area
