Sønsteby, Gunnar (1918-2012), was a famous Norwegian resistance fighter of World War II (1939-1945). Serving mainly in German-occupied Norway, Sønsteby led a number of attacks on German troops, aircraft, and installations. During the war, Sønsteby was decorated for bravery a number of times. He was the only person to earn the War Cross with sword, Norway’s highest military honor, three times.
Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby was born on Jan. 11, 1918, in the town of Rjukan, in southern Norway. Sønsteby was in Oslo, Norway’s capital, when Nazi Germany invaded on April 9, 1940. He fought against the Germans until he was hospitalized with pneumonia. Norway surrendered in June, and Sønsteby joined the anti-Nazi resistance.
In 1942, Sønsteby began working with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). The SOE specialized in espionage (spying), reconnaissance (information gathering), and sabotage (damaging an enemy’s war effort) in Nazi-occupied Europe. After training in Scotland, Sønsteby joined a commando unit formed by the SOE called the Kompani (Company) Linge. The unit was named for Martin Linge, a Norwegian resistance leader who had been killed earlier in the war. Sønsteby participated in a number of raids, including attacks on German airfields.
In 1944, Sønsteby became the leader of an underground group known as the “Oslo Gang.” The Oslo Gang worked with the SOE and the Norwegian military resistance movement Milorg (military organization) until the end of the war. Sønsteby also worked with the Hjemmestyrkene (Norwegian Home Forces).
Sønsteby’s code names included “Kjakan,” Norwegian for chin or jaw, and “Number 24.” He effectively used a number of disguises and identities. As a result, he was never captured by Nazi Germany’s secret police. At the end of the war, with Germany defeated, Sønsteby served as chief of the Royal Bodyguard during the return of Norway’s royal family.
After World War II, Sønsteby studied business at Harvard University in the United States. He then worked in private business. For many years, Sønsteby lectured around the world about Norway’s role in World War II. Sønsteby wrote about his war experiences in Report from #24 (1960 in Denmark, 1965 in the United States). A statue of Sønsteby stands at Solli Plass, an area of Oslo. Sønsteby died in Oslo on May 10, 2012.
See also Underground ; World War II (The conquest of Denmark and Norway) .
