Arvid Storsveen

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Commemorative plaque for Arvid Storsveen at Arvid Storsveens plass in Oslo

Arvid Kristian Storsveen (9 July 1915 – 27 April 1943) was a Norwegian Military Officer and organizer of the secret agency XU, the main intelligence gathering organisation within occupied Norway during World War II. [1] [2]

Biography

Arvid Kristian Storsveen was born in Aker, Norway. Storsveen studied engineering at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim. After graduation in 1939, he was employed at the Norwegian Water Resources and Electricity in Oslo, Norway. [3]

Lt. Storsveen took part in the

Norwegian Campaign against the Nazi German invasion forces in the spring of 1940. Following the Norwegian surrender, he soon saw the value of an intelligence-gathering organisation for the Allies. This organisation, called 'XU', was started as early as July 1940 and became a reliable source of information for the Supreme Allied Commander in London. Many of the members were obtained from science students at the University of Oslo. After two years of dangerous work, Storsveen was forced to escape to neutral Sweden in July 1942, successfully evading the German units who were tracking him down.[4]

He returned to Oslo in the spring of 1943, but due to an accident he was found and killed by the

War Cross with sword. He was buried at Vestre gravlund in Oslo .[5][6]

Legacy

Arvid Storsveens plass is a small park with playground at Blindern in the district Nordre Aker in Oslo. A memorial to Storsveen has been unveiled at the site. [7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Arvid Storsveen". lokalhistoriewiki.no. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. ^ Ivar Kraglund. "XU". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  3. ^ Ivar Kraglund. "Arvid Storsveen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "Arvid Storsveen - hedret for innsatsen i etterretningsorganisasjonen XU". Samlerhuset Norge AS. 13 May 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  5. ^ Svein Sæter. "Arvid Storsveen" Norsk biografisk leksikon
  6. ^ Svein Sæter. "Øistein Strømnæs". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  7. ^ "Arvid Storsveens plass (Oslo)". lokalhistoriewiki.no. Retrieved August 1, 2017.

Further reading

  • Sæter, E. & Sæter, S. (2007) XU: I hemmeleg teneste 1940-45 (Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget)
  • Ryeng, N., Føre, O.C.& Ravn, O. (2009) Hemmelig krig i nord. Historien om XU i Nord-Norge (Oslo: Orion Forlag)