Martin Linge

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Martin Jensen Linge
Royal Norwegian Army
SOE
Commands heldUnits:
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awards
War Cross with sword (Norway)
Distinguished Service Cross (UK)[1]
Spouse(s)Margit F. Vogt
Other workPioneer aviator, actor, sailor

Martin Jensen Linge, DSC (11 December 1894 – 27 December 1941) was a Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1) (pronounced as Norisen by the Norwegians), formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.[2][3]

Biography

Martin Linge was born in

Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. In 1915 he graduated as a non-commissioned officer from the military school in Trondheim. He subsequently studied at the Trondheim Theatre (1917–1918). He debuted on the stage at the Central Theatre in Oslo
in 1921 and appeared in both theatre and films during the 1920s and 1930s.

Martin Linge was father of Jan Herman Linge, an engineer and boat designer. He was also the grandfather of Norwegian novelist Espen Haavardsholm, who wrote about his grandfather in Martin Linge – min morfar. Familieroman med fotografier (Gyldendal norsk forlag. 1993).[4]

Military career

Shortly after the

King, the crown prince, the cabinet, Norway's gold and cash holdings, and finally general Otto Ruge with staff, escaped through Åndalsnes. Trygve Lie in his memoirs recalls meeting Linge at Åndalsnes. During German air bombing of a makeshift airfield at Setnesmoen, he was wounded and evacuated by boat to Britain. He was the first wounded Norwegian soldier to arrive in Britain.[5]

Among exiled Norwegians, Linge along with Nordahl Grieg and Olav Rytter were the first to propose ideas for resistance against the German occupation. "Our land is perfect for secret resistance and guerrilla warfare" he declared in June 1940. In August 1940 he was appointed as liaison officer to the War Office and soon began recruiting men and organizing what became Norwegian Independent Company 1.[1]

Linge was killed during

Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, Måløy was used as a German coastal fortress, which had led to the eradication of all settlement on the island to make room for the fortress.[6] His body is buried at the Vestre gravlund
(Western Cemetery) in Oslo.

Subsequently, the unit he had led was named

Filmography

Legacy

Martin Linge and his life are portrayed in the 1 hour documentary Martin Linge - skuespiller og legende (Martin Linge: Actor and Legend), which aired on

Max Manus
.

Memorial at the Linge farm in Norddal

Memorials

  • Statue in the Linge park in Måløy
  • Crown Prince Olav unveiled a memorial stone and plaque at the Linge farm in Norddal on 17 June 1946.[8]
  • An oil field in North Sea is named after him. The oil field was previously named Hild.[9]

Streets named in his honour

References

  1. ^ a b "Martin Linge – Norsk biografisk leksikon". Nbl.snl.no. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  2. ^ "Martin Jensen Linge – Store norske leksikon". Snl.no. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  3. ^ "Martin Linge - Sogn og Fjordane" (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Nrk.no. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Martin Linge – Norsk biografisk leksikon". Snl.no. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  5. ^ Haavardsholm, Espen: Martin Linge – min morfar. Familieroman med fotografier. Oktober forlag, 2007
  6. ^ "OPERATION ARCHERY - VAAGSO - 27TH DEC 1941". Combinedops.com. 27 December 1941. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Kompani Linge". Dokkeveien.uib.no. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  8. ^ Furseth, Astor (1987): Norddal i 150 år 1837–1987. Valldal: Norddal kommune.
  9. ^ "Logg på EPiServer CMS 6". Npd.no. Retrieved 19 September 2015.

Other sources

External links