Battle of Haglebu

The Battle of Haglebu on 26 April 1945 was a skirmish towards the end of the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War. A patrol of German and Norwegian police troops had been tipped off that weapons were hidden in Haglebu and came up from Eggedal on a search. On the southern shore of Haglebuvannet, the German force divided to search both sides of the lake. On the western side, the Germans received machine-gun fire from the Norwegian resistance movement (Milorg) and soon came under attack on the eastern side as well. After about four hours, during which the Norwegians repulsed the German assaults, Milorg carried out an orderly withdrawal before German reinforcements arrived.

Battle of Haglebu
Part of the Second World War

Monument for the Norwegians who lost their lives in the battle
Date26 April 1945
Location
Eggedal, Vassfaret
Result Norwegian victory
Belligerents
Norway (Milorg) Germany
Strength
100 men[1] 80–140 men[2]
Casualties and losses
7 dead
2 wounded		 25–30 dead

Albeit a small battle and local in nature, it had a large effect on the course of the war in Norway. The battle marked a defeat for Norwegians who collaborated with the Germans. This may have contributed to the collaborators' acceptance of the German surrender, which prevented further fighting between Milorg and the collaborators.[3] The resistance allegedly committed a war crime by executing a prisoner; the Norwegian Waffen SS soldier Tom Henry Zakariassen (21) was shot after surrendering, allegedly by Lieutenant Peter Fredrik Holst, who was never prosecuted for the alleged war crime.[4]

Footnotes
  1. Veum / Brenden, 2009 p. 171.
  2. Veum / Brenden, 2009 p. 172. claims 80, while Veum, 2013 p. 725 claims 140
  3. Strande, 1977 p. 162.
  4. Veum / Brenden, 2009 p. 174.
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References
  • Strande, Paul M.: Fallskjermer over vassfaret, Gyldendal. Oslo, 1977. (in Norwegian)
  • Veum, Eirik and Brenden, Geir: De som falt, 2009. (in Norwegian)
  • Veum, Eirik: Nådeløse nordmenn: Hirden. Utg. Kagge. Oslo, 2013. (in Norwegian)
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