Norway/Stay Behind
 Norway/Stay Behind    | |
|---|---|
 Image: Weapons cache found in secret bunker during the Hans Otto Meyer raid | |
| Parent organization | Operation Gladio |
| Interest of | John-Reier Martinsen, Hans Otto Meyer, Jens Henrik Nordlie, Hans Ringvold, Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George |
| Exposed by | Svein Blindheim |
The Norwegian Stay Behind networks were created after 1945 for use during a war or Soviet occupation. The units prepared for intelligence gathering, political surveillance, sabotage, propaganda, assassinations, and evacuation of key personnel.
The core arrangers of these groups were the owners and managers of the biggest companies in the country. Politically they were on the right, but because the networks were partially created from the resistance movement during WW2 German occupation, the Norwegian groups never had as strong a Nazi/Fascist taint as in certain other countries (notably Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Portugal...). But it is to be noted that the leader of the Norwegian Stay behind, Jens Henrik Nordlie, was a former member of the Nazi party who had switched side in time.
The present knowledge of these groups' extent and activities are to a large degree still unknown.
Before WW2
During the 1920s and 1930s, ruling circles had some fears of a red revolution and the reliability of working-class conscripts. Therefore, a secret army was set up within the official army structure. These trustworthy units would be used in strikes, lockouts and other conflicts. Gun firing pins etc. were stored separately, to ensure control of weapon stockpiles. These arrangements contributed to unpreparedness and chaos during the German attack in 1940.[1]
The Meyer Raid
In November 1978, police received tips of a clandestine liquor factory on ship owner Hans Otto Meyer's property on the inaccessible and craggy Gjeterøya island outside Oslo. After raiding the property, the police decided to investigate Hans Otto Meyer's private mansion in Oslo. In connection with the police raid, they found a secret entrance to a bunker full of weapons, equipment and ammunition enough to equip more than a hundred men, and an advanced radio device that raised its antenna through the stovepipe at transmission. The bunker was secured with an automatic machine gun trap.
- Full article: Hans Otto Meyer
- Full article: Hans Otto Meyer
The affair hints at some unknown internal dispute between Stay Behind operatives.
Related Quotation
| Page | Quote | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stig Synnergren | “I've met the name Alfa. As I recall, it was an independent organization that worked together with stay behind in Norway.” | Stig Synnergren | 1995 |
Event Participated in
| Event | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Lillehammer assassination | Lillehammer Norway | In 1973 Mossad assassinated a Moroccan citizen in Lillehammer,Norway. |
