Andrew Thorne
 Andrew Thorne    (military) | |
|---|---|
_Andrew_Nicol_Thorne.jpg) | |
| Born | 20 September 1885 |
| Died | 25 September 1970 (Age 85) |
| Nationality | UK |
| Interests | • Norway • Norway/Deep state |
British general who helped establish post-war deep state in Norway. | |
General Sir Augustus Thorne was a senior British Army officer who served in the First and Second World Wars.
During WW2, Thorne was responsible for planning military operations in Norway. After the German surrender on 8 May 1945, Thorne arrived in Norway on 13 May together with Crown Prince Olav.
For 5 months, Thorne in reality ran the country, setting up deep state structures that have lasted to this day.[citation needed]
When he arrived, he brought with him a small military force—one tenth the size of the German military presence—and so had to rely on cooperation with paramilitary forces from the Norwegian resistance movement. He cooperated closely with deep state politician Jens Chr. Hauge.
Thorne remained in charge of dismantling the German presence in Norway until he left the country on 31 October 1945. In a moved calculated to force Norway to rely on Britain for arms purchases, the massive weapons stockpiles of the 400.000+ German forces were destroyed, forcing Norway to start from scratch.
He officially retired from the army in 1946, but were used as a consultant by the Norwegian Armed Forces a few years later.
