Rolf Rynning Eriksen
 Rolf Rynning Eriksen  (officer, deep state operative) | |
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| Born | 1 November 1911 |
| Died | 7 March 1994 (Age 82) |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
Norwegian officer who dominated official history writing on WW2, including hiding how many army officers collaborated with the Germans. | |
Rolf Rynning Eriksen was a Norwegian officer.
Second World War
Rynning Eriksen joined Vidkun Quisling's party Nasjonal Samling in August 1940; four months after the German Wehrmacht had occupied the country. The source material that exist shows that he resigned in November of the same year.
He later switched side and became a leader in main resistance movement, Milorg.
After the war, he was Chief of Staff of the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany from 1947 to 1948, Colonel from 1956, Chief of the Brigade in Northern Norway from 1956 to 1958 and Chief of Staff of the Allied National Forces in Norway from 1958.
He became Major General and Deputy Commander of the Army in 1961, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Staff in 1968 and Lieutenant General and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces High Command in 1970 under General Herman Fredrik Zeiner-Gundersen. His last post was as commander of Fredriksten fortress from 1972 to 1976.
As a pensioner, Rolf Rynning Eriksen was administrative director of research at the Norwegian Home Front Museum under Lieutenant Colonel Knut Haugland and later Major General Reidar Torp.
Creating official history
In a triumvirate with Jens Henrik Nordlie and Jens Chr. Hauge, Rynning Eriksen dominated the official history of the events in and around the Second World War in Norway. He ended his spectacular military career as a research leader at the Norwegian Home Front Museum and the War History Council. Thus he was responsible for ensuring that "the results of his youthful unorthodox military merits could have their rightful place in the light of history".[1]
