Dagmar Lahlum
Encyclopedia
Dagmar Mohne Hansen Lahlum (Eidsvoll
, Norway, 1922 — 1999) was a member of the Norwegian resistance
in Oslo
during World War II and was later recruited unofficially to work for MI5
.
was drinking with German officers in The Ritz bar at Skillebekk
, which also popular with members of the Norwegian national socialist party, his eye fell on the attractive Dagmar - who, complete with a décolletage and high heels - was smoking Craven A
's with an ivory mouthpiece.
When he first chatted her up, he thought that she was either a prostitute or just another good time girl; whilst on the other hand Lahlum thought that he worked for the Germans, or was in fact a German - albeit one with an odd accent.
From 1943 onwards, she became his girlfriend and later his fiancée. Troubled by the fact that she was being labelled a German whore by the locals, Chapman compromised his security during a boating trip on the fjord, when they had shared a bottle of cognac over lunch. Here he told her that he was a British double agent, and that the Germans would soon be sending him on a new mission to England. Lahlum was much relieved to hear that he worked for the British and at the same time told him about her work with the Norwegian resistance movement.
When Chapman was sent back to England, Lahlum was looked after by the Germans at the insistence of Chapman and she was even paid a monthly allowance of 600 NK from the money held to his order by them and administered by Chapman's handler Stephan von Gröning.
By the time he left for England Chapman had unofficially recruited her to MI5 and together they surveyed the German defences in and around Oslo - facts that Chapman later detailed to his English handlers upon his return. One of the sites that they reported on was the home of the Norwegian leader and traitor Vidkun Quisling
.
They lived together for a while in Oslo in a flat abandoned by a Jewish family killed by the Germans and later a small town house at Kapellveien 15, also in Oslo.
When Chapman returned to England, he used Lahlum's first name, Dagmar, as his security code in all of his radio transmissions as evidence that he was still a free agent.
Although they had talked about and partly planned to open a bar or club together in Paris after the war and about having children together, when the war actually ended Chapman perhaps predictably abandoned Lahlum, who never got over their relationship. Lahlum was branded as a "German tart" for her relationship with Chapman, as the Norwegians were quite unaware that he was an Englishman.
Immediately after the war ended, Lahlum worked in a bookshop and then a hairdressers and finally as an accountant. She remained single and childless, keeping her distinctive looks into old age along with her promise to Chapman never to reveal his secret. It was this honour that lead to her pleading guilty during the treason trials held in 1947 and being fined by the Norwegians, who remained in ignorance of the true situation.
She died of Parkinson's disease
in 1999.
After her death, her niece Bibbi Røset went through her papers and found a box of unsent airmail letters written in her careful English and addressed to Chapman; Røset burned them all. This discovery and the release of previously secret British papers were the first time that her wartime past had been revealed – even to the extent that many years after the war, her neighbours would still whisper darkly that she was a German whore.
Her story is partly recounted in the book Agent Zigzag.
Eidsvoll
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.-Name:...
, Norway, 1922 — 1999) was a member of the Norwegian resistance
Norwegian resistance movement
The Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
during World War II and was later recruited unofficially to work for MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
.
Early life
The daughter of a shoe maker, Lahlum had moved to what she saw as the bright lights of Oslo when she was 17, shortly before the start of the war. Initially she worked as a receptionist in a city centre hotel and later took modelling classes.World War II
In April 1943, when British double agent Eddie ChapmanEddie Chapman
Edward Arnold "Eddie" Chapman was an English pre-war criminal and wartime spy. During the Second World War he offered his services to Nazi Germany as a spy and a traitor whilst intending all along to become a British double agent. His British Secret Service handlers code named him 'ZIGZAG' in...
was drinking with German officers in The Ritz bar at Skillebekk
Skillebekk
Skillebekk is a neighbourhood of Oslo, Norway. It is located near Solli plass in the West End of Oslo, and is served by the station Skillebekk on the Skøyen Line. The name origins from Skillebekken, a brook between Bymarken and Frogner Hovedgård....
, which also popular with members of the Norwegian national socialist party, his eye fell on the attractive Dagmar - who, complete with a décolletage and high heels - was smoking Craven A
Craven A
Craven "A" is a brand of cigarette which were made in Canada, Jamaica, Vietnam, and North Korea. The cigarettes exhibit the English-style flavor of a Virginia-tobacco dominant blend, with that plant's attendant nutty sweetness. The cigarette was named after the third Earl of Craven in 1860.Craven...
's with an ivory mouthpiece.
When he first chatted her up, he thought that she was either a prostitute or just another good time girl; whilst on the other hand Lahlum thought that he worked for the Germans, or was in fact a German - albeit one with an odd accent.
From 1943 onwards, she became his girlfriend and later his fiancée. Troubled by the fact that she was being labelled a German whore by the locals, Chapman compromised his security during a boating trip on the fjord, when they had shared a bottle of cognac over lunch. Here he told her that he was a British double agent, and that the Germans would soon be sending him on a new mission to England. Lahlum was much relieved to hear that he worked for the British and at the same time told him about her work with the Norwegian resistance movement.
When Chapman was sent back to England, Lahlum was looked after by the Germans at the insistence of Chapman and she was even paid a monthly allowance of 600 NK from the money held to his order by them and administered by Chapman's handler Stephan von Gröning.
By the time he left for England Chapman had unofficially recruited her to MI5 and together they surveyed the German defences in and around Oslo - facts that Chapman later detailed to his English handlers upon his return. One of the sites that they reported on was the home of the Norwegian leader and traitor Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Quisling
Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling was a Norwegian politician. On 9 April 1940, with the German invasion of Norway in progress, he seized power in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat that garnered him international infamy. From 1942 to 1945 he served as Minister-President, working with the occupying...
.
They lived together for a while in Oslo in a flat abandoned by a Jewish family killed by the Germans and later a small town house at Kapellveien 15, also in Oslo.
When Chapman returned to England, he used Lahlum's first name, Dagmar, as his security code in all of his radio transmissions as evidence that he was still a free agent.
Although they had talked about and partly planned to open a bar or club together in Paris after the war and about having children together, when the war actually ended Chapman perhaps predictably abandoned Lahlum, who never got over their relationship. Lahlum was branded as a "German tart" for her relationship with Chapman, as the Norwegians were quite unaware that he was an Englishman.
After the war
Immediately after the war ended, Lahlum worked in a bookshop and then a hairdressers and finally as an accountant. She remained single and childless, keeping her distinctive looks into old age along with her promise to Chapman never to reveal his secret. It was this honour that lead to her pleading guilty during the treason trials held in 1947 and being fined by the Norwegians, who remained in ignorance of the true situation.
She died of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in 1999.
After her death, her niece Bibbi Røset went through her papers and found a box of unsent airmail letters written in her careful English and addressed to Chapman; Røset burned them all. This discovery and the release of previously secret British papers were the first time that her wartime past had been revealed – even to the extent that many years after the war, her neighbours would still whisper darkly that she was a German whore.
Her story is partly recounted in the book Agent Zigzag.
Source
- Ben Macintyre, Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman, Lover, Betrayer, Hero, Spy, Bloomsbury, London, 2007, (ISBN 0747587949)
- Norwegian Press article - In Norwegian
- English translation of the Norwegian article