Fredrik Kayser
Encyclopedia
Fredrik Thorbjørn Kayser, MM
(25 May 1918 – 2 February 2009) was a Norwegian resistance
member during World War II
. He was especially noted for his role in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
, and has been referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby
".
in Bergen. Among his youth experiences was a period as a boy scout
, under later resistance member Fredrik Rieber-Mohn. When drafted for compulsory military service after finishing school, he enrolled in the His Majesty The King's Guard
, finishing his eight months of service in 1938. In 1939, reportedly after attending a performance of the symphonic poem
Finlandia
, he volunteered to fight on Finland
's side in the Winter War
. In 1998 he stated that he "wanted to defeat the Communist system". He also stated that he never actually fired a gunshot.
on 9 April 1940. Coincidentally, Kayser returned to Norway from Finland on this date, crying as he found the capital city Oslo
invaded. He became involved in the fighting
that ensued elsewhere in Norway. On 25 April he fought in the Battle of Skjervet in Granvin
. The Norwegian forces lost, and retreated to Gudvangen
.
From there Kayser travelled to Bergen, where he involved himself in the illegal press. After some time he decided to take part in secret military and sabotage operations. He escaped to England in September 1941, and enrolled in the Norwegian Independent Company 1
led by Martin Linge
. Kayser was recruited from the regular training to the so-called Finishing School, where the emphasis was on secret agent skills. His first mission was the Operation Anklet
in December 1941. In 1942 he planned Operation Woodcock together with Kasper Idland
and Kjell Endresen, two other Norwegian Independent Company 1 soldiers. They were to parachute onto the Nevlandsheia plateau in Gjesdal
and from there carry out a sabotage operation against the strategically important Sola Air Station
in Western Norway. The team's first attempt to carry out the operation failed due to fog obscuring the drop zone. Further attempts were called off after a French sabotage team was intercepted by the Germans and explosives designed for the operation fell into German hands.
In 1942 the British Operation Freshman
, directed against the heavy water production facility at Vemork
, failed miserably. In 1943 another attempt was made, codenamed Operation Gunnerside. Following an aborted attempt in January, Kayser was a part of the team that successfully parachuted onto the Hardangervidda
plateau on 16 February 1943. Kayser was one of the first two saboteurs to enter the Vemork facility on 27 February, crawling through a cable shaft, the other being the team leader, Joachim Rønneberg
. They surprised the person who guarded the heavy water
cylinders in the factory—in retrospect the guard was described as "a good Norwegian". Kayser, at the time a sergeant, and Rønneberg went on to place explosive charges on the heavy water cylinders in the factory. Two more members of the Gunnerside team later joined Kayser and Rønneberg by climbing through a window. During the operation a Norwegian watchman was temporarily detained, and guarded by Kayser, being released 30 seconds before the explosives went off. The saboteurs of Operation Gunnerside escaped unharmed, even though the German occupying authorities
deployed thousands of soldiers to search Hardangervidda for the saboteurs. Kayser made his way to Sweden with four other team members by way of a two-week, 400 kilometre ski trek. In all the operation resulted in the destruction of 18 heavy water cells and 500 kg of heavy water, with a loss of production of 400 kg.
For his role in the heavy water sabotage Kayser was awarded the Military Medal
by King George VI of the United Kingdom
.
s. In 1944 Kayser and three other men were tasked with assaulting German ships in the harbour of Måløy
. However, the plan went sour as locals became alarmed of their presence. Kayser had to escape by land. He reportedly entrenched himself in a marsh for a whole day in order to escape a Gestapo
search party.
, with a third (Varg) still under construction. In addition to serve as safe heavens the bases were also to train the refugees in guerilla tactics, using instructors from Norwegian Independent Company 1. Kayser, then a lieutenant, was second-in-command of the base Bjørn West at Matre in Masfjorden
and took part in the 28 April–3 May 1945 fighting after the base was discovered by the Germans. Kayser had arrived in Masfjorden in October 1944 with a fellow Norwegian Independent Company 1 soldier, second lieutenant
Severin Synnes. The two had been transported to Masfjorden from the UK
on the Royal Norwegian Navy submarine chaser
HNoMS Vigra with orders to establish Bjørn West.
and twice the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch
. Thus he was referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby
". Nonetheless, Kayser left the military after the war, and spent the rest of his professional career working in the private business sector. He was a member of Fana
municipal council for eight years during the 1950s, representing the Conservative Party
, although he was not formally a member of the party. He also became a devout Christian after the war.
Kayser played himself in the docudrama
Kampen om tungtvannet, released in 1948. Despite appearing publicly in the film, for several decades Kayser was unwilling to conduct in-depth interviews about his wartime actions. He cited recurring nightmares as the reason for his unwillingness to recapitulate the war period. Ultimately, the writer Kjell Harald Lunde got Kayser's consent, and in 1997 Lunde published the book Sabotøren ('The Saboteur'). Kayser had participated in a Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation production on Bjørn West in the spring of 1994. Kayser's son, Johan Fr. Kayser, played his father in the television production.
Fredrik Kayser died on 2 February 2009, having suffered from failing health for four months. He had lived in Ågotnes
since 1974.
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(25 May 1918 – 2 February 2009) was a 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:...
member during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was especially noted for his role in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage
Norwegian heavy water sabotage
The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of actions undertaken by Norwegian saboteurs during World War II to prevent the German nuclear energy project from acquiring heavy water , which could be used to produce nuclear weapons...
, and has been referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby
Gunnar Sønsteby
Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby DSO was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II...
".
Early life
Kayser grew up at ParadisParadis, Bergen
Paradis is a neighbourhood in the city of Bergen, Norway, located between Storetveit and Hop in Fana borough. The name, which literally means "paradise" in Norwegian, is shared with several other locations in Norway and denotes a location with positive qualities not present in the surrounding areas...
in Bergen. Among his youth experiences was a period as a boy scout
Boy Scout
A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
, under later resistance member Fredrik Rieber-Mohn. When drafted for compulsory military service after finishing school, he enrolled in the His Majesty The King's Guard
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde
Hans Majestet Kongens Garde is a battalion of the Norwegian Army. The battalion has two main roles; it serves as the Norwegian King's bodyguards, guarding the royal residences and Akershus Fortress in Oslo, and is also the main infantry unit responsible for the defence of...
, finishing his eight months of service in 1938. In 1939, reportedly after attending a performance of the symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
Finlandia
Finlandia
Finlandia is a symphonic poem by Jean Sibelius.Finlandia may also refer to:* Finlandia Hymn, a section of the Sibelius symphonic poem Finlandia* Finlandia University, a private university located in Hancock, Michigan, USA...
, he volunteered to fight on Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's side in the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
. In 1998 he stated that he "wanted to defeat the Communist system". He also stated that he never actually fired a gunshot.
World War II
Norway was invaded by GermanyOperation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
on 9 April 1940. Coincidentally, Kayser returned to Norway from Finland on this date, crying as he found the capital city 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...
invaded. He became involved in the fighting
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
that ensued elsewhere in Norway. On 25 April he fought in the Battle of Skjervet in Granvin
Granvin
Granvin is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. The population is 964. About half of these, 444 people, live in the village of Granvin, situated at the end of a side arm of the Hardangerfjord.-Name:...
. The Norwegian forces lost, and retreated to Gudvangen
Gudvangen
Gudvangen is a village in the municipality of Aurland in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is a popular tourist destination and is located at the end of the Nærøyfjord where the Nærøydalselvi river empties into the fjord. The highway passes by the village...
.
From there Kayser travelled to Bergen, where he involved himself in the illegal press. After some time he decided to take part in secret military and sabotage operations. He escaped to England in September 1941, and enrolled in the Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 was a British SOE group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. It was organized under the leadership of Captain Martin Linge...
led by Martin Linge
Martin Linge
Martin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
. Kayser was recruited from the regular training to the so-called Finishing School, where the emphasis was on secret agent skills. His first mission was the Operation Anklet
Operation Anklet
Operation Anklet was the codename given to a British Commando raid during the Second World War. The raid on the Lofoten Islands was carried out in December 1941, by 300 men from No. 12 Commando and the Norwegian Independent Company 1. The landing party was supported by 22 ships from three navies.At...
in December 1941. In 1942 he planned Operation Woodcock together with Kasper Idland
Kasper Idland
Kasper Idland MM, was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II.-Early life and education:He was born in Figgjo, the second child of Karsten og Gudrun Berg Idland, and had seven siblings. He graduated as an army sergeant in 1937, after 3½ years at Hærens underoffisersskole at Gimlemoen,...
and Kjell Endresen, two other Norwegian Independent Company 1 soldiers. They were to parachute onto the Nevlandsheia plateau in Gjesdal
Gjesdal
Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. In the northwest the municipality borders Sandnes, to the north Forsand, to the east Sirdal, to the south Bjerkreim, and to the west Time....
and from there carry out a sabotage operation against the strategically important Sola Air Station
Sola Air Station
Sola Air Station in Sola municipality in Norway is operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force. Air Wing 134 is stationed at Sola along with helicopter Squadron 330....
in Western Norway. The team's first attempt to carry out the operation failed due to fog obscuring the drop zone. Further attempts were called off after a French sabotage team was intercepted by the Germans and explosives designed for the operation fell into German hands.
Heavy water sabotage
In 1942 the British Operation Freshman
Operation Freshman
Operation Freshman was the codename given to a British airborne operation conducted in November 1942 during World War II. It was the first British airborne operation conducted using gliders, and its target was the Vemork Norsk Hydro chemical plant in Norway which produced heavy water for Nazi Germany...
, directed against the heavy water production facility at Vemork
Vemork
Vemork is the name of a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. Vemork was later the site of the first plant in the world to mass-produce heavy water...
, failed miserably. In 1943 another attempt was made, codenamed Operation Gunnerside. Following an aborted attempt in January, Kayser was a part of the team that successfully parachuted onto the Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda
The Hardangervidda is a mountain plateau in the Hardanger region of western Norway. It is the largest such plateau in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate and is the site of one of Norway's largest glaciers. Much of the plateau is protected as part of Hardangervidda National Park; it is a...
plateau on 16 February 1943. Kayser was one of the first two saboteurs to enter the Vemork facility on 27 February, crawling through a cable shaft, the other being the team leader, Joachim Rønneberg
Joachim Rønneberg
Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg, DSO is a retired Norwegian officer and broadcaster. He is known for his resistance work during World War II and his post-war war information work.-Personal life:...
. They surprised the person who guarded the heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
cylinders in the factory—in retrospect the guard was described as "a good Norwegian". Kayser, at the time a sergeant, and Rønneberg went on to place explosive charges on the heavy water cylinders in the factory. Two more members of the Gunnerside team later joined Kayser and Rønneberg by climbing through a window. During the operation a Norwegian watchman was temporarily detained, and guarded by Kayser, being released 30 seconds before the explosives went off. The saboteurs of Operation Gunnerside escaped unharmed, even though the German occupying authorities
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
deployed thousands of soldiers to search Hardangervidda for the saboteurs. Kayser made his way to Sweden with four other team members by way of a two-week, 400 kilometre ski trek. In all the operation resulted in the destruction of 18 heavy water cells and 500 kg of heavy water, with a loss of production of 400 kg.
For his role in the heavy water sabotage Kayser was awarded the Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
by King George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
.
Submarines
After the heavy water sabotage, Kayser returned to England. This time, he was educated in steering one-man midget submarineMidget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s. In 1944 Kayser and three other men were tasked with assaulting German ships in the harbour of Måløy
Måløy
is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Måløy is located on the southeastern side of the island of Vågsøy, about northeast of the village of Holvik and about south of Raudeberg. The Måløybrua connects the town to the village of...
. However, the plan went sour as locals became alarmed of their presence. Kayser had to escape by land. He reportedly entrenched himself in a marsh for a whole day in order to escape a Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
search party.
Bjørn West
In the last year of the war the Norwegian resistance movement established base areas in remote locations in Norway to provide hiding places for people on the run from the German occupiers. Five base areas were planned, although only two were completed (Bjørn and Elg) by the time of the German capitulation on V-E DayVictory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
, with a third (Varg) still under construction. In addition to serve as safe heavens the bases were also to train the refugees in guerilla tactics, using instructors from Norwegian Independent Company 1. Kayser, then a lieutenant, was second-in-command of the base Bjørn West at Matre in Masfjorden
Masfjorden
Masfjorden is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Masfjorden was separated from Lindås on 1 March 1879.The municipality is located around the fjord which is also called the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry...
and took part in the 28 April–3 May 1945 fighting after the base was discovered by the Germans. Kayser had arrived in Masfjorden in October 1944 with a fellow Norwegian Independent Company 1 soldier, second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
Severin Synnes. The two had been transported to Masfjorden from the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on the Royal Norwegian Navy submarine chaser
Submarine chaser
A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...
HNoMS Vigra with orders to establish Bjørn West.
Post-war life
In total, Kayser received fourteen decorations for his wartime efforts. In addition to the Military Medal, he received the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and twice the St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch
St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch
St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 6 February 1942. In Norway, the medal is considered as a separate award from the civilian St...
. Thus he was referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby
Gunnar Sønsteby
Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby DSO was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II...
". Nonetheless, Kayser left the military after the war, and spent the rest of his professional career working in the private business sector. He was a member of Fana
Fana
Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.-History:Prior to 1972, Fana was an independent municipality which territory also included today's boroughs of Ytrebygda, Fyllingsdalen, and the southernmost part of Årstad.-Geography:...
municipal council for eight years during the 1950s, representing the Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
, although he was not formally a member of the party. He also became a devout Christian after the war.
Kayser played himself in the docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
Kampen om tungtvannet, released in 1948. Despite appearing publicly in the film, for several decades Kayser was unwilling to conduct in-depth interviews about his wartime actions. He cited recurring nightmares as the reason for his unwillingness to recapitulate the war period. Ultimately, the writer Kjell Harald Lunde got Kayser's consent, and in 1997 Lunde published the book Sabotøren ('The Saboteur'). Kayser had participated in a Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation production on Bjørn West in the spring of 1994. Kayser's son, Johan Fr. Kayser, played his father in the television production.
Fredrik Kayser died on 2 February 2009, having suffered from failing health for four months. He had lived in Ågotnes
Ågotnes
Ågotnes is a community in the municipality of Fjell, Hordaland, Norway. Located on the island of Store Sotra west of Bergen, it had a population of 1344 in 2005....
since 1974.