The Last Lieutenant
Encyclopedia
The Last Lieutenant is a Norwegian movie from 1993, directed by Hans Petter Moland
and starring Espen Skjønberg
. It was released in the USA with English subtitles.
begins. He then kisses his wife good-bye and is off to Regiment HQ. There he finds a lack of leadership and morale that offends him. They even laugh at him and his out-dated uniform and discontinued second lieutenant
officer-rank, that he had earned years before. He is sent with a few men to blow up a bridge. The young men laugh at him and generally ignore his advice. When the bridge fails to collapse, he does the job himself. He returns to HQ to find that its officers have voted to surrender. He leaves the HQ with a few men, taking trucks and supplies to continue the fight, often at odds with the remainder of army leadership. He rebuilds a small fighting unit with volunteers and draftees and he achieves some battlefield success. Eventually his men abandon him, and he faces a German attack alone.
, the invasion of Norway & Denmark by Germany, beginning on 9 April 1940.
This film is based, somewhat loosely, on the actions of 2nd Lt. Thor Olaf Hannevig, Norwegian Army (Reserve). He was a retired sea Captain who rejoined the Norwegian Army and fought with a force of 150 mostly reserve soldiers as the "Telemark Infanteri Regiment" after his original regiment surrendered on 9 April 1940. The ad hoc regiment operated from 21 April 1940, around the town of Vinje in Telemark County, until 3 May when the regiment became aware that the 4th Division had also capitulated, dashing any hope of relief forces. Most of his men were discharged from service at this time and left the area in civilian clothing. On 8 May, Hannevig and the remaining three soldiers and six female auxiliaries of the regiment were taken as prisoners of war and the 28 German POWs Hannevig's force had captured were freed.
Key differences between the actual events and those depicted in the film are the age of Lt. Hannevig, that he disbanded his unit instead of being abandoned by his soldiers, and a small staff remained with him until he surrendered to the Germans. In addition, the German POWs his regiment had captured were still held, and were handed over to the German forces directly.
surrender, did so in small units, from hidden locations.
Hans Petter Moland
Hans Petter Moland is a Norwegian film director. Hans Petter was the first born son of Odd Moland and Sigrid Eid Moland, and has a younger brother named Morten Moland. He is a film graduate from Emerson College in the United States. When living in Boston Hans Petter met a college student Elizabeth...
and starring Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg
Espen Skjønberg is an actor of stage, screen and television.He made his first movie appearance as a child in the 1937 Norwegian classic Fant. His stage debut came reciting poetry at the Norwegian theatre Chat Noir in 1945...
. It was released in the USA with English subtitles.
Plot
The old sea-captain retires, but the next day German WWII occupation of NorwayOperation 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...
begins. He then kisses his wife good-bye and is off to Regiment HQ. There he finds a lack of leadership and morale that offends him. They even laugh at him and his out-dated uniform and discontinued 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...
officer-rank, that he had earned years before. He is sent with a few men to blow up a bridge. The young men laugh at him and generally ignore his advice. When the bridge fails to collapse, he does the job himself. He returns to HQ to find that its officers have voted to surrender. He leaves the HQ with a few men, taking trucks and supplies to continue the fight, often at odds with the remainder of army leadership. He rebuilds a small fighting unit with volunteers and draftees and he achieves some battlefield success. Eventually his men abandon him, and he faces a German attack alone.
Historical context
The film is set during the early part of World War 2, and specifically around Operation WeserübungOperation 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...
, the invasion of Norway & Denmark by Germany, beginning on 9 April 1940.
This film is based, somewhat loosely, on the actions of 2nd Lt. Thor Olaf Hannevig, Norwegian Army (Reserve). He was a retired sea Captain who rejoined the Norwegian Army and fought with a force of 150 mostly reserve soldiers as the "Telemark Infanteri Regiment" after his original regiment surrendered on 9 April 1940. The ad hoc regiment operated from 21 April 1940, around the town of Vinje in Telemark County, until 3 May when the regiment became aware that the 4th Division had also capitulated, dashing any hope of relief forces. Most of his men were discharged from service at this time and left the area in civilian clothing. On 8 May, Hannevig and the remaining three soldiers and six female auxiliaries of the regiment were taken as prisoners of war and the 28 German POWs Hannevig's force had captured were freed.
Key differences between the actual events and those depicted in the film are the age of Lt. Hannevig, that he disbanded his unit instead of being abandoned by his soldiers, and a small staff remained with him until he surrendered to the Germans. In addition, the German POWs his regiment had captured were still held, and were handed over to the German forces directly.
Factual errors
In order to make a better movie, the makers generally ignored the tactics used by irregular forces. Their movie base was easy to find in the middle of a wide open field, and their telephone continued to work. It took months (as shown by the change of seasons) for the Germans to find the Norwegian force, and mass for attack. In reality, what small forces continued to fight, after the Norwegian ArmyNorwegian Army
Norway achieved full independence in 1905, and in the first century of its short life has contributed to two major conflicts, the Cold War and the War on Terror. The Norwegian Army currently operates in the north of Norway and in Afghanistan as well as in Eastern Europe. The Army is the oldest of...
surrender, did so in small units, from hidden locations.
See also
- Norwegian resistance movementNorwegian resistance movementThe Norwegian resistance to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms:...
- Occupation of Norway by Nazi GermanyOccupation of Norway by Nazi GermanyThe 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...
- Operation WeserübungOperation WeserübungOperation 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...