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Gunnar SonstebyParticipant in the Norwegian Resistance movement during World War II
Date of Birth: 11.01.1918
Country:  Norway |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Gunnar Sønsteby was born on January 11, 1918, in Rjukan, Telemark County, Norway. He lived in Oslo during the German invasion of Norway and worked as an accounting assistant.
Resistance Activities
After the German occupation of Norway, Sønsteby became involved in the resistance. He was known by the aliases "Kjakan" (Chin) and No. 24. In 1942, he was interned and held in Swedish custody for three months, but he eventually convinced them that he was not the accused Gunnar Sønsteby.
In 1943, after training in England, Sønsteby became a coordinator for the resistance movement in Eastern Norway. He participated in smuggling printing plates for Norwegian currency, blowing up a Norwegian labor exchange center to prevent the deportation of Norwegian youth to the Soviet-German front, destroying or significantly damaging 40 German aircraft, stealing sulfuric acid from a factory in Lysaker to hinder production plans, and orchestrating a fire at an oil depot in Oslo Harbor.
Sønsteby operated under more than thirty aliases and was only discovered by the Gestapo towards the end of the war. However, he was never arrested.
Post-War Career
In 1945, Sønsteby received the British Distinguished Service Order. After the war, he moved to the United States, where he attended Harvard Business School. He also worked in the oil industry before returning to Norway to pursue a career in private business.
In his later years, Sønsteby gave lectures on World War II history to young people.
Honors and Legacy
Captain Gunnar Sønsteby is the only person to be awarded the War Cross with three swords. All three awards were bestowed on August 16, 1946. A statue in his honor was erected in Oslo's Solli Square on May 13, 2007. Created by Per Ung, the statue depicts a 25-year-old Sønsteby standing next to his bicycle. It was unveiled by King Harald of Norway.
