Det e fali' det

Espen, Norwegian - tidbits from history & culture, and other stuff I like

[mosemannen]

Milorg Memorial

Went for a walk around Nøklevann lake in Oslo today. At Sarabråten, near the northern end of the lake, there is a memorial erected to nine fallen members of Milorg who was all killed in 1945. Since I first was there I thought I’d take some pictures and upload them, since they are within the topic of my previous post.

A closer look at the plaque on the memorial

The plaque lists from left to right in each column: the service number of each member, their first name, last name, what area they were from, date of birth, and lastly - date of death.

The text above and under translates to:

Fallen in the fight for the Fatherland 1940-1945 Hunters of Milorg-group 13132 Erected by friends in the group

Milorg-group 13 included Oslo, Aker, Asker, Bærum and the western part of Lørenskog. The following three digits specifies the operating areas further.

This smaller plaque is right next to the memorial and the following is written:

The bauta was erected in 1946. Milorg held memorial service until 1966. From then on, a yearly collaboration between Milorg, Bøler neighbourhood association and council, and friends of Østmarka. Milorg was dissolved in 2010 Friends of Østmarka takes care of the tradition

Nearby there is some information tables regarding the surrounding areas, and it includes the story of the fallen nine.

The Milorg-Bauta

The homefront, Milorg, was active in Østmarka (forrested area east of Oslo) during the war - it included parachute drops of equipment, training, and guiding of refugees to Sweden. It did not go well for everybody. To members of Milorg-group 13132 was shot during an operation in february 1945. Seven other members was arrested and later executed at Akershus fortress. These heroes has been honored with a memorial at Sarabråten. The Milorg-bauta, which bears the name of the nine and the text “fallen in the fight for the Fatherland 1940-1945″, was erected in 1946. Every year a memorial service is held around June 7th by Friends of Østmarka. It often involves important guests and speakers. In the previous years King Harald (currently king of Norway), Jens Stoltenberg (former prime minister), Fabian Stang (former mayor of Oslo), and Gunnar “Kjakan” Sønsteby (Highest decorated soldier of the resistance) have been present to honour the fallen.

[mosemannen]

Lyrics:

Vi dro fra by og bygd hit opp på skauen

I en fart – i en fart – i en fart.

Vi unngikk Gestapo og tyskerdauen.

Det var smart – det var smart – det var smart.

Vi bygget hytter i en fei.

Vi tråkket sti på hver en lei.

En partisaner lar seg aldri skremme.

Stol på det – stol på det - pang, pang, pang!

 På skauen føler vi oss riktig hjemme,

Her er bra, her er bra, her er bra.  

Her har vi Stengun og pistoler fremme.

Godt å ha – godt å ha – godt å ha.

Selv om det regner eller sner

Vi er i godt humør og ler.

 En partisaner lar seg aldri skremme.

Stol på det – stol på det - pang, pang, pang!

 En vakker dag skal vi dra ned fra skauen.

Ned til by’n – ned til by’n – ned til by’n.

Nazistene skal vi gi forræderdauen.

Det blir syn – det blir syn – det blir syn.

Vi stormer fram med norske flagg.

Ja, det skal bli vår største dag.

 partisaner lar seg aldri skremme.

Stol på det – stol på det - pang, pang, pang!

 I første rekke stiller vi oss gjerne,

Tar vårt tak – tar vårt tak – tar vårt tak.

For vi vil loven i vårt Norge verne,

Blir vår sak – blir vår sak – blir vår sak.

Vi kjemper for vårt fedreland.

Det vil vi verne alle mann.

 Ja en partisaner lar seg aldri skremme.

Stol på det – stol på det – pang, pang, pang!

  English translation

  We left the city and villages for the woods

In a hurry – in a hurry – in a hurry

We evaded Gestapo and the German-death

That was smart – that was smart – that was smart

We built cottages in a hurry

We trod a trail everywhere

  A partisan never gets frightened

Trust it – trust it – pang, pang, pang!

  In the woods we feel at home

It’s good – it’s good – it’s good

We have Stengun and pistols at the ready

Good to have – good to have – good to have

Even if it rains or snow

We are in good spirits and laugh

  A partisan never gets frightened

Trust it – trust it – pang, pang, pang!

  On a wonderful day we shall leave the woods

Down to the city – down to the city – down to the city

We will give the Nazis a traitor’s death

What a sight – what a sight – what a sight

We rush forward with Norwegian flags

Yes, that will be our greatest day

  A partisan never gets frightened

Trust it – trust it – pang, pang, pang!

  We will gladly stand first in line

Do our part – do our part – do our part

For we will guard the law of Norway

Becomes our cause – becomes our cause – becomes our cause

We fight for our Fatherland

We will guard it, every man

  A partisan never gets frightened

Trust it – trust it – pang, pang, pang!

  (I did the translation myself. I know the English is clunky and awkward at times, but I wanted to preserve as much of the original lyrics as I could during translation.)

The song is from the album “Illegale sanger” (“illegal songs”), recorded by the Norwegian group Gutta på Skauen in 2012. The songs from the album are all from the Nazi occupation of Norway between 1940-1945. The songs are gathered from civilians, prisoners, and members of the resistance movement.

This song in particular are one of several that were written for a songwriting competition autumn 1944, organized by Milorg (short for Militær Organisasjon – Military Organization). Milorg was the official military organization for the Norwegian resistance during the occupation. The reason for the competition was simply to give the resistance members something to do while hiding out in the woods and to lift their spirits. The prize was a kilogram of British tobacco, and I’m sure it motivated plenty. Pang, pang, pang was not the winner of the competition however, that would the song from the same album Partisanersang (Partisan’s song).

Members of the Norwegian resistance from eastern Norway

I felt like this song however set itself a bit apart because the older mans voice audible in the song is a former member of the resistance. I didn’t find any hard evidence for who exactly the older man is unfortunately.

The name of the band, Gutta på skauen, is also a common way to refer to all Norwegians who escaped to the woods during the war. It simply means “the boys in the forest”. Usually it was to avoid doing any service for the Nazis, or they wanted to join the resistance.

Boys in the forest. Photo taken in Sigdal, 1945