Operation Freshman

With deep gratitude
The battle to prevent heavy water production is the most dramatic chapter in Norwegian war history. For this was a fight against something bigger and more threatening then ever before; against something which was able to rock the very core of our universe. The atom bomb in the hands of the German's could have turned the course of the war in Hitler's favour, and history might have taken a completely different path. The despot could have become the master of the world.
However, this new weapon was not completed before the Nazis were defeated, and we owe great thanks to those men who risked their lives to carry out sabotage missions which were more daring and audacious than anything ever undertaken before.
Planning and training for Operation Freshman took place in the utmost secrecy. The action was directed against the heavy water production area, a vital element in the manufacture of the atom bomb. And the heavy water was being produced in Norsk Hydro's plant at Rjukan, deep within the Telemark area and among the highest mountains in Norway.
The two gliders containing Commandos never reached their planned destination - both aircraft crash landed in Rogaland. The way in which the German's dealt with their prisoners and the injured soldiers broke all the conventions of war. This will forever remain a dark and distasteful episode in the history of the Second World War.

Those men that gave their lives in the battle to prevent Germany from developing a weapon of mass destruction of unknown power, are remembered in Rogaland by a stone monument which stands in Helleland cemetry. It is placed beside the graves of the 7 aircrew who died when their Halifax glider tug crashed into the mountainside.

Preface
On the night of November 20, 1942, two British airplanes crashed into the Helleland hills in Norway. They were a Halifax bomber and a Horsa glider on tow. The seven-member crew of the Halifax were killed instantly. Of the 17 men on board the glider, two were killed, one was severely injured on impact and 14 others survived. The injured one died shortly after. A few hours later the 14 Britons were shot by the German's at Slettebø near Egersund. But what happened in the Egersund area is only one part of the tragedy. The other part took place in Lyseheiene, the Lyse hills, where another glider crashed. The survivors from this glider were killed by the German's, some in Stavanger and some in Oslo. The Britons' objective was to destroy the Rjukan heavy water plant.

The history of this event is of interest far beyond the district where the tragedy ocurred. It may well be the most illuminating account of the horrors and sadism of the war in Norway. I have made a point of presenting eye-witness accounts of the various stages of the tragedy wherever possible, while relying on written descriptions to serve as controlling and complementary factors. In this I refer my reader to the list of source material included in this presentation.
In the article itself I have avoided making any judgement of Operation Freshman. The presentation should allow each to form his own opinion, particularly in regard to the German's role in the tragedy. As far as the Britons' responsibility for the conception, planning and realization of the operation is concerned, the final result was a tragedy.

Three days after the crash, the Egersund regional command, the Egersund Ortskommandatur, sent a brief to the Gestapo in Oslo. It claimed that the Britons were equipped with skis. Furthermore, the equipment list for Operation Freshman shows that there were 20 bicycles among the soldiers' baggage. The impression on seeing this is that the ski equipment was for use in getting from the landing place to Vemork. After completing the work, it may have been intended for the surviving soldiers to attempt the crossing to Sweden with the help of the bicycles. If this conclusion is correct, than the planners' knowledge of Norwegian topography and climate obviously leaves much to be desired. On the other hand, a source in Wick, Scotland, informed me over the telephone today that the bicycles were necessary for the cover operation, the "Washington Cup" story, (see p. 10, "Training") and that they were left behind at Skitten. This explanation, however, cannot be verified. Another question is whether the Britons knew about Hitler's "Fuehrerbefehl", his special order, of 18 October, 1942. Another unanswered question is whether the Norwegians who were involved in the tragedy could have done more to prevent the Britons' falling into German hands.

Egersund, 11 February, 1993

Jostein Berglyd, the author of this document

Jostein Berglyd