# The Shetland Bus operation in WWII **URL:** \ **Category:** Scuttlebutt\ **Created:** [February 24, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582 "2024-02-24T14:03:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 2:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/1 "2024-02-24T14:03:34Z")
> **[The Daring Missions of the Shetland Bus During WWII -](https://navalhistoria.com/shetland-bus/?fbclid=IwAR3R5-qUjy8MUjD5UTJrmaedNwx-Pe4w-raB7Hgpw-Fz8c83CEPKo8e9B4o)** > > The "Shetland Bus" was a covert naval operation during World War II, connecting Shetland, Scotland, with Nazi-occupied Norway. This operation began in Here is one of the fishing boats used as a Shetland bus. Now belonging to Sunnmøre Museum in Ålesund and maintained in good working condition by local volunteers: ![P1050730](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/4/4/448452bfb0c29acaf34814620cdcfb0bbf6f006d.jpeg) Own photo. One of the subchasers has been restored to former glory; KNM Hitra: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/d/4/d45917fdf849d4e857a966b53f2f415a8dde1107.jpeg) # KNM Hitra Formerly USN SC-718, is one of three submarine chasers that the Norwegian Navy received from the United States in 1943. A total of 878 such submarine chasers were built, and several allied countries used the boat type. In the Norwegian navy, they were used by the Shetland gang from the autumn of 1943. The captain of KNM “Hitra” was Ingvald Eidsheim. After the war, the KNM “Hitra” was put into service as a coast guard and coast guard until 1953 when she was laid up. In 1959 the ship was sold, but in 1981 was rediscovered half submerged in Sweden. A fundraiser to save her was started, and in 1983 the ship was raised and towed to Omas Båtbyggeri in Stord, Norway. On the day 42 years after the German capitulation in 1945 (8 May 1987), the newly restored ship was handed over to the Inspector General for the Navy. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/2 "2025-08-31T20:34:20Z")
A lot has been said about the Shetland Bus in conjunction with the “Liberation Convoy 2025”, but mostly about the earlier part of the war, when fishing boats were used. [War Sailors (Feature film) - #11 by ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/war-sailors-feature-film/64264/11) From 1943 three US-built subchasers were used for the Shetland Bus operations, one of which has been restored and are now a museum ship: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/b/2/b2e958e29b96bd68425d0d20ee6391d8577312b3.jpeg) HNoMS Hitra entering Scalloway harbour, 20 June 2003 > **[Hitra](https://museumships.us/norway/hitra)** > > HNoMS Hitra > Former SC-497-class Submarine Chaser SC-718International Call Sign: November-Xray-Foxtrot-Delta > Hitra was originally built as a SC-497 class submarine chaser for the United States Navy. She was laid down on 22 September 1942 by the Fisher... PS\> She was part of the “Liberation Convoy 2025”: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/c/e/cec7062f4ef271dbdffa11482431fe0cec33f09c.jpeg) The other two are no more, but records of their activity during the war exists. KNM “Hessa” (Named after my home island): ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/d/b/db42079539aafe99987ca262ebef0dbf85731399.jpeg) The three skippers of KNM Hessa. Petter Salen (born July 21, 1909 in Ålesund, died May 24, 1979): ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/e/2/e240696616dcb2a86cf87b69efa90ecbbc231eed.jpeg) 27 trips in total. 22 trips as skipper. 16 trips as commander on KNM Hessa and 6 trips as skipper on a fishing boat and 5 trips on a boat as a private. Olai Hillersøy (born March 3, 1915 in Bulandet, died March 14, 2006): ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/0/5/058d2365c0e6747f91c5c394e47c7298eb6bfbe6.jpeg) 37 trips in total. 7 trips as a crew member 4 trips as a skipper on a fishing boats, 21 trips as a NK on Hessa and 5 trips as a Commander on Hessa. Inge Trondsen born February 21, 1915 11 trips as Commander on KNM Hessa. Unfortunately, we do not have a picture of Inge Trondsen. Source: Shetlands-Larsen’s post KNM “Vigra”: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/a/7/a7c37eec64a65491cd7c1b20ee138e7cf2f7f616.jpeg) ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/9/e/9e7d98b34bf7925fe2cdbd047a87fd6ca9d90ce5.jpeg) > **[skipshistorie](https://skipshistorie.net/Drammen/DRA454%20Per%20I%20Hagen/Tekster/DRA45419630100000%20VIGRA.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/3 "2025-08-31T21:01:52Z")
From Shetlands-Larsen’s post. It could get rough on North Sea crossings: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/6/e/6e39d0c8ea44e1bf34713ff59511ec6f76e9e441.jpeg) > [@](#): > > Leif Larsen was at the helm for 6 consecutive days in the worst storm in 50 years. > In the fall of 1941, Leif Larsen and his men set out on a trip to the Norwegian coast. The crossing went smoothly,The weapons cargo was delivered to the agreed address outside Florø, but on the return trip, the weather turned bad, and the worst storm in fifty years blew up. In Shetland, the storm was so severe that cars were thrown overboard, ice skates were thrown ashore, and giant waves rolled rocks as big as houses. Far out in the North Sea, the crew of two small fishing boats fought for their lives. It was in this storm that the “Blia” went down, with 42 men. 35 of them were young people from the Bergen area fleeing to England. > > When “Arthur” and Larsen had not shown any signs of life for four days after they were supposed to have returned to base, they effectively gave up hope of seeing them again. > Nevertheless, the greatest optimists scouted all day long through long-range binoculars. > > Out at sea, Larsen and the crew also fought the battle of their lives. The wheelhouse was crushed to pieces. The mast snapped, the engine stopped several times due to the violent masses of water that entered, the radio transmitter stopped working, but incredibly the rudder held. Larsen did not move from the bridge. He held on to the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, knowing that if he lost control, he was a hundred and one out. Then “Arthur” would become like an eggshell and capsize. > > This death struggle lasted for six days, and Larsen only had a few hours to sleep. With a steady course, the ship was steered towards Shetland. > “I must be seeing visions,” said the man on the lookout after studying a dot dancing on the wave crests far out on the horizon. “Yes, indeed, this little dot that appeared on the wave crests for seconds at a time was indeed a boat.” > > Oh my god! Had Larsen really made it? > As “Arthur” approached land and the people became aware of the miracle that was about to happen, people flocked to the harbour to welcome the exhausted crew. Source: [https://www.facebook.com/ShetlandsLarsen/](https://www.facebook.com/ShetlandsLarsen/) ---
**Author:** ![WAFI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7bcc69/32.png) [@WAFI](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/WAFI)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 7:10am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/4 "2025-09-15T07:10:45Z")
There is a great museum in Lerwick with a substantial number of exhibits dedicated to the Shetland Bus, and another in Scalloway. Last year we sailed from Denmark to Norway, and after a few weeks exploring the fjords from Stavangar to Bergen, we sailed across to the Shetlands and spent some time there. That’s a hard piece of ocean, and the courage of the crews in those Hardanger and Møre Cutters, who did this passage mostly at night and in winter, is almost impossible to imagine. More than a dozen of the cutters were lost. ![hardanger-12-1200-4197356665](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/b/e/be0de9e0a67d90a63fbf662b64c481295b54fd5d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 11:16am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/5 "2025-09-15T11:16:43Z")
Here is the Wikipedia page (English version) about the most famouse and well known member of the Shetlandsgjengen (the Shetland Gang) Leif Andreas Larsen. (Better known as "Shetlands-Larsen): > **[Leif Larsen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Larsen)** > > Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar (9 January 1906 – 12 October 1990), popularly known as "Shetlands Larsen", was a highly decorated Norwegian sailor. He was arguably the most famous of the men who operated the Shetland bus escape route during the war. > He participated as a volunteer on the Finnish side during the Winter War and was a soldier in the defence of Norway following the German invasion at Kongsvinger Fortress. He had excellent leadership skills; one of the British officer... There is also a Facebook page bearing his name: > **[Shetlands-Larsen](https://www.facebook.com/ShetlandsLarsen)** > > Shetlands-Larsen. 19,008 likes · 18 talking about this. Faktaside om Shetlands-Larsen og Shetlandsgjengen. David Howarth, a British Naval Officer who were in the SOE and served as Second in Command at the Naval Base in Shetland were very much involved in the Shetland Bus operation. He has written a book about it: - _The Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival, and Adventure_, or _Across to Norway_ (1951) Available on Amazon: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/9/0/909e2955184521d4bcfb05a739bdf807831ab392.jpeg) > **[Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic Of Escape, Survival, and Adventure: Howarth, David:...](https://www.amazon.com/Shetland-Bus-Escape-Survival-Adventure/dp/1599213214?tag=gcaptaincom-20)** > > Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic Of Escape, Survival, and Adventure \[Howarth, David\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic Of Escape, Survival, and Adventure For those interested in war histories and individual heroism, there is a book about Jan Baalsrud and his escape from Gestapo, helped by local people in Northern Norway. Also available on Amazon: > **[12th Man: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance: Haug, Tore, Scott, Astrid...](https://www.amazon.com/12th-Man-WWII-Escape-Endurance/dp/151071863X?tag=gcaptaincom-20)** > > 12th Man: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance \[Haug, Tore, Scott, Astrid Karlsen\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. 12th Man: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance PS\> He arrived from Shetland on a fishing boat together with a group of Norwegian saboteurs and radio operators to establish a base in Toftefjord.in March 1943, This was to keep track of activity at German bases in Northern Norway, being the biggest threat for the Murmansk Convoys. They were betrayed by Nazi sympathizers and the the fishing boat was blown up. Only Jan Baalsrud survived . He found shelter at a local home initially but was later moved to a hiding place in the mountains, while the Gestapo was looking for him. Being visited regularly by local patriots, supplying what little food they had. He suffered frostbites and eventually gangrene to his toes. He used a knife to cut off his toes to save his life. He was eventually pulled on a sledge across the border to Sweden and eventually managed to return to the UK. He died in 1988 (age 71) at his home in Kongsvinger and was burried in Munndalen, the site of his ordeal and survival during the war. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/6 "2025-09-15T15:03:42Z")
After a bit of research I found the history of the fishing vessel with Reg. No. SF-10-NV, This MK Vikingen, built in Hardanger in 1915 and still in existence. She has been restored at Hardanger Fartøyvernsenter: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/b/c/bc88d213d5f71892a5fb88697367553f6d2b4c01.jpeg) > [@](#): > > **Fishing vessels in two generations** > M/K Vikingen is a representative of the fishing vessels that were equipped with both sails and engines as means of propulsion. The Hardanger cutter Vikingen operated as a fishing boat for two generations in Vågsøy in Sogn og Fjordane, and was used as an escape boat to Scotland during the war. The Vikingen has been used for deep-sea fishing and coastal fishing along the entire coast from Rogaland to Finnmark. > > **Important years in the history of the Vikingen** > 1915: The Vikingen was built by Lars B. Hauge in Hatlestrand, Kvinnherad. Built as a traveling boat, but completed as a fishing boat and bought by Reinhard Horn et al. at Raudeberg in Vågsøy, Sogn og Fjordane. The partnership operated sea fishing and fishing with nets and lines along the entire coast from Rogaland to Finnmark. Later, purse seines and purse seines were used. When new, the Vikingen was rigged as a galeas and had a 16 hp Volda-Hein semi-diesel engine. > > 1938: The hull was built higher, the wheelhouse larger and a 36 hp Samson semi-diesel was installed. From now on, sailing was rarely used. > > **In 1941, the Viking was used as an escape boat to Scotland via Shetland. The refugees joined the navy and merchant fleet, while the Viking was taken over by Nortraship and put into fishing.** > > 1950s: The partnership sold its shares in the vessel to their own sons, who operated the Vikingen until 1978. > > 1979: The Vikingen was sold to a student in Bergen who was going to use it as a tour boat. > > 1986: The Viking sank and was raised by students at the boatbuilding school in Jondal. The same year, the Hardangerjakt Foundation took over the Viking. > > 1999: The Viking was launched after many years of restoration work. The Viking will be preserved in the same condition it was in when it was new. Source: [M/K Vikingen - Hardanger fartøyvernsenter](https://fartoyvern.no/fartoya-vare/m-k-vikingen/) (Google translatin from Nynorsk) PS\> So her history as “Shetland Bus” was limited to one trip with refugees from Norway to Shetland and on to Scotland in 1941. ---
**Author:** ![WAFI](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7bcc69/32.png) [@WAFI](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/WAFI)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2025, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/7 "2025-09-15T18:29:28Z")
I wonder what that felt like? To get the hot bulb engine going with the blow torch, throw off the lines, get out to sea, raise the sails. Not knowing whether the Germans will see you and blow you out of the water, or whether those vicious short steep North Sea seas will overwhelm you. The sea gets up and starts boarding you; the crew frantically pumps, the helmsman put her up into the wind, but the vessel founders. The cold, cold North Sea washes over you. The end. We think of our own lives as being so precious and inviolable. These guys went out knowing – it could all be over in a blink. Somehow we are not worthy of their memory, it seems to me. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 9:26pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/8 "2025-12-24T21:26:29Z")
Not the Shetland bus only made a difference during WWII. The Norwegian Merchant fleet was FAR MORE important to the allied war effort: > [@](#): > > ##### **Winston Churchill on Norwegian shipping** > > It is often repeated in historical literature that Churchill said that the Norwegian merchant fleet through Nortraship was worth more to the Allies than one million soldiers on the ground during the war. This quote circulates in many English-language sources and popular historical texts, describing how important the Norwegian fleet was to the war effort against the Axis powers.  > **Quotes in historical context** : > Churchill would emphasize that the enormous logistical capacity and deliveries from Norwegian ships dramatically strengthened the Allies’ combat power, especially in the struggle to keep Britain supplied through submarine warfare in the Atlantic. > How many Norwegian ships participated? > During the war, the Norwegian merchant fleet was reorganized under Nortraship (Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission) which placed the fleet in service for the Allies: > **Nortraship operated about 1,000 Norwegian ships – and became the world’s largest shipping company during the war.**  > Norwegian sailors aboard these ships made a major contribution to Allied supplies worldwide. > **How many Norwegian ships were sunk?** > There are several ways to calculate this, but a common estimate based on historical sources is: > Around 473 Norwegian ships from the Nortraship fleet were sunk during World War II.  > The total can also include ships from the “home fleet” that sailed in Norwegian waters; then the number will be over 600 ships.  > As an illustration of the scale: almost half of the Norwegian ships in the Nortraship fleet were lost in the war.  > **Share of Norwegian fleet** > At the outbreak of war, Norway had one of the world’s largest merchant fleets, among the four largest in the world before the war.  > After the invasion in 1940, the majority of these ships were outside German control and sailed for the Allies.  > It is often mentioned that Norwegian ships accounted for 40% or more of all British oil imports during one period of the war due to the large proportion of modern tankers in the Norwegian fleet.  > **Number of Norwegian seafarers and fatalities** > The numbers vary slightly depending on the source and where both parts are included (the foreign fleet and the home fleet): > **Common estimates** > About 30,000 Norwegian seafarers were in active service through the Nortraship fleet worldwide.  > Approximately 3,700 Norwegian sailors lost their lives during the war as a result of torpedo, mine and submarine attacks, as well as other war-related incidents.  > Some historical accounts give other figures, such as approximately 4,000 dead Norwegian sailors, but all sources agree that the losses were heavy.  > **Summary – Norway’s unforgettable war effort** > Important strategic contribution > – The Norwegian merchant fleet was crucial for transporting fuel, food, ammunition and supplies to the Allies, especially to Great Britain and the Soviet Union.  > **Major losses in life and material** > – 473+ ships sunk, thousands of sailors killed.  > > **Winston Churchill’s quote** : > – The Norwegian merchant fleet was considered worth more than one million soldiers in the Allied struggle – an expression of how important logistics and sea transport were in the war.  > > **Footnote** : > THEY SAILED FOR NORWAY – AND WERE LET OFF BY NORWAY > About 30,000 Norwegian sailors sailed for the Allies during World War II. > They transported oil, food and ammunition – the lifeblood that kept Britain and Europe alive. > Around 4,000 died. Torpedoed, mined, burned inside. > Civilian men in the world’s most dangerous war service. > But the betrayal came after the peace. > Through Nortraship, parts of the seamen’s wages were systematically withheld during the war. The money was supposed to be “secured for the post-war period.” In reality, it was never paid to the majority. > **After the war** : > – Most people did not receive the wages they had earned. > – The state rejected the demands. > – Seafarers had to go through lengthy legal processes against their own country. > – Many lost, others gave up > – The weakest died before anything was decided. > **This was not a mistake.** > It was a political and economic choice. > While the country was being rebuilt, the war sailors were left with: > – trauma we today call PTSD > – poverty > – alcohol and social exclusion > – silence > The medals only came decades later. > Since most were already dead, the apology came to the graves. > This is one of the biggest scandals in the Norwegian post-war period. > Not because Norway lacked money, but because Norway lacked will and courage. > **The war sailors were war heroes.** > The way a country treats its heroes says everything about the country. > They must never be forgotten. Source: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/149243881015/permalink/10162244482386016/](https://www.facebook.com/groups/149243881015/permalink/10162244482386016/) ---
**Author:** ![Hogsnort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba8739/32.png) [@Hogsnort](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Hogsnort)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 5:12pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/9 "2025-12-25T17:12:37Z")
Norway didn’t do it on it’s own: According to records from the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen, approximately 144,000 merchant seamen were serving aboard British registered merchant ships at the onset of World War II. Throughout the conflict, the total number of men who sailed in the Merchant Navy rose to an estimated 185,000. However, the toll of war on these brave souls was heavy; 36,749 seamen were lost to enemy actions, 5,720 were captured as prisoners, and 4,707 sustained injuries, culminating in a minimum casualty figure of 47,176, representing a casualty rate of over 25 per cent. Former Registrar General of Shipping and Seaman, Mr Gabe Thomas, noted that “27 per cent of merchant seamen perished due to enemy actions.” ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/10 "2025-12-25T20:51:06Z")
No Norway did NOT manage the entire allied supply chain during WWII, nor has anybody claimed that. ---
**Author:** ![yacht\_sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed655f/32.png) [@yacht\_sailor](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/yacht_sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 3:44am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/11 "2025-12-26T03:44:05Z")
Their routine fishing trips were probably not very safe either, truly a wooden ships and iron men operation even without a war. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2025, 12:17pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/12 "2025-12-26T12:17:36Z")
They fished cod and halibut on the Grand Banks, Greenland sharks for their liver off West Greenland and Baffin Island and herring north of Island. > **[Håkjerring](https://www.hi.no/en/hi/temasider/species/greenland-shark)** > > Håkjerring er en stor rovhai, større enn sine fryktede slektninger hvithai og hammerhai. Mens de sistnevnte er sørlige arter, er håkjerring utbredt langs det... They hunted seals in the Gulf of St Lawrence, Greenland Sea and in the White Sea. All from wooden boats like this: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/2/e/2e0eca8711be25812ee47806048dda3cd9b72927.jpeg) > **[Norwegian Polar Data Centre](https://data.npolar.no/vessel/92a2c331-8331-5ca2-93c4-8cafd321877a)** ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/13 "2026-01-29T16:23:05Z")
Not directly connected to the Shetland Bus activity, but about Norway’s role in the war effort against Germany: [https://no.quora.com/Hvilken-rolle-spilte-Norge-i-andre-verdenskrig](https://no.quora.com/Hvilken-rolle-spilte-Norge-i-andre-verdenskrig) > [@](#): > > **Hvilken rolle spilte Norge i andre verdenskrig?** > Det er selvfølgelig umulig å bedømme ens egen innsats nøytralt på alle plan. Andre må gjøre det. Men jeg har liggende et lite innlegg fra et avsnitt i en biografi jeg skriver på for tiden, der jeg bl.a. sammenligner oss med Frankrike: > > The French army had been the biggest of all the European countries \<90 divisions\> before the WW2, \ but one of the quickest to surrender; after 46 days, I seem to remember. \, but stood up to the German Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe for 62 days! -one of the longest German campaigns.\>) > > Norway even helped considerably on the allied side, by utilizing it’s enormous trade/cargo ships fleet to carry food, weapons and equipment from USA to England (and later also to Russia). 1000 ships with 30.000 sailors \ were a major factor in the war. Norway bought Spitfire fighters and Mosquito fighter-bombers and used Norwegian pilots to fight within the RAF in the ‘Battle of Britain’ and several other operations. Norway also built up army forces which partly fought in the invasion of D-day, -but mainly developed saboteurs for direct actions against German targets in Norway; all through the war. The Norwegian saboteurs who stopped the Nazi development of the A-bomb and controlling production of heavy water at Vemork, is one, most famous war operation. Source: [https://qr.ae/pCx6gC](https://qr.ae/pCx6gC) But how did ordinary people living in Norway (but not actively involved in the resistance) survive during the German occupation?: [https://no.quora.com/Hvem-er-den-viktigste-men-mest-ukjente-krigshelten-fra-Norsk-historie](https://no.quora.com/Hvem-er-den-viktigste-men-mest-ukjente-krigshelten-fra-Norsk-historie) > [@](#): > > **Who is the most important but most unknown war hero from Norwegian history?** > I would say that the most unknown war heroes in Norwegian history - and then you might think of the last world war, there have been other wars in Norway too - but then, during the occupation 1940–1945 I would say that the most important unknown war heroes are the many women and men who, secretly and on a daily basis and with the danger this entailed, opposed the enemy in various ways - and this could be done in many ways, everything from wearing a paper clip in their lapel to helping people fleeing from the enemy - and everything else in between. In short: The ordinary Norwegian man and woman. Did you know that the first battle Germany lost in WWII was the Battle at Narvik in May 1940?: [https://no.quora.com/Hvem-er-de-største-krigsheltene-fra-andre-verdenskrig](https://no.quora.com/Hvem-er-de-st%C3%B8rste-krigsheltene-fra-andre-verdenskrig) > [@](#): > > **Who are the greatest war heroes of World War II?** > A Norwegian and little-known hero was Major General Carl Gustav Fleischer, who led the Allies in the first major defeat of the Germans at Narvik on May 28, 1940. > > ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/f/0/f0021b1ca0d7340392e341c491e889294b7b7f58.jpeg) > > Fleischer had taken the warnings seriously, created a contingency plan and mobilized on his own initiative. > With the help of French and British troops, Major General Fleischer and his Norwegian soldiers fought a tough battle, which eventually drove the Germans back towards the Swedish border. For his efforts, he was honored with high military orders by France and Britain. > > He also believed that the King and the government should not leave the country, and was himself determined to stay. But after being stripped of some of his military leadership in northern Norway, he was ordered to England, where he was appointed head of the army’s high command and the government’s military advisor. > > Fleischer worked for a more active effort from Norway, with the building up of a Norwegian army in England, including Norwegians who had fled to Sweden. > He wanted to develop the navy and air force, which could thus contribute more strongly together with the Allies. He also favored a much wider use of sabotage against the Germans in Norway, and was himself willing to participate in such actions. > > Unfortunately, a political tug-of-war ensued, with Foreign Minister Trygve Lie and Defense Minister Oscar Torp, among others, seeking to position themselves within the government. It was argued that Fleischer was too belligerent, and that his breach of the chain of command was so serious that there was a desire for martial law. > > This resulted in him not being appointed Minister of Defense as some had wanted, but rather being relieved of his duties as commander of the army and sent as military attaché to Washington. > Reduced to lieutenant colonel and without any military influence, Fleischer ended his own life with a shot to the heart, two years after he had given the Germans their first major defeat at Narvik. > > ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/2/5/250a03603aceba0eef45330e0ccae009971a31ef.jpeg) > > When Fleischer was later paid tribute by King Harald, during an unveiling of a bust donated by the Scottish Brigade’s comrades’ club, not a single person from the Norwegian Labour government turned up. Norwegian civil resistance during WWII for the specially interested: > **[Norwegian Civil Resistance of the Nazi Occupation: 1940-1945](https://gns.wisc.edu/2025/08/27/norwegian-civil-resistance-of-the-nazi-occupation-1940-1945-2/)** > > November 11, 2019 Cross Section Essay, Non-Fiction No Comments By Kourtney Juhl Minnesota State University, Mankato After finally gaining independence in 1905,\[1\] Norway had been a nation intent on building a national identity and relishing their... Or for those who prefer to watch rather than read: (short version) [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/c/e/ce57536de32bf311f13bdc043fc75cf9c63de515.jpeg "Battle of Norway 1940 (Documentary)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_7OpM0KhzE) ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/14 "2026-02-22T14:01:20Z")
A BBC podcast about the Shetland Bus: > **[BBC Audio | Witness History | World War Two’s Shetland Bus](https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/w3ct747g?fbclid=IwY2xjawQH59FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETI4bEljVWZhdW9Dc1Nscjdvc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiKiKR4BylK2CMrG5RztJIVJlre_2czHLBUEt5sKWk9Hjue4JZ4ecm37t0VK_aem_xlDNfJjWHhI_csDpaZLp3A)** > > The Norwegian sailors who aided their country's resistance against the Nazis ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2026, 8:08pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/15 "2026-03-30T20:08:56Z")
Interesting details about the Shetland bus operations here: > **[Convoy commemorates Shetland Bus contribution to Victory in Europe |...](https://www.shetland.org/blog/liberation-convoy-shetland-bus-contribution)** > > During many conflicts, Shetland occupied a strategic position between the North Atlantic and the North Sea. A video may help to explain what this was all about: [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/4/0/40a600a2bcd8454bebb7099fdae81f7a9994c518.jpeg "The Shetland Bus Documentary") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My0gKj5q98Q) ---
**Author:** ![CoastalTrader](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/coastaltrader/32/71776_2.png) [@CoastalTrader](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/CoastalTrader)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2026, 1:37am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/16 "2026-03-31T01:37:51Z")
Pretty big impact from a great use of three “muscle cars”. Vroooom! ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582/17 "2026-05-13T19:58:12Z")
> **[Former SAS operative to commemorate Shetland Bus in national memorial garden](https://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/news/former-sas-operative-to-commemorate-shetland-bus-in-national-434758/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRxtQpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBJeU9HZzExVDBmRjl1Z2tkc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuCGmWf9xxlGIUXAYhZoxcwBadIr2HTo3BKDfDILTUhJWQf5h1DDsU9Plnfs_aem_4g-uqnsGuKB_qmpip_3SzA)** > > The Shetland Bus story will receive a new national memorial in England, as well as two new local films to coincide with Norway’s Constitution Day. > [@](#): > > **The Shetland Bus story will receive a new national memorial in England, as well as two new local films to coincide with Norway’s Constitution Day.** > > The National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire has unveiled its plan to install a memorial in its Allied Special Forces Memorial Grove. > > The first film, _Hearts Across the Sea_ , is a short documentary film featuring three Shetlanders with living memories of the Second World War - Lexie Watt, Tommy Isbister, and Douglas Smith. > This film also features contributions from others associated with Shetland Bus commemoration. and tells the story of the operation including footage of last year’s celebrations marking the 80-year anniversary of the war’s end. > > The second piece, _Hands Across the Hills_, is a four-minute film to accompany one of White’s original songs, shot in and around Tromsø in Norway by Bulter last month. > White said this piece documents “Jan Baalsrud’s 1943 escape from occupied Norway when a Shetland Bus mission goes badly wrong.” > > “It’s hoped that both films will help today’s audiences and future generations understand and appreciate this important chapter in Shetland’s past,” said White.