# 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:** 1\ **Showing post:** 13
**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) --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/the-shetland-bus-operation-in-wwii/68582)._