Bjørn Rørholt
Encyclopedia
Bjørn Arnold Rørholt was a Norwegian engineer, military officer, Secret Intelligence Service
agent and resistance member during World War II
.
as the son of military officer Arnold Rørholt
(1884–1961) and his wife Luise Fredrikke Lund (1891–1965). He was a first cousin of Vera Henriksen
and a great-grandson of Friedrich Roscher.
Rørholt finished his secondary education in 1937, and enrolled at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
in 1939. After a short time he was drafted for compulsory military service. Not long after, when the Norwegian Military Academy
opened for an extra influx of recruits, Rørholt enrolled there.
reached Norway on 9 April 1940, with the German invasion
, the Military Academy cadet Rørholt helped fighting to repel the invaders. However, after the Norwegian Campaign
Germany emerged victorious, and occupied Norway
. After a short time as a prisoner-of-war, Rørholt returned to the Institute of Technology in autumn 1940.
In September 1940 the Secret Intelligence Service
established two stations for radio communication; the so-called Skylark A was led by Sverre Midtskau
in Oslo
while Skylark B
was led by Erik Welle-Strand
in Trondheim
. Egil Reksten
later took over for Welle-Strand. Skylark B established regular contact with the intelligence in London
in 1941, and helped spread messages about German troop and naval movements as well as vital information about German
activity at Vemork
heavy water
plant. In September 1941, however, Gestapo
managed to track the Skylark B transmitting activity. Rørholt travelled to Oslo as a decoy, was nearly captured but escaped. His father was held hostage until November 1942. Rørholt fled to Sweden via Iddefjord
, accompanied by Knut Haukelid
who had been involved in the Skylark A group in Oslo. Rørholt then travelled from Stockholm to Great Britain. Initially, he was withdrawn from active service because he might be known to the Germans.
From 1942 the question of the German battleship Tirpitz
became important. The presence of the ship in the Atlantic Ocean would be highly hazardous for the Allies; thus the commanders wanted to track the ship's movements. A radio post named "Theta" was organized by Bjarne Thorsen
, but the Allies wanted more. Rørholt returned to Norway in 1942 to operate the SIS radio station "Lerken". Four radio transmitters were placed in the Trondheim area, one of them at the German-fortified Agdenes
. Rørholt held a false identity as an insurance agent, and was thus allowed to travel freely with the alleged purpose of visiting customers. He was even escorted by the authorities from Agdenes to Trondheim. When Tirpitz was moved towards Northern Norway, "Lerken" was superseded by "Upsilon" and the network "Venus". Einar Johansen
was the central person here. The group of Norwegian resistance members that surveilled Tirpitz, referred to themselves as Barnepikene, "The Babysitters". The radio post in Agdenes continued after the 1944 sinking of Tirpitz
, and was operated by Magne Hassel.
From November 1942 Rørholt was transferred to the department 4 (FO IV) of the Ministry of Defence
, chairing the education of Norwegian radio agents in Great Britain. From 1944 to 1945 he participated in the liberation of Northern Norway, being one of the key figures on the Norwegian side together with Bernt Balchen
. Also, the world-famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl
was his second-in-command.
Rørholt was awarded the War Cross with Sword
and the Distinguished Service Order
for his war contributions. Reportedly, he was the first Norwegian to receive the Distinguished Service Order. He was also a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
, specializing in binary and communication technology. He started working for the Norwegian Armed Forces
(Sambandsregimentet
) in 1949. He constructed the chiffer machine ETCRRM which was produced at Kjeller
and used by NATO. In the military, he reached the rank of Colonel in 1958. At that time he was the youngest Colonel in Norway, aged 39.
In 1985 he constructed a battery-driven, portable radar for blind people. The device, nicknamed "The Bat", was based on ultrasound
and mimicked the bat
's sensory system. He wrote two memoir books from his World War II experiences, Amatørspionen "Lerken" ("Amateur Spy Lerken", 1985) and Usynlige soldater ("Invisible Soldiers", 1990)—the latter together with Bjarne Thorsen. He was married to Mia Sverdrup Thygeson from 1949, and to Elsa Lundh from 1978.
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
agent and resistance member during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life
Rørholt was born in AkerAker, Norway
Aker is a former municipality in Akershus, which lends its name to a municipality and a county in Norway. The name originally belonged to a farm which was located near the current Old Aker Church...
as the son of military officer Arnold Rørholt
Arnold Rørholt
Arnold Rørholt was a Norwegian military officer, known as a resistance member during World War II. He was also the secretary-general of the Royal Norwegian Automobile Club for many years.-Career:...
(1884–1961) and his wife Luise Fredrikke Lund (1891–1965). He was a first cousin of Vera Henriksen
Vera Henriksen
Vera Margrethe Henriksen, , is a Norwegian novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer. She is particularly known for her historical novels and plays set in the Middle Ages.-Biography:...
and a great-grandson of Friedrich Roscher.
Rørholt finished his secondary education in 1937, and enrolled at the Norwegian Institute of Technology
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
in 1939. After a short time he was drafted for compulsory military service. Not long after, when the Norwegian Military Academy
Norwegian Military Academy
The Norwegian Army Academy was established in 1750. It is the oldest university-level educational institution in Norway, and one of the oldest active military academies in the world. Krigsskolen primarily educates officers for the Norwegian Army. There are separate academies for the Royal...
opened for an extra influx of recruits, Rørholt enrolled there.
World War II
When World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
reached Norway on 9 April 1940, with the German invasion
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
, the Military Academy cadet Rørholt helped fighting to repel the invaders. However, after the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
Germany emerged victorious, and occupied Norway
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
. After a short time as a prisoner-of-war, Rørholt returned to the Institute of Technology in autumn 1940.
In September 1940 the Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
established two stations for radio communication; the so-called Skylark A was led by Sverre Midtskau
Sverre Midtskau
Sverre Midtskau was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He is best known as leader of the illegal radio post Skylark A.-World War II:...
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
while Skylark B
Skylark B
Skylark B was a radio communications group that operated in Trondheim during the German occupation of Norway. The group was established and led by Erik Welle-Strand, who was a student in Trondheim. Preparations were done in 1940, when a transmitter was brought in from the United Kingdom, and the...
was led by Erik Welle-Strand
Erik Welle-Strand
Erik A. L. Welle-Strand was a Norwegian mining engineer and resistance member during World War II. He is best known as leader of the illegal radio post Skylark B.-Early life:...
in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
. Egil Reksten
Egil Reksten
Egil Reksten was a Norwegian engineer and resistance member during World War II. He is best known as leader of the illegal radio post Skylark B.-World War II:...
later took over for Welle-Strand. Skylark B established regular contact with the intelligence in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1941, and helped spread messages about German troop and naval movements as well as vital information about German
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
activity at Vemork
Vemork
Vemork is the name of a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. Vemork was later the site of the first plant in the world to mass-produce heavy water...
heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
plant. In September 1941, however, Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
managed to track the Skylark B transmitting activity. Rørholt travelled to Oslo as a decoy, was nearly captured but escaped. His father was held hostage until November 1942. Rørholt fled to Sweden via Iddefjord
Iddefjord
The Iddefjord runs along the Norwegian – Swedish border from the Singlefjord. The Iddefjord separates the Swedish province of Bohuslän in the county of Västra Götaland from the Norwegian municipality of Halden in the county of Østfold...
, accompanied by Knut Haukelid
Knut Haukelid
Knut Haukelid was a Norwegian resistance movement soldier during World War II, most notable for participating in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage...
who had been involved in the Skylark A group in Oslo. Rørholt then travelled from Stockholm to Great Britain. Initially, he was withdrawn from active service because he might be known to the Germans.
From 1942 the question of the German battleship Tirpitz
German battleship Tirpitz
Tirpitz was the second of two s built for the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Named after Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the architect of the Imperial Navy, the ship was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven in November 1936 and launched two and a half years later in April...
became important. The presence of the ship in the Atlantic Ocean would be highly hazardous for the Allies; thus the commanders wanted to track the ship's movements. A radio post named "Theta" was organized by Bjarne Thorsen
Bjarne Thorsen
Bjarne Winter Thorsen was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II and later a naval officer.-World War II:...
, but the Allies wanted more. Rørholt returned to Norway in 1942 to operate the SIS radio station "Lerken". Four radio transmitters were placed in the Trondheim area, one of them at the German-fortified Agdenes
Agdenes
Agdenes is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre is the village of Selbekken. Other villages in the municipality include Ingdalen, Lensvik, Vassbygda, and Leksa.-General information:...
. Rørholt held a false identity as an insurance agent, and was thus allowed to travel freely with the alleged purpose of visiting customers. He was even escorted by the authorities from Agdenes to Trondheim. When Tirpitz was moved towards Northern Norway, "Lerken" was superseded by "Upsilon" and the network "Venus". Einar Johansen
Einar Johansen
Einar Johansen was a Norwegian engineer and resistance member during World War II. He is known as a member of the illegal radio group Skylark B, and after this was discontinued he set up new radio posts in Tromsø and the rest of Northern Norway. He was highly decorated.-World War II:Johansen...
was the central person here. The group of Norwegian resistance members that surveilled Tirpitz, referred to themselves as Barnepikene, "The Babysitters". The radio post in Agdenes continued after the 1944 sinking of Tirpitz
Operation Catechism
Operation Catechism was the last of nine attempts to sink or sabotage the Kriegsmarine battleship Tirpitz during World War II. On November 12, 1944, the RAF Bomber Command dispatched 30 Avro Lancaster heavy bombers from No. 9 Squadron RAF and No. 617 Squadron RAF Operation Catechism was the last of...
, and was operated by Magne Hassel.
From November 1942 Rørholt was transferred to the department 4 (FO IV) of the Ministry of Defence
Norwegian Ministry of Defence
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of the formation and implementation of national security and defence policy, and for the overall management and control of the activities of subordinate agencies. The ministry is located at Glacisgata 1, Oslo,...
, chairing the education of Norwegian radio agents in Great Britain. From 1944 to 1945 he participated in the liberation of Northern Norway, being one of the key figures on the Norwegian side together with Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen
Bernt Balchen, , a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross was a Norwegian native, and later U.S. citizen, known as a pioneer polar aviator, navigator, aircraft mechanical engineer and military leader. His service in the U.S...
. Also, the world-famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
was his second-in-command.
Rørholt was awarded the War Cross with Sword
War Cross with sword
The War Cross with Sword is the highest ranking Norwegian gallantry decoration. It is awarded for extraordinary brave actions or extraordinary leadership during combat. A recipient deemed worthy of additional citations will receive up to an additional two swords on the medal ribbon in addition to...
and the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
for his war contributions. Reportedly, he was the first Norwegian to receive the Distinguished Service Order. He was also a Commander of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
Later career
After the war Rørholt travelled to the United States. He had a position at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington DC, and later continued his engineering studies at the Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, specializing in binary and communication technology. He started working for the Norwegian Armed Forces
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
(Sambandsregimentet
SBUKS
UKS Hærens Samband is a military station located on Jørstadmoen outside Lillehammer in central-eastern Norway. Their main task is to provide intelligence, personnel and signalling equipment to all units in the Norwegian Defence Force. SBUKS was called Sambandsregimentet until 2000 and have been...
) in 1949. He constructed the chiffer machine ETCRRM which was produced at Kjeller
Kjeller
Kjeller is located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Skedsmo, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north of Oslo.-The name:The Norse form of the name was probably Tjaldir. This is then the plural of tjald n 'tent'...
and used by NATO. In the military, he reached the rank of Colonel in 1958. At that time he was the youngest Colonel in Norway, aged 39.
In 1985 he constructed a battery-driven, portable radar for blind people. The device, nicknamed "The Bat", was based on ultrasound
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. Ultrasound is thus not separated from "normal" sound based on differences in physical properties, only the fact that humans cannot hear it. Although this limit varies from person to person, it is...
and mimicked the bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
's sensory system. He wrote two memoir books from his World War II experiences, Amatørspionen "Lerken" ("Amateur Spy Lerken", 1985) and Usynlige soldater ("Invisible Soldiers", 1990)—the latter together with Bjarne Thorsen. He was married to Mia Sverdrup Thygeson from 1949, and to Elsa Lundh from 1978.