Per Bergsland
Encyclopedia
Sgt Per Bergsland was a Norwegian
POW in the German
POW camp Stalag Luft III
and one of only three men to escape to freedom in the "Great Escape".
, representing the club IL Heming
. In 1939 he placed second at the individual Norwegian championship in orienteering held at Modum
.
stationed at North Weald airfield, Bergsland's Spitfire
VB AB269 AH:D was shot down by a German FW-190
during the Dieppe Raid
on 19 August 1942. In order to protect his family in Norway from German reprisals, he hid his Norwegian nationality. After arriving at the POW camp, he gave his name as "Peter Rockland" (Per = Petrus
, meaning rock in Greek
, and Berg meaning mountain or rock in Norwegian
) to the Germans.
In what later became known as the "Great Escape", he was among the 76 prisoners of war who managed to escape from the camp. Only three made it to neutral countries
and freedom. He and another Norwegian pilot managed to make it together to Sweden. (For more details about their way to freedom, see the article about his companion, Jens Müller.) The third escapee was the Dutchman
Bram van der Stok
, who escaped to Spain with the help of the Dutch resistance
.
Per Bergsland served as an instructor at flight school in Canada
before he transferred to the RAF Ferry Command
, where he was assigned to fly with a combat unit.
The remaining 73 escapees were captured. Adolf Hitler
wanted to execute them all, but Heinrich Himmler
persuaded him not to do this, and fifty were shot as an example. The remaining 23 were held in the custody of the Gestapo
before being sent off to other camps. 17 were returned to Stalag Luft III
, four were sent to Sachsenhausen, and two to Colditz Castle
.
. He later became Chief Pilot and Operational Manager. Per Bergsland became CEO of Fred Olsen Air Transport
in 1968 and CEO of Widerøe
from 1970 to 1981.
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
POW in the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
POW camp Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
and one of only three men to escape to freedom in the "Great Escape".
Sports career
During in the 1930s Bergsland competed in orienteeringOrienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
, representing the club IL Heming
IL Heming
Idrettslaget Heming is a Norwegian sports club from Slemdal, Oslo. It has sections for association football, Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, orienteering and tennis.-General history:...
. In 1939 he placed second at the individual Norwegian championship in orienteering held at Modum
Modum
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several famous...
.
World War II
A member of the RAF 332 SquadronNo. 332 Squadron RAF
-Notable pilots:*Sgt Per Bergsland *Sgt Carl Sejersted Bødtker *Sgt Jan Staubo*Cpt Finn Thorsager*Lt Soren Kjell Liby*Lt Marius Eriksen*Gunnar Piltingsrud*Fnr Ola Gert Aanjesen*Maj Reidar Emil From-Bibliography:...
stationed at North Weald airfield, Bergsland's Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
VB AB269 AH:D was shot down by a German FW-190
Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger was a German Second World War single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109...
during the Dieppe Raid
Dieppe Raid
The Dieppe Raid, also known as the Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942. The assault began at 5:00 AM and by 10:50 AM the Allied...
on 19 August 1942. In order to protect his family in Norway from German reprisals, he hid his Norwegian nationality. After arriving at the POW camp, he gave his name as "Peter Rockland" (Per = Petrus
Petrus
Petrus is a Latin name derived from the Greek meaning "rock", and is the common English prefix "petro-" used to describe rock-based substances, like petros-oleum or "rock oil." As the source of Peter, it is a common name for people from antiquity through the medieval era, and may refer to one of...
, meaning rock in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and Berg meaning mountain or rock in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
) to the Germans.
In what later became known as the "Great Escape", he was among the 76 prisoners of war who managed to escape from the camp. Only three made it to neutral countries
Neutral country
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
and freedom. He and another Norwegian pilot managed to make it together to Sweden. (For more details about their way to freedom, see the article about his companion, Jens Müller.) The third escapee was the Dutchman
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Bram van der Stok
Bram van der Stok
Bram van der Stok, MBE , also referred to as Bob van der Stok, was the most decorated aviator in Dutch history, as well as one of the three men to escape to freedom in "the Great Escape" from German POW camp Stalag Luft III....
, who escaped to Spain with the help of the Dutch resistance
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
.
Per Bergsland served as an instructor at flight school in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
before he transferred to the RAF Ferry Command
RAF Ferry Command
The RAF Ferry Command had a short life, but it spawned, in part, an organisation that lasted well beyond the war years during which it was formed.-History:...
, where he was assigned to fly with a combat unit.
The remaining 73 escapees were captured. Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
wanted to execute them all, but Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
persuaded him not to do this, and fifty were shot as an example. The remaining 23 were held in the custody of the 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...
before being sent off to other camps. 17 were returned to Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe-run prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. It was in the German Province of Lower Silesia near the town of Sagan , southeast of Berlin...
, four were sent to Sachsenhausen, and two to Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...
.
Post war career
In 1946, Per Bergsland began as a pilot in Fred Olsen Air TransportFred Olsen Air Transport
Fred Olsen Air Transport was based in Norway and operated between 1946 and 1997.-Company history:The airline was set up in June 1946 as a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen & Co.. Initially, freight and passenger charter flights were conducted using Douglas DC-3, frequently carrying ships crews...
. He later became Chief Pilot and Operational Manager. Per Bergsland became CEO of Fred Olsen Air Transport
Fred Olsen Air Transport
Fred Olsen Air Transport was based in Norway and operated between 1946 and 1997.-Company history:The airline was set up in June 1946 as a subsidiary of Fred. Olsen & Co.. Initially, freight and passenger charter flights were conducted using Douglas DC-3, frequently carrying ships crews...
in 1968 and CEO of Widerøe
Widerøe
Widerøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
from 1970 to 1981.
Related reading
- Carroll, Tim (2004) The Great Escaper (Mainstream Publishing) ISBN 1-84018-904-5
- Brickhill, Paul (1950) The Great Escape (W. W. Norton & Company) ISBN 978-0393325799
- Burgess, Alan (1990) The Longest Tunnel (Bloomsbury Publishing) ISBN 0-7475-0589-6
- Durand, Arthur A (1989) Stalag Luft III (Patrick Stephens Ltd) ISBN 1-85260-248-1