Ragnar Ulstein
Encyclopedia
Early life and World War II
Ulstein was born in UlsteinUlstein
Ulstein is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The commercial and administrative centre of Ulstein is Ulsteinvik, population 5,251 . The municipality occupies the western half of the island of Hareidlandet, as well as about 30 or more smaller...
, Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
, as the son of Johannes Olsson Ulstein (1879–1969) and Borghild Strand (1885–1964). He finished
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education at Volda
Volda
Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. The municipality is located about south of the city of Ålesund.-General information:...
in June 1940. Later that year he fled to the United Kingdom due to 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...
and the German occupation of Norway. Here, Ulstein became a member of the Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 was a British SOE group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. It was organized under the leadership of Captain Martin Linge...
(NOR.I.C.1) , led by Martin Linge
Martin Linge
Martin Jensen Linge was a former Norwegian actor who, in World War II, became the commander of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 , formed in March 1941 for operations on behalf of the Special Operations Executive.-Biography:Martin Linge was born in Norddal, Møre og Romsdal County, Norway...
. He participated in the Operation Anklet
Operation Anklet
Operation Anklet was the codename given to a British Commando raid during the Second World War. The raid on the Lofoten Islands was carried out in December 1941, by 300 men from No. 12 Commando and the Norwegian Independent Company 1. The landing party was supported by 22 ships from three navies.At...
, a raid at Reine
Reine
Reine is the administrative centre of Moskenes municipality, Norway. Its population is 342. It has been a commercial centre since 1743. Today tourism is important. In spite of its remote location thousands of people visit this neighborhood annually....
in December 1941. After the raid he returned to the United Kingdom. In 1943 he was a part of the failed operation Vestige I, which involved placing limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s on ships in Svelgen
Svelgen
Svelgen is a village in the municipality of Bremanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Svelgen, the municipal center of the municipality, has a population of 1,189. It is located at the end of the Nordgulen fjord, about northeast of Midtgulen Church...
harbor. The actual mine placing was performed by Harald Svindseth, but the explosives went off too early, and the ship was docked instead of sinking. Participants in Vestige I fled to England. In 1944 Ulstein was tasked with returning to work as an instructor for Milorg
Milorg
Milorg was the main Norwegian resistance movement in World War II....
in Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
. He came via Shetland and landed near Florø
Florø
is a town and the administrative centre of Flora municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is also a former municipality that existed for just over 100 years. The town was founded on the Florelandet island between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden by royal decree in 1860. In...
together with Harald Svindseth. Svindseth built up a Milorg subgroup near Svelgen
Svelgen
Svelgen is a village in the municipality of Bremanger in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. Svelgen, the municipal center of the municipality, has a population of 1,189. It is located at the end of the Nordgulen fjord, about northeast of Midtgulen Church...
with the codename Snowflake, whereas Ulstein led the group Siskin. Siskin
Leikanger
is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Leikanger, which is also the administrative center of Sogn og Fjordane county....
as well as Nils Knagenhjelm and Hans H. H. Heiberg in Kaupanger
Kaupanger
Kaupanger is a village situated along the Sognefjord in the municipality of Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway.Kaupanger originated as a settlement during the Viking age. Earlier Kaupanger was known as Tingstad. Kaupang was an Old Norse term for trading or market place. Town's name is...
. Norwegian Independent Company 1 men Nils Fjeld and Nils Thorsvik also participated, sharing the military command with Ulstein. Various incidents in February 1945 spelled the end of Siskin. Some, including Olav Rise, were arrested, whereas Ulstein managed to flee from Sogndalsdalen. German forces approached Fosskamben, but local residents secretly slowed down their travel, giving Siskin members time to hide a large weapons cache and to escape. Ulstein, Heiberg and Knagenhjelm met in Fjærland
Fjærland
Fjærland is a village in the municipality of Sogndal, along the Fjærlandsfjord, in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The Fjærlandfjord is a branch of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway...
. A new base was started in Frønningen. At most, 480 people had some connection to it. It did not remain operative for long, as it was disbanded at the liberation of Norway on 8 May 1945
Victory in Europe Day
Victory in Europe Day commemorates 8 May 1945 , the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The formal surrender of the occupying German forces in the Channel Islands was not...
. Then, Ulstein and 72 others travelled to Gaular
Gaular
Gaular is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Sande...
to assist the dethroning of German forces. For his war contributions Ulstein was decorated with the St. Olav's Medal with two oak branches
St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch
St. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 6 February 1942. In Norway, the medal is considered as a separate award from the civilian St...
, the British Military Medal
Military Medal
The Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
, the Defence Medal 1940 – 1945
Defence Medal 1940 – 1945
The Defence Medal 1940 – 1945 is the award rewarded to those military and civilian personnel who participated in the fight against the German invasion and occupation of Norway between 1940 and 1945....
, and the Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal.
Post-war life
After the war Ulstein participated in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in GermanyIndependent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany
The Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany was a Norwegian expeditionary force stationed first in the Hanover area and from 1948 to 1953 in the Schleswig Holstein area of Germany as part of the British occupying force after World War II.-Background:...
. When returning to Norway he was editor-in-chief of the newspaper Fjordabladet
Fjordabladet
Fjordabladet is a Norwegian newspaper, published three times a week in Nordfjordeid in Sogn og Fjordane county.It started on 10 July 1874 as Fjordenes Blad, the Liberal Party organ in the region Nordfjord. A driving force behind the establishment was Otto Blehr, and the first editor-in-chief was...
from 1948 to 1949. He was an active writer. He co-edited the official two-volume work on the NOR.I.C.1 company, Kompani Linge, issued in 1948, together with Erling Jensen and Per Ratvik. The books had introductions by both King Haakon
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and Milorg leader Jens Christian Hauge
Jens Christian Hauge
Jens Christian Hauge , often written Jens Chr. Hauge, was a Norwegian World War II resistance figure and politician who was the leader of the secret military organization Milorg during WWII...
. Ulstein worked as an editor for Filmavisen, and from 1954 as a journalist for various newspapers, including Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende is Norway's fourth largest newspaper and largest newspaper outside Oslo, with a circulation of about 87,000 copies . Founded in 1868, it is a Norwegian-language newspaper published daily in Bergen. It reaches approximately 260,000 readers every day , mainly in the counties of...
and Sunnmørsposten
Sunnmørsposten
Sunnmørsposten is a newspaper published by Mecom Group in Ålesund, Norway. Published in compact format six days a week, it consists of two sections; one for local news, sports and classified ads, and one for culture, weather, opinions and editorials and obituaries...
.
He made his fiction debut in 1961 with the novel Harpegjengen. He later wrote several documentary books on Norwegian resistance during Wold War II. The two-volume book Englandsfarten (Volume I, 1965 and Volume II, 1967) covered the traffic between Norway and United Kingdom during the early part of the war, while Svensketrafikken (three volumes, 1974, 1975 and 1977) covered traffic of refugees from Norway to Sweden during the occupation. He wrote a three volume book set on military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
in Norway between 1940 and 1945, Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-45 (1989, 1990, 1992), including activities from Special Intelligence Service
Special Intelligence Service
The Special Intelligence Service was a covert counterintelligence branch of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation located in South America during World War II. It was established during the term of U.S. President Franklin D...
agents covering German naval operations, as well as activities from XU
XU
XU was a clandestine intelligence organisation working on behalf of Allied powers in occupied Norway during World War II...
and other organizations.
Ulstein was also involved in the Liberal Party in Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
. In 1972 he chaired the county chapter of Ja til EF. He married Jenny Hermine Akselsen in 1951.
Honours and awards
- King's Medal of Merit in gold
- Defence Medal 1940–1945
- St. Olav's Medal With Oak BranchSt. Olav's Medal With Oak BranchSt. Olav's Medal with Oak Branch is a Norwegian military award, which was instituted by King Haakon VII of Norway on 6 February 1942. In Norway, the medal is considered as a separate award from the civilian St...
, twice - Military MedalMilitary MedalThe Military Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land....
(United Kingdom) - Haakon VII's 70-Medal