Reidar Torp is a Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 military officer.

He was born in Sarpsborg

Sarpsborg

is a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad...

. A son of politician Oscar Torp

Oscar Torp

was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. He was party leader from 1923 to 1945, and mayor of Oslo in 1935 and 1936. In 1935 he became acting Minister of Defence in the government of Johan Nygaardsvold. He was also Minister of Social Affairs from 1936 to 1939, and then Minister of...

, he fled Norway on the cruiser HMS Devonshire

HMS Devonshire (39)

HMS Devonshire was a County-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was part of the London subgroup of the County class, and saw service in the Second World War.-Early career:...

 on 7 June 1940, together with the royal family, the cabinet (to which Oscar Torp belonged) and other important personnel. 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...

 he was a soldier, undergoing training in London from 1942 to 1943 and at the Officer Cadet Training Unit in Sandhurst

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...

 from 1943 to 1944.

Torp headed the intelligence staff of the Norwegian High Command

Norwegian High Command

The Norwegian High Command was Norway's top military leadership from 1970 to 2003. It was first established in Northern Norway in 1940 by General Otto Ruge. It was then re-established by the Norwegian Government-in-exile in London in 1942, lasting until 1946...

 from 1970 to 1975 and the Plan and Policy Division International Military Staff of the NATO from 1975 to 1979. He held the rank of Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

. He was the director of the Norwegian National Defence College from 1979 to 1983 and of Norway's Resistance Museum

Norway's Resistance Museum

Norway's Resistance Museum also known as the Norwegian Home Front Museum is a museum located at the Akershus Fortress in Oslo.The museum collection focuses on Norwegian resistance during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany from 1940 to 1945. The museum displays equipment, photos and documents...

 from 1983. In 1995 he was succeeded by Arnfinn Moland

Arnfinn Moland

Arnfinn Moland is a Norwegian historian.He was born in Kvinesdal. He finished his secondary education in Flekkefjord in 1970, served in His Majesty the King's Guard from 1973 to 1974, and graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.philol. degree in 1977. His master's thesis was...

.