Sverre Granlund

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Corporal Sverre Granlund was a Norwegian commando during the Second World War. His first operation was in May 1941 when he set the Frostfile`marchineroom of the factory in Bodø by fire.

He was born November 9th. 1918 in Sauherad, NORWAY. Member of SOE/ Linge Company. Lived in Saltdal and later Bodø.

In 1942 he participated in the commando raid against the Glomfjord generator plant in Operation Musketoon, where he and Cap. Joseph Houghton served as scouts for the 12-man team ascending Black Glacier. Granlund was the only member of the team who had to kill a German, shooting a guard at the plant. After the explosions had torn apart the local dam, he sought refuge at Fykandalen, a mountain resort where he was given a map to a bridge that would lead him further up on the mountain. Unable to find the bridge by nightfall, he met up with Houghton and Cpl. Erling Djupdraet and the three returned to the resort where a scuffle broke out between the group and some Germans who had come to question the owners. After the fight, with Djupdraet wounded by a bayonet, Trigg, O'Brien, Granlund and Fairclough split off and avoided capture, flying to Stockholm, then London Cpl. Erling Magnus Djupdraet died september 24th at the hospital in Bodø. Only O`Brien and Fairclough survived the war. The distance from Bjærangfjord to Sweeden walked by foot by Granlund was 250 km. and took him over 7 days.

He died on February 10th, 1943 when the KNM Uredd hit a German minefield southwest of Fugløyvær, while carrying his team as part of Operation Seagull. The mines had been layed by the German minelayer " COBRA ".

Many years after the war the Norwegian Navy could study German minemaps along the Norwegian coast, which laid to P-41 submarine was located in Fugløyfjord southwest of Bodø.

Sverre Granlund was only 25 years of age when he lost his life. He loved poems, specially those who were written by Nordahl Grieg , who also lost his life in 1943.

In 1995, Norwegian artist Laila Lorentzen commemorated his role in the war with a statue built for Saltdal museum in Rognan.