Telavåg

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Key events
Norway and World War II
Norwegian Campaign · Weserübung Elverum Authorization Midtskogen · Vinjesvingen Occupation and Resistance Camps · Telavåg Festung Norwegen Heavy water sabotage Post-war purge
People
Haakon VII · Nygaardsvold · CJ Hambro CG Fleischer · Otto Ruge · Max Manus Jens Chr. Hauge · Gunnar Sønsteby
Quisling · Jonas Lie · Henry Rinnan Josef Terboven · Wilhelm Rediess von Falkenhorst
Organizations
Milorg · XU · Linge · Nortraship
Nasjonal Samling

Telavåg is a small village in the municipality of Sund, located 39 km south west of Bergen, Norway, with a population of about 600.

Destruction of Telavåg in World War II

Part of World War II

Date	April 30, 1942
Location	Telavåg, near Bergen, Norway
Result	Destruction of town; deportation of population

Combatants

Nazi Germany

Population of town

Commanders

Josef Terboven

Strength

Casualties

Unknown

Hundreds deported, about 50 dead

Nazi occupation of Norway
Drøbak Sound – Midtskogen – Narvik – Namsos Operation Archery – Norwegian heavy water sabotage Telavåg – Åndalsnes

[edit] The Telavåg Tragedy

The village is the location of the Telavåg Tragedy in the spring of 1942, during World War II.

After having discovered that people from Telavåg were hiding two men from the Linge company, two prominent German Gestapo officers were shot dead while trying to make an arrest (Johannes Behrens, and another known only as "Bertram"). Reichskommisar Josef Terboven personally oversaw the reaction, which was quick and brutal. As the villagers were watching, all buildings and boats were destroyed or burned, and all livestock taken away. All men in the village were either executed or sent to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. Of the 72 who were deported, 31 were murdered in captivity. Women and children were imprisoned for two years. 19 Norwegian prisoners (unrelated to Telavåg) held at Trandum internment camp were also executed as a reprisal.

The incident inspired the poem "Aust-Vågøy" by Inger Hagerup. With its now famous opening lines "De brente våre gårder. De drepte våre menn (They burnt our homes. They murdered our men)", the text was soon distributed illegally around the country.