Asbjørn Edvin Sunde (12 December 1909 – 23 April 1985) was a Norwegian sailor, communist, a saboteur against the Nazi occupation of Norway during the Second World War, and a convicted spy for the Soviet Union. During the war, from 1941 to 1944, Sunde's group - the Osvald Group - carried out approximately 200 acts of sabotage and liquidation against the German occupation. Many of the actions were carried out on order from the Norwegian exile government in London. In 1954, he was convicted of treason and espionage in favour of the Soviet Union and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. He was released on probation after serving about two thirds of his sentence in 1959, as is normal practice in Norway. Alongside the cases of Arne Treholt and Gunvor Galtung Haavik, the Sunde case is considered the most serious spy case in Norway during the Cold War. After his release from prison, he worked as a truck driver.
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| Asbjørn Edvin Sunde | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Osvald |
| Born | 23 April 1985 (aged 75) Vikna |
| Years of service | 1940–1944 |
| Commands held | Osvald Group |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War |
| Awards | Soviet WWII Victory Medal |
Sunde was a volunteer in the Spanish Civil War in 1937/1938, where he achieved experience as a saboteur and partisan.[1] From 1938 he was the leader of the Norwegian branch of Ernst Wollweber's secret sabotage organization, whose actions were directed against Fascist-controlled shipping.[2] The Wollweber League had been established as an initiative of the Soviet NKVD.[2]
Following the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, Sunde's group initiated sabotage activities in Norway.[1] The group was responsible for some 200 known actions between July 1941 and July 1944, dominating sabotage activity in Norway during this period.[1] One of Sunde's cover names was Osvald, and his group became known as the Osvald Group (Osvald-gruppen).[3]
According to historian Lars Borgersrud, Sunde's renown as an aggressive and daring saboteur,[1] led other resistance organisations to approach him to carry out particularly delicate missions.[1] After attacking the Oslo and Aker offices of the State Police 21 August 1942, a reward of 50,000 NOK was offered for information that would lead to his capture.[1]
After the war Sunde wrote the book Menn i mørket (1947) (Men in the Darkness), describing his wartime activities.[4][5][6] Neither Sunde nor his organization received any award or recognition from the post-war Norwegian government for their contributions during the war,[1][3] due to the political climate at the time, and the group's relation to the Soviet secret police organisation, the NKVD.
His application for a war pension was denied on account of his criminal conviction for treason, although some former non-communist partisans such as Gunnar Sønsteby spoke in favour of him receiving a pension. Sunde died without receiving any official recognition for his war-time activities.
Sunde was a central person in the internal conflicts of the Communist Party of Norway which culminated with the expulsion of former chairman Peder Furubotn and a number of other so-called "Titoists" in 1949/1950. In the late 1960s, he was himself expelled from the Communist Party of Norway.
| Asbjørn Sunde | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 April 1985 (aged 75) Vikna |
| Allegiance | Osvald Group |
| Conviction(s) | Treason, espionage against Norway |
| Penalty | 8 years imprisonment |
| Status | Released on probation in 1959 |
In 1954 Sunde was convicted for treason and espionage for the Soviet Union, and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment.[1] After serving two thirds of his sentence, he was released from prison in 1959. After his release, he lived a quiet life.