The Jørstad River bridge sabotage was an operation carried out on 13 January 1945 by members of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 during World War II. The operation bore the code-name "Woodlark". The aim was to blow up a railway bridge in order to disrupt the railway Nordland Line in Snåsa, Norway. Six hours after the bridge had been destroyed, a military troop train unaware of the sabotage derailed and crashed into the river below, killing 70-80 people (among them two Norwegians) and injuring some 100 more. It remains the single most deadly rail incident ever in Norway.[1]
In the aftermath of the disaster, there were fights between German and US soldiers in the Snåsa mountains, the only fights in Norway between these two countries during the occupation. A war memorial of the sabotage was raised in 1995 at the site.[2] Four out of the five saboteurs who had participated in the sabotage were present at the dedication of the memorial. [3] Commanding officer Major William Colby lead the NORSO I - troops which mainly where of Norwegian heritage. [4]
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