| Sigurd Emil Roll | |
|---|---|
Sigurd Emil Roll, diplomat and sportsman |
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| Born | October 14, 1893 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Died | June 24, 1944 (aged 50) Oslo, Norway |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
| Known for | Olympic sprinter; silver medalist |
Sigurd Emil Roll (14 October 1893 – 24 June 1944) was a Norwegian diplomat and former sprinter who was executed during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany.
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Roll was born in Chicago, IL to Wilhelm Jørgen Roll (born 1864 in Asker, Norway) and Sofia Jensen (born 1868 in Asker, Norway). Roll was married in 1918, and had four children. His son Finn joined the Devil's Brigade during World War II.
As an athlete he became Norwegian champion in the 400 metres event in 1917.[1] He broke the Norwegian record this year, clocking in 50.9 seconds. He improved his own record to 50.7 seconds in 1920, but lost it to Einar Mangset the following season.[2] He also won silver medals in the 400 metres in 1918 and 1920,[1] as well as medals in the 100 and 200 metres.[3][4] He represented the sports club Kristiania IF.[1]
Roll later served as a US vice consul in Oslo. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany Roll resigned his post and joined the Norwegian underground. He was captured by the Gestapo and imprisoned in a concentration camp for a period. After his release, he allegedly helped Norwegians escape from concentration camps.[5]
On June 24, 1944, Roll was arrested in his office and executed at Holmenkollen Kapell (Oslo)[5] as a part of Operation Blumenpflücken, an attempt to discredit the Norwegian resistance. SS Hauptsturmführer and Sicherheitspolizei officer Ernst Weiner was personally responsible for the murder.[6] Sigurd's brother, Lieutenant Colonel William George Roll was born on July 4, 1892 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Norwegian immigrants. The eldest of three sons and two daughters, he attended schools in Norway, Belgium, Holland, and the United States. When the U.S. entered World War I, Roll enlisted in the Army, and was sent to Denmark to engage in covert activities in Germany, heading a team of six agents. Following the war, the State Department appointed him Vice Consul in Denmark, where he served for two years under President Woodrow Wilson. The State Department then transferred Roll to Bremen, Germany, where he was stationed as Vice Consul for eight years. From then, till the outbreak of World War II, he continued to carry out missions for the State Department throughout the world. With the entrance of the U.S. into the European theater of World War II, Roll returned to the Army and served on SHAEF under, then, General Dwight Eisenhour. He saw duty on most of the major European fronts. When Colonel Roll learned of his brother’s [Sigurd] death, he was determined to avenge him. So it was on May 9, 1945 at the age of 53, Roll was the first American officer with the Liberation Army to land in Norway. At the end of the war, the State Department kept Roll in Oslo as American Information Officer. In 1947, under President Harry Truman, he was transferred to Denmark as First Consul for Ambassador Eugenie Anderson. He Retained this post for three years till he retired. Under Presidents Eisenhour and Truman, Roll was instrumental in organizing NATO for Northern Europe. He was also Chief of the Marshall Plan in the Scandinavian countries and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Education Foundation. During Roll’s sojourn in Denmark, the King conferred knighthood on him, making him a Knight of the Dannebrog, an honor rarely bestowed on a non-Dane. Colonel Roll died in 1967.
William George Roll U.S. Vice Consul in Copenhagen, 1921; Bremen, 1926-29
William's son, William George Roll, II was born July 3, 1926 in Bremen, Germany. William junior is president of the Parapsychological Association.