Statspolitiet

Statspolitiet. The State Police was a collaborationist security service established in German-occupied Norway during World War II. It operated as the political police arm of the Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling and worked closely with the Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst. The agency was notorious for its brutal methods, including torture, executions, and the persecution of the Norwegian resistance movement.

History

Statspolitiet was formally established in September 1941 by the Quisling regime under Vidkun Quisling, following the model of the Gestapo. Its creation was part of a broader effort to Nazify the Norwegian state apparatus and suppress all opposition to the occupation. The agency absorbed and expanded upon the existing political police functions that had been initiated by the Hird and other Nasjonal Samling paramilitary groups. Key to its early development was its close operational integration with German security forces, particularly the Sicherheitspolizei in Oslo. The leadership of Karl Marthinsen from 1942 onward marked a period of intensified activity and terror against the Norwegian resistance movement.

Organization and structure

The organization was headquartered in Victoria Terrasse in Oslo, a building also used by the Gestapo. It was divided into several departments, including sections for investigation, surveillance, and a central registry of political enemies. Regional branches, known as *Statspolitikontorer*, were established in major cities like Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger. A particularly infamous unit was the *Sonderabteilung Lola* led by Henry Rinnan in Trøndelag, which specialized in infiltration and brutal interrogation. The agency recruited its personnel primarily from members of Nasjonal Samling, the Hird, and the Germanske SS Norge, and its officers often received training from the Sicherheitsdienst.

Activities and operations

Its primary mission was to identify, arrest, and eliminate enemies of the Quisling regime. This involved widespread surveillance, censorship, and the interception of mail and communications. Agents conducted raids on private homes, offices of illegal newspapers, and safehouses used by the Milorg and other resistance groups. A central activity was the interrogation of suspects, routinely involving torture at locations like Victoria Terrasse and Møllergata 19. Statspolitiet also played a key role in enforcing anti-Jewish policies, assisting in the deportation of Norwegian Jews to concentration camps like Auschwitz concentration camp. It frequently collaborated with the Wehrmacht and the Ordnungspolizei in large-scale operations against the resistance.

Notable cases and investigations

The agency was instrumental in the crackdown following the Telavåg tragedy in 1942, which led to severe reprisals against the local population. It relentlessly pursued members of the Osvald Group and other sabotage units. One of its most significant investigations targeted the network surrounding the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (Kompani Linge) and its operations, such as the Heavy water sabotage at Vemork. The Sonderabteilung Lola under Henry Rinnan was responsible for infiltrating and dismantling numerous resistance cells in central Norway, leading to hundreds of arrests and executions. Statspolitiet also investigated the clandestine press, including the production and distribution of the illegal newspaper London-nytt.

Dissolution and legacy

Following the Liberation of Finnmark and the general German surrender in May 1945, Statspolitiet was immediately dissolved. Its leaders, including Karl Marthinsen—who was assassinated by the resistance in 1945—and Henry Rinnan, were arrested. Rinnan and several other senior officers were tried for treason and war crimes by the post-war legal purge; Rinnan was executed by firing squad at Kristiansten Fortress. The agency's archives became crucial evidence in the prosecution of thousands of collaborators. The brutality of Statspolitiet left a deep scar on Norwegian society, cementing its reputation as a central instrument of terror during the occupation and a stark symbol of collaboration.

Category:Defunct law enforcement agencies of Norway Category:World War II collaborationist organizations Category:German occupation of Norway