The man who welcomed them at the hut was known as Hans. His real name was Ivar Dyngeland and he was with the underground group in Fusa. He would be responsible for taking care of the Canadians while they remained at the cabin.
Dyngeland was a sheriff's officer in Os and also a Milorg member. One day he reported to Jakob Hjelle that the sheriff had been notified that the police's reserve supply of gasoline and diesel fuel was going to be requisitioned by the Germans. The sheriff had 1800 liters of fuel in barrels in the sheriff's garage four hundred meters from the Haugsneset base. The underground needed fuel, which was in short supply during wartime.
Hjelle thought that it would be better for Milorg to take the supplies than the Germans, so he and his group decided to do something about it. They planned to take the barrels on a horse-wagon with rubber wheels to a garbage dump a few miles away, close to the road that runs through Hegglandsdalen to Lønningdal.
Dyngeland was a sheriff's officer in Os and also a Milorg member. One day he reported to Jakob Hjelle that the sheriff had been notified that the police's reserve supply of gasoline and diesel fuel was going to be requisitioned by the Germans. The sheriff had 1800 liters of fuel in barrels in the sheriff's garage four hundred meters from the Haugsneset base. The underground needed fuel, which was in short supply during wartime.
Hjelle thought that it would be better for Milorg to take the supplies than the Germans, so he and his group decided to do something about it. They planned to take the barrels on a horse-wagon with rubber wheels to a garbage dump a few miles away, close to the road that runs through Hegglandsdalen to Lønningdal.
Little Canada
Woodcarving by Jakob Hjelle
They spent all of one Saturday reconnoitering. The next night six men went to work. The wind was calm and the moon bright, but it was unseasonably cold as they tip-toed quietly up the road to their target. Their greatest fear was the guard stationed at the gate to the Haugsneset camp. They made some noise removing the chain and crow-barred the carefully-bolted garage door open, so listened for a reaction from the camp, but there was no action by the Germans.
Right on time, the man with the horse cart arrived, and in three quarters of an hour they had hundreds of liters of gasoline and eighty liters of oil. The man with the horse also owned a truck. He took twenty gallons of gasoline for it, and returned two days later with the truck and took the rest.
While that were loading the last two barrels, a man who lived nearby showed up. “What are you doing?” he wanted to know.
“Talk to the boss,” came the reply. Mowinckel Nilsen drew his scarf half over his face, walked up to the man and told him that they needed to get the supplies before the Germans got hold of them. He told the man that he knew who his family was and that if the man said one word he and his family would be killed. “This is our law,” Mowinckel Nilsen said, showing him an enormous revolver. The man was so frightened that he fled home. The barrels were taken to garbage dump where the men buried them in a five meter long ditch they had previously dug. Everything was in place and covered over when the night patrol from the German base came by.
A couple days later Mowinckel Nilsen, with Hjelle and three others, returned to the dump to bury the barrels deeper. When they were starting to dig, a German bicycle patrol arrived. Its leader asked to see their passes and demanded to know what they were doing.
One of the men explained that they were looking for a rare and valuable silver spoon, a family heirloom, that they thought had been inadvertently thrown out with the trash. The Germans accepted this story, and the men continued digging in peace. One of the cyclists had stopped awfully close to a barrel that was not well covered.
When the Germans came to the sheriff's garage to retrieve the store of fuel and could not find a single barrel, they started to investigate. Mowinckel Nilsen put out a rumour that gasoline was available on the black market in a neighbouring kommune on the south side of the fjord, and did not have to wait long before the focus of the German search moved away to the south.
Eventually the Germans came to suspect that Dyngeland was involved in the theft. One afternoon he was arrested by two police officers, both NS [29] members, the only ones in the Hordaland police district. Dyngeland was thoroughly grilled by two high-ranking officers at the police station. He did not admit anything, but feared that they probably knew enough to hold him. They had no real evidence, and he was released after two days after solemnly promising to do his best to solve the crime.
Dyngeland went to the sheriff's office in Os, and gathered all the papers on political investigations, as well as those on forced labour resisters and others being sought by the police because of their resistance activities or sympathies. He put all that paperwork in a file folder and left the sheriff’s office with it under his arm. With help from Hjelle's group, he made it safely to to a refuge in the mountains.
After handshakes and introductions using the Norwegians's assumed names, Mowinckel Nilsen told the Canadians to open up their backpacks. Each contained a blanket, sleeping bag, plate, pan, some fruit, a small package of coffee substitute, a few tins of dry milk, and bread. The cabin was cramped for 11 men, but everybody found a place to sit and eat their food.
The crew had long since exhausted their supply of cigarettes The smokers among them beamed when they got a pinch of tobacco and paper so they could roll their own cigarettes. But they had never encountered tobacco like this before. The first puff burned their throats and choked them. The Norwegians explained that the tobacco was “home-grown.”
Mowinckel Nilsen told the Canadians that “Hans” would stay with them as long as they were there, both as a guard against the Germans and also as a cook. Mowinckel Nilsen explained that they should be fairly safe because there were only two paths to the cabin, the difficult path they had just taken, and a somewhat easier path in from the fjord in the opposite direction. Both paths would be watched, and it would be impossible for the Germans to approach unseen. If the Germans approached, the Norwegians watching the approaches would alert the people in the cabin.
The Canadians weren't aware of the extensive arrangements that had been made to ensure a reasonably safe trip from Strøno. While they had seen only Evensen and Jakobsen on the way to Lønningdal, they had been watched and followed along the way by armed resistance members who were ready to fight if necessary.
A couple of hours before dusk, Mowinckel Nilsen told everyone that he had to leave to go Bergen. He again assured the Canadians that they had little to worry about and that he would try to be back soon. He and the rest of the escort disappeared.
After they left, the Canadians rolled out their sleeping bags. It was crowded on the floor of the cabin, which was about four meters by four meters. There was a little stove on the left of the door looking in, and a large closet with shelves. There was a long bench on the wall opposite the door. The only window was on the right side. Under it was a small table with two chairs on each side. In the corner to the right of the entrance was a meter-long shelf. There were two stools on the floor. There was a loft space with room for a couple of men. The cabin appeared to be fairly new, which it was. One of Øvredal's brothers had built it the year before.
The Canadians talked about what they had experienced that day, but lay down in their sleeping bags and were soon asleep after the exertions of a long day. It was their first night in Norway that one of the crew did not have to stand guard.
They got up at daybreak the next day. After they ate breakfast, the all went out and examined the area. They were surrounded by dense forests, and it was not too far down to the fjord Long John had mentioned.
The Canadians did not know the real names of their helpers, only their assumed names. They were not even told the name of the nearby fjord, which was Samnangerfjord. But one name they picked themselves. The area around the cabin reminded them of their own country. One of them suggested that since the Norwegian Air Force had established a training camp in Canada and named it Little Norway, they would call the hut Little Canada. Everyone thought it was a good idea, and they always referred to it as Little Canada.
They could not go too far from the cabin, and there was little to do. They had no playing cards, so they made their own. They played poker, and the game became so intense that Dyngeland wondered what they were doing. He spoke little English, but understood enough and asked that they teach him the fine points of the game. The crew still had the small Norwegian-English dictionary, but it was getting stained and worn.
One day Haldor Øvredal showed up with a dark-haired man introduced as “Pete,” whose real name was Rolf Olsen [30]. The two had been on guard down near Samnangerfjord. Not long after that, Hjelle and Harmens arrived from Øvredal with a radio and more provisions.
Harmens told them that the Germans thought that it was not good for Norwegians to know anything, so radios had been strictly forbidden since the summer of 1941. He joked that when the Germans came to visit, they must not forget to hide the radio. He told them about all the enemy efforts to find them, and all the threats that were made if people didn't report anything they knew to the Germans.
The Norwegians smoked homegrown without coughing even once. They became excited and vociferous about whatever they were discussing. The Canadians asked what they were discussing, commenting that they appeared to be excited about something. Harmens explained that they were talking about politics. “Pete” was a communist and never missed a chance to praise the Red Army, and his face always turned red as a lobster when he discussed politics. His hair matched his political views, because it was naturally red, but now it was dyed black as a disguise because he was wanted by the Germans.
One morning, Hjelle arrived with a man known as Tobben, whose real name was Torbjørn M. Lyssand, who was also wanted by the Germans. He had long and naturally dark hair. He was active in Saborg, and like Mowinckel Nilsen was a weapons and explosives trainer. Lyssand was Øvredal's companion when he stole dynamite from the bunker at Åsane. He was a frequent courier for Hjelle, and one of six persons imprisoned for three months in the Espeland concentration camp after the fiasco when no one appeared for the German's festival.
There was always a light and humourous tone in Little Canada when Lyssand was there. He was full of life and an expert whistler. When he was in town, he had even the otherwise aloof German soldiers listen in jaw-dropping amazement when he whistled.
Before their stay in Norway, the Canadians had no idea how difficult daily life was in occupied countries. However, they soon learned how severe food shortages could be. Yet their new friends managed to feed six extra men. Provisions were carried up to Little Canada daily – one day porridge and fish eggs, another day waffles with syrup and jam, and another day fresh salmon and sea trout. While it was never enough, they appreciated the efforts and sacrifices made on their behalf. To supplement their diet, they caught an occasional trout in the lake near the cabin, and one evening Dyngeland shot a deer that was drinking at the lake.
On October 4, the occupants of the hut witnessed a massive air attack against Hatvik. They could hear the sounds of the planes and see fire reflected against the aircraft. They hoped that things were going well for the bombers and that all would return to base. Seeing the planes reinforced the Canadians's desire to return to base and rejoin the war effort.
The next day they learned that the bombers were Canadian and had also attacked the German's main submarine base on Norway's west coast at Laksevag near Bergen. Both submarines and surface ships had been sunk. It should have been a resounding victory. Then they got a Norwegian newspaper. It was full of death announcements. A stray bomb had hit a school, and a number of Norwegian children had been killed. [B]
Right on time, the man with the horse cart arrived, and in three quarters of an hour they had hundreds of liters of gasoline and eighty liters of oil. The man with the horse also owned a truck. He took twenty gallons of gasoline for it, and returned two days later with the truck and took the rest.
While that were loading the last two barrels, a man who lived nearby showed up. “What are you doing?” he wanted to know.
“Talk to the boss,” came the reply. Mowinckel Nilsen drew his scarf half over his face, walked up to the man and told him that they needed to get the supplies before the Germans got hold of them. He told the man that he knew who his family was and that if the man said one word he and his family would be killed. “This is our law,” Mowinckel Nilsen said, showing him an enormous revolver. The man was so frightened that he fled home. The barrels were taken to garbage dump where the men buried them in a five meter long ditch they had previously dug. Everything was in place and covered over when the night patrol from the German base came by.
A couple days later Mowinckel Nilsen, with Hjelle and three others, returned to the dump to bury the barrels deeper. When they were starting to dig, a German bicycle patrol arrived. Its leader asked to see their passes and demanded to know what they were doing.
One of the men explained that they were looking for a rare and valuable silver spoon, a family heirloom, that they thought had been inadvertently thrown out with the trash. The Germans accepted this story, and the men continued digging in peace. One of the cyclists had stopped awfully close to a barrel that was not well covered.
When the Germans came to the sheriff's garage to retrieve the store of fuel and could not find a single barrel, they started to investigate. Mowinckel Nilsen put out a rumour that gasoline was available on the black market in a neighbouring kommune on the south side of the fjord, and did not have to wait long before the focus of the German search moved away to the south.
Eventually the Germans came to suspect that Dyngeland was involved in the theft. One afternoon he was arrested by two police officers, both NS [29] members, the only ones in the Hordaland police district. Dyngeland was thoroughly grilled by two high-ranking officers at the police station. He did not admit anything, but feared that they probably knew enough to hold him. They had no real evidence, and he was released after two days after solemnly promising to do his best to solve the crime.
Dyngeland went to the sheriff's office in Os, and gathered all the papers on political investigations, as well as those on forced labour resisters and others being sought by the police because of their resistance activities or sympathies. He put all that paperwork in a file folder and left the sheriff’s office with it under his arm. With help from Hjelle's group, he made it safely to to a refuge in the mountains.
After handshakes and introductions using the Norwegians's assumed names, Mowinckel Nilsen told the Canadians to open up their backpacks. Each contained a blanket, sleeping bag, plate, pan, some fruit, a small package of coffee substitute, a few tins of dry milk, and bread. The cabin was cramped for 11 men, but everybody found a place to sit and eat their food.
The crew had long since exhausted their supply of cigarettes The smokers among them beamed when they got a pinch of tobacco and paper so they could roll their own cigarettes. But they had never encountered tobacco like this before. The first puff burned their throats and choked them. The Norwegians explained that the tobacco was “home-grown.”
Mowinckel Nilsen told the Canadians that “Hans” would stay with them as long as they were there, both as a guard against the Germans and also as a cook. Mowinckel Nilsen explained that they should be fairly safe because there were only two paths to the cabin, the difficult path they had just taken, and a somewhat easier path in from the fjord in the opposite direction. Both paths would be watched, and it would be impossible for the Germans to approach unseen. If the Germans approached, the Norwegians watching the approaches would alert the people in the cabin.
The Canadians weren't aware of the extensive arrangements that had been made to ensure a reasonably safe trip from Strøno. While they had seen only Evensen and Jakobsen on the way to Lønningdal, they had been watched and followed along the way by armed resistance members who were ready to fight if necessary.
A couple of hours before dusk, Mowinckel Nilsen told everyone that he had to leave to go Bergen. He again assured the Canadians that they had little to worry about and that he would try to be back soon. He and the rest of the escort disappeared.
After they left, the Canadians rolled out their sleeping bags. It was crowded on the floor of the cabin, which was about four meters by four meters. There was a little stove on the left of the door looking in, and a large closet with shelves. There was a long bench on the wall opposite the door. The only window was on the right side. Under it was a small table with two chairs on each side. In the corner to the right of the entrance was a meter-long shelf. There were two stools on the floor. There was a loft space with room for a couple of men. The cabin appeared to be fairly new, which it was. One of Øvredal's brothers had built it the year before.
The Canadians talked about what they had experienced that day, but lay down in their sleeping bags and were soon asleep after the exertions of a long day. It was their first night in Norway that one of the crew did not have to stand guard.
They got up at daybreak the next day. After they ate breakfast, the all went out and examined the area. They were surrounded by dense forests, and it was not too far down to the fjord Long John had mentioned.
The Canadians did not know the real names of their helpers, only their assumed names. They were not even told the name of the nearby fjord, which was Samnangerfjord. But one name they picked themselves. The area around the cabin reminded them of their own country. One of them suggested that since the Norwegian Air Force had established a training camp in Canada and named it Little Norway, they would call the hut Little Canada. Everyone thought it was a good idea, and they always referred to it as Little Canada.
They could not go too far from the cabin, and there was little to do. They had no playing cards, so they made their own. They played poker, and the game became so intense that Dyngeland wondered what they were doing. He spoke little English, but understood enough and asked that they teach him the fine points of the game. The crew still had the small Norwegian-English dictionary, but it was getting stained and worn.
One day Haldor Øvredal showed up with a dark-haired man introduced as “Pete,” whose real name was Rolf Olsen [30]. The two had been on guard down near Samnangerfjord. Not long after that, Hjelle and Harmens arrived from Øvredal with a radio and more provisions.
Harmens told them that the Germans thought that it was not good for Norwegians to know anything, so radios had been strictly forbidden since the summer of 1941. He joked that when the Germans came to visit, they must not forget to hide the radio. He told them about all the enemy efforts to find them, and all the threats that were made if people didn't report anything they knew to the Germans.
The Norwegians smoked homegrown without coughing even once. They became excited and vociferous about whatever they were discussing. The Canadians asked what they were discussing, commenting that they appeared to be excited about something. Harmens explained that they were talking about politics. “Pete” was a communist and never missed a chance to praise the Red Army, and his face always turned red as a lobster when he discussed politics. His hair matched his political views, because it was naturally red, but now it was dyed black as a disguise because he was wanted by the Germans.
One morning, Hjelle arrived with a man known as Tobben, whose real name was Torbjørn M. Lyssand, who was also wanted by the Germans. He had long and naturally dark hair. He was active in Saborg, and like Mowinckel Nilsen was a weapons and explosives trainer. Lyssand was Øvredal's companion when he stole dynamite from the bunker at Åsane. He was a frequent courier for Hjelle, and one of six persons imprisoned for three months in the Espeland concentration camp after the fiasco when no one appeared for the German's festival.
There was always a light and humourous tone in Little Canada when Lyssand was there. He was full of life and an expert whistler. When he was in town, he had even the otherwise aloof German soldiers listen in jaw-dropping amazement when he whistled.
Before their stay in Norway, the Canadians had no idea how difficult daily life was in occupied countries. However, they soon learned how severe food shortages could be. Yet their new friends managed to feed six extra men. Provisions were carried up to Little Canada daily – one day porridge and fish eggs, another day waffles with syrup and jam, and another day fresh salmon and sea trout. While it was never enough, they appreciated the efforts and sacrifices made on their behalf. To supplement their diet, they caught an occasional trout in the lake near the cabin, and one evening Dyngeland shot a deer that was drinking at the lake.
On October 4, the occupants of the hut witnessed a massive air attack against Hatvik. They could hear the sounds of the planes and see fire reflected against the aircraft. They hoped that things were going well for the bombers and that all would return to base. Seeing the planes reinforced the Canadians's desire to return to base and rejoin the war effort.
The next day they learned that the bombers were Canadian and had also attacked the German's main submarine base on Norway's west coast at Laksevag near Bergen. Both submarines and surface ships had been sunk. It should have been a resounding victory. Then they got a Norwegian newspaper. It was full of death announcements. A stray bomb had hit a school, and a number of Norwegian children had been killed. [B]