I have been collecting some materials on occupied Denmark and Norway in various languages from the Harvard libraries. I was flipping through a great book I found today called Parti og Plakat NS 1933-1945 which is a collection of some 250 propaganda posters from Norway’s Nasjonal Samling party (the Norwegian national socialists).
I told my mom about my discovery and she pointed out that you can find basically all of these posters and many more directly online through the Norwegian National Library’s database of propaganda materials. She then soon put me on to NorgesLexi, which is a site hosting a dictionary of wartime reference information, and pictures and documentary propaganda movies from the occupation period. Elsewhere on the Norwegian National Library’s online databases was a set of pages on humor in occupied Norway which is also the topic of the book Folklore Fights the Nazis: Humor in Occupied Norway, 1940-1945.
Finally, the National Library hosts dozens of RealAudio streams of English-language “Norwegian Information Service” wartime news/propaganda radio reports (see the list by topic). I can get my fill of 5-15 minute clips updating me on the latest valiant efforts of the “patriotic” Norwegian resistance fighters and the “treacherous plots” of the “puppet quislings” in occupied Norway. Lots of interesting material, not all of it news reports, which gives you a great look into 1940s life and times. For example, check out this 15 minute clip by a Norwegian talking about his 23 years in China.
Fascinating! I’ll have to check that out. Did mom tell you she was mentioned in the aknowledgments in a book recently published on convoys? Now both of you have been sited in books. I feel so proud ;-)!
I have a question that I do not know if you can answer. I am researching a family history and we believe our grandfather (who was a German soldier in WWII) surrendered to the British Army in Norway in the winter during the war. Do you know where I may look to find some information that could back that up??? Thanks….
Hmm, I’m not really the person to ask that, perhaps my mother’s forum at http://www.warsailors.com/phorum/list.php?f=1 can point you to the right direction for where to find that out…
Thank you for pointing me in that direction. I do appreciate your help!
I have been searching for a Norwegian propaganda film entitled, “Vidkun Quislings Hirdmen” (1942) – do you know where a copy on video can be located?
Hi there, I am afraid I don’t know about where to get that film, but I’m back in Norway now, and I’ll keep note of it in case it comes up. I think the title is:
Vi er Vidkun Quislings hirdmenn
and was directed by Fyrst, Walter
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035509/
It was apparently showed at the Norwegian movie theaters in 2001 for the first time:
http://www.filmlisten.no/cgi-bin/visnyhet.cgi?id=684
VI ER VIDKUN QUISLINGS HIRDMENN (1942) var i følge Fyrst selv en “internfilm for hirden”. Denne filmen er aldri før vist offentlig, og dette er altså en helt ekslusiv mulighet.
Vi er Vikun Quislings Hirmenn (1942) may be purchased on DVD from Reichskino – http://www.reichskino.com