The case in summary – D/F “Hydro” was blown up on Tinnsjøen near Rjukan in Telemark on 20 February 1944, in an attempt to prevent the transport of heavy water to Nazi Germany. – A total of 47 people were on board, including German soldiers and civilians , of which 18 people lost their lives. – Norwegian saboteurs placed timed charges on the bottom of the ferry to prevent the heavy water and associated equipment from reaching Germany. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. At exactly 10.45 the bang came. On Sunday 20 February 1944, the ferry D/F “Hydro” was in the middle of the fjord on Lake Tinnsjøen near Rjukan in Telemark. The target of the action was railway wagons loaded with heavy water on their way to Nazi Germany. But there were also a total of 47 people on board when the charge went off. Commemoration at Tinnsjøen, 80 years after the DF “Hydro” was sunk. Photo: Håkon Lie / news – It was a normal ferry trip for those who got on board. Nobody knew what was going to happen, says Hilde Vidvei, museum educator at the Norwegian Industrial Workers’ Museum. 18 people lost their lives on Tinnsjøen that day. Four of them were German soldiers. The last 14 were civilians. The youngest, a girl, was only four years old. – For me, this is a day for reflection, says Stein Lier-Hansen. His father was one of three who carried out the actual action exactly 80 years ago. To be stopped at all costs Europe was literally on fire. The Second World War was raging, and the battle for heavy water was an important piece in the game between Germany and the Allies. The production of heavy water at Norsk Hydro’s plant at Rjukan was of great importance for nuclear research. In order to prevent the heavy water and associated equipment from reaching Germany, it was decided from London that the action had to be directed precisely at D/F Hydro. Memorial for D/F “Hydro”. 18 people died. The other 29 people on board, both soldiers and civilians, were rescued. Photo: Håkon Lie / news Norwegian saboteurs, consisting of Knut Haukelid from Kompani Linge and Milorg members Knut Lier-Hansen and Rolf Sørlie got the job. They placed timed charges in the bottom of the ferry. It was blown up where the lake is deepest (430 metres). Several campaigns were carried out to stop the export and production of heavy water from Rjukan during the war. The failed Operation Freshman, the blowing up of the basement at Vemork, the bombing of Rjukan and thus the sinking of the ferry D/F “Hydro” at Tinnsjøen. Memorial service On Tuesday, a memorial service was arranged, where representatives from both the Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum (NIA), the municipalities of Tinn and Notodden, the Norwegian Armed Forces and others were present. – It is never okay for civilian lives to be lost in war. They are the ones we remember today, says Vidvei to news. Stein Lier-Hansen is the son of Knut Lier-Hansen, who thus participated in the campaign. The father passed away in 2008. For the family, who lived in Rjukan after the war, the campaign was something that followed them over the years. Stein Lier-Hansen’s father took part in the action at Tinnsjøen. Photo: n650143 / n650143 – It is a day that has been marked for as long as I can remember, says the son. – We lived close to the families of the victims and those who were injured, but I felt that there was respect for what happened. But my mother probably got some snide remarks, he tells news. Lier-Hansen was not present during the commemoration on Tuesday, but has attended several times in the past. – It is an action that has been very much discussed and widely discussed. Both his father and the others who took part put the incident behind them after the war, he recalls. – It was an order they received from the highest levels. Made a difference Anna Hereid, director of the NIA, believes that the actions at Rjukan show how far the Allies were willing to go to prevent the Germans from getting their claws into the heavy water. Photo: Nils Fridtjof Skumsvoll / news – The last of the four heavy water actions shows how high the Allies prioritized preventing the German Reich from gaining access to heavy water and production equipment, and how far they were willing to go for that goal, she says. The consequences and the losses it entailed are something many have had to live with for many years. – With few witnesses left, it is particularly important to remind each other of the choices that had to be made in 1944. Museum educator Hilde Vidvei believes there are many answers to whether the action had significance for the further course of the war. – It was one of the many plans that did not go as planned. In that way, it was important, she believes.
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80 years since D/F “Hydro” was sunk – the action claimed 18 lives – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
