This is a part of the war I remember hearing nothing about. The work done in such harsh conditions. The danger from the elements as well as trying to avoid detection from the enemy. So many of their men lost at sea or killed or captured by the Germans. No British-made boat could successfully sneak into the harbors without raising an eyebrow. If a British sailor fluent in Norwegian were to be questioned, he would certainly garner an accent. The value in using Norwegian sailors was that they countered avoidable risks; local knowledge to distinguish manmade flaws in the landscape — a sentry, perhaps, or a new fixture designed to overwatch the coast — was a priceless asset. Plus, each knew the route from memory and had unmatched seamanship fishing off the shores of Greenland and Iceland during the summer. Following the war, Larsen received multiple medals in both Norway and Britain. According to Scalloway Museum, no other non-Brit has received more British medals. Flemington housed a separate staging area for fugitives “wanted” by the Germans — refugees who had just arrived from one of the long and exhaustive expeditions across the North Sea and the crew who were desperate for a fresh meal and a shower. The operational base at Lunna on the east coast was later moved to Scalloway , where the boats were repaired , until the end of the war. Occupation of Norway was strategic for the Nazis because it would allow them to establish naval ports and air bases to engage the Allies across Europe. Cut off from the rest of the world, Norwegian civilians were in need of salvation. A miracle came in the form of a clandestine mission headquartered hundreds of miles away using a motley crew of Norwegian fisherman with guidance from officers of Britain’s Special Operations Executive ( SOE).

In The Shetland Bus, David Howarth, who was second in command of the Shetland base, recounts the hundreds of trips made by fishing boats in the dark of Arctic winter to resist the Nazi onslaught. The Telavåg Tragedy highlights the risks took by anyone travelling the route or assisting the operation. In 1942, locals in the small Norwegian village hid two British agents. In total, Larsen made 52 trips across the North Sea, a remarkable feat knowing some tours were hundreds of miles in distance and lasted for as long as three weeks. By war’s end, Larsen would be awarded every Norwegian medal for bravery, including the War Cross with two swords (equivalent to two Medal of Honor awards), and every British award for valor except the Victoria Cross. At the beginning of the war, small Norwegian fishing boats were used to transport intelligence and supplies, and offer Norwegian refugees passage to Britain. The operation was under British command, but later it became a joint effort. The M/K. Blia left Norway on 14 November 1941, en route to Shetland. Captain of the vessel was 21-year-old Ingvald Leroy, and along with his six crew members, he had on board thirty-five Norwegian refugees. On the night of the journey, the weather was particularly bad, with a strong possibility of storms forecast.The boats were crewed by young albeit expert sailors and fishermen with extensive local knowledge. Many brought their own vessels but some used boats that were “stolen”, with the owner's permission, of course. Popularly known as Shetlands Larsen, Leif Larsen was a highly decorated Norwegian sailor. He was arguably the most famous of all who operated the route. Of the 198 trips to Norway, Larsen completed 52 of them. Leif Larsen led the Norwegian bus operations in World War II Much of what we know today about the operation is thanks to the 1951 book, The Shetland Bus. Subtitled A classic story of secret wartime missions across the North Sea, the book chronicles the period through the perspective of junior naval officer David Howarth who helped set up the base. This is a book that serves many worthwhile purposes. It should careful research, colorful first-hand experience, and is clearly written by someone who suffered greatly in his efforts to help the war effort. The stories in this book give honor and credit to the courageous men and women of Norway both among those who stayed at home and risked their lives and freedom to oppose Nazi tyranny however they could and to those who fled into exile and attempted to help their country from abroad. The book speaks knowledgeably about problems of espionage, the risks of falling into German hands, the cat and mouse games played by the British navy and the Germans, and the logistical capacities of the various nations during the war. As this book is a chronicle of obscure action in an often-forgotten front of the war, it is a book that is worthy of being read by those who are interested in such matters as World War II history, espionage, logistics, and naval history, as well as those who are generally fond of reading about British and Norwegian history. As this is a large potential audience, this is a book that will likely be appreciated by audiences for a long time to come.

The Shetland Bus Memorial is located at Scalloway, and the local museum has a permanent exhibition relating to the activities of the Shetland Bus. [12] In 2018 Norwegian visitors were among those attending a service at the memorial to commemorate the 75th anniversary of an improvement in the safety of operations as a result of the introduction of new ships - the Hitria, Vigra and Hessa [13] In popular culture [ edit ] ZetTrans does not have a policy covering the carriage of animals on public transport. The decision whether or not to permit animals on board vehicles is at the discretion of the individual service operator. Bicyles on BusesSuicide Mission is a 1954 British-Norwegian war film directed by Michael Forlong. It was also known as Shetlandsgjengen. [1] The FEIE in Scalloway harbour. A typical Norwegian Hardanger Cutter of the type used by the SOE until 1943. Source: Scalloway Museum.

On its first voyage in November 1941 the Heland was skippered by one of the owners, Sevrin Roald, and made for Shetland, with two Company Linge agents Karl Johan Aarsæter and Åsmund Wisløff aboard. Using the false name M/K Per, it managed to get undamaged through the same storm in which the Blia disappeared, and returned to Norway with supplies to other agents.

Kåre Iversen was another notable member of the gang. Discovered to be a member of the resistance, Iversen escaped capture to Shetland in the early days of the war. He then joined 57 trips across the North Sea. Following the war, he married a Scalloway girl and fathered three daughters. Remembering the Shetland Bus These engines were very unusual, and spare parts were not available in Britain, but that was easily solved. Norway's largest engine factory, Wichmann Diesel, at the time under German control, was located at Bømlo, near Bergen. The agents in the area received messages about which parts were needed, workers in the factory, many of them active members of the Resistance Movement, smuggled them out, and the parts were sent to Shetland with the next "Bus". The early plans for the Shetland Bus put the operation under British Command. The Brits lost resources through aircraft and naval vessels due to the losses at Dunkirk but had the logistics to pull off the cloak-and-dagger nature of the job. At sea, however, the Norwegians led the charge. When the war ended, the Heland returned to Norway and became fishing vessel again. In 1971, it was donated to Sunnmøre Museum. The Heland is now preserved as a typical representative fishing vessel of the "Shetland Bus" fleet.

Sørvaag, Trygve (2002). Shetland Bus: Faces and Places 60 Years On (Shetland Times Ltd) ISBN 9781898852889 Owned by Sevrin Roald, Arne Roald and Olav Røsvik, of Vigra. Built by Einar Helland, Vestnes 1937. 60 feet (18m) long, with 85hp (63kW) Haahjem engine. Using modified fishing trawlers and later submarine chasers, and manned by all-volunteer crews of Norwegian fishermen and sailors, the Shetland Bus was a joint effort of the SOE, the British Admiralty’s Naval Intelligence, and the Military Intelligence Service of Norway’s government in exile.

Shetland's bus services are specified and financed by ZetTrans and are operated by a number of different bus companies. To begin with, the Shetland Bus operation consisted of fourteen Norwegian fishing boats of differing sizes. But the vessel which undertook the first Shetland Bus journey was the Aksel, whose captain was August Nanny. His crew on that inaugural journey which left for Bergen from Hamnavoe, on the west side of Lunna Ness, on 30 August 1941, were Mindor Berge, Ivar Brekke, Andreas Gjertsen, and Bard Grotle. Major L.H. Mitchell , a thin British army officer, arrived on the Shetland Islands in December 1940. He was sent by the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and SOE. His first task required the setup of a headquarters at Flemington , a two-story farmhouse on a tree plantation developed into a rendezvous point for SOE officers to brief mission plans. Flemington’s garden provided a test range for operators to use their equipment and enhance wireless communications, so they would know how to confront a malfunction when the equipment was used in actual operations.