A Desperate Bid for Power
As the tides of World War II turned against the Nazis, Vidkun Quisling, Norway’s notorious collaborator, made a last-ditch effort to cement his grip on power. In early 1944, he presented Adolf Hitler with a bold proposal: conscript 40,000 Norwegians to join the fight against the Soviets.
Quisling’s plan was simple – create a Norwegian military force loyal to him and the Reich, the “Herd”, that could help secure Norway’s allegiance. But his gambit backfired spectacularly. Instead of rallying young Norwegians to the Nazi cause, the Herd conscription drive only fueled greater resistance against the occupation.
The Herd Takes the Streets
By April 1944, the 1st Herd Division was parading through the streets of Oslo in full combat gear, a show of force meant to intimidate the Norwegian people. Quisling hoped this display would cow the population into submission.
But the opposite happened. As word of the Herd’s existence spread, young Norwegians began fleeing the country in droves to avoid being drafted. The more Quisling tried to tighten his grip, the more the people slipped through his fingers.
“Quisling ordered that resignations due to the call-up should simply be ignored. A form of compulsory service had thus just been introduced for registered NS members after all.”
The Resistance Unites
The Herd debacle had an unexpected silver lining for the Norwegian resistance. The leaked plans for mass conscription united the communist and London-backed factions, who had previously been at odds.
Suddenly, the entire country was galvanized against Quisling’s puppet regime. Norwegians from all walks of life – teachers, clergy, even German residents in Oslo – rose up in protest.
- Over 1,000 teachers were rounded up and sent to forced labor camps for refusing to comply with Quisling’s youth service law.
- Bishops led their congregations in mass resignations, leaving churches empty in an act of civil disobedience.
- Even Germans living in Norway condemned Quisling, urging the Reich not to back his incompetent government.
A Final, Desperate Gambit
As the war turned against Germany, Quisling made one last attempt to salvage his position. In early 1945, he met with Hitler three times, presenting the Führer with drafts for a Norwegian peace settlement and a pan-European pact.
Quisling demanded that Hitler recognize Norway’s sovereignty, remove the German occupation, and stop interfering in the Norwegian government. It was a bold, last-ditch effort to regain control – but it was too little, too late.
The Herd experiment had backfired catastrophically, uniting Norwegians of all stripes against Quisling’s collaborationist regime. By the time he made his final plea to Hitler, the writing was on the wall. Norway’s doomed experiment with Nazi-backed conscription had only strengthened the country’s resolve to resist the occupation.
What other surprising stories of resistance and resilience are hidden in the archives of World War II? The battle for Norway’s soul offers a glimpse into the power of a people determined to defend their freedom, no matter the cost.
