1,300 former members of the Resistance considered for war decoration

Oslo.Defense Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide and Chief of Defence Haakon Bruun-Hanssen.Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB scanpix

The Ministry of Defence has received over 1,300 suggestions for former members of the Norwegian Resistance who may be decorated for their efforts during World War 2.

Over 70 years after the war  ended there is a major effort in progress to honor people who were decorated for their deeds. A group of historians appointed by the Ministry of Defence is now in the process of evaluating the war efforts of the over 1,300 people who are proposed by the public and by professional circles, the newspaper Klassekampen writes.
The initiative originated in a response from Defence Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide  to a written question from the Socialist Left Party parliamentary representative Kirsti Bergstø. Earlier this year, the Minister stated that the Ministry wants input on  forgotten heroes from World War 2 who have not received the recognition they deserve.
The project was started by the then Defence Minister Espen Barth Eide  in 2011. Now Søreide ays that the proposed arrangements will be submitted to the Ministry of Defence at the end of 2016, with the awards being given in 2017.
– There is a much to applaud in Søreide’s reply. Political views havee influenced a lot of the historical writing about the war, and we will be watching closely when the work is about to end,  Kirsti Bergstø says to Klassekampen.