Comments on: Cut Off by War: The Norwegian Saints Report, 1944

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:24:04 +0000

You’ve contributed some great information — thanks — and asked some good questions. I’m not where I can do any research (or even respond regularly to comments), but when I can I’ll see what I can find. We may not ever know who carried this letter out of Norway (they may not have been LDS, but only asked to carry the letter by an LDS relative or acquaintance). The leaders should be readily identified by church records, though, once the need for being “treated in a very delicate way” had passed.

By: BruceCrow

BruceCrow — Thu, 14 May 2009 04:45:00 +0000

The considerable independence of the Norwegian Church in performing excommuniations, and calling missionaries, is very encouraging. I’m not sure every area of the church would have done so well at the time if placed in similar circumstances. How many members are we taking about? Less than a thousand?

By: Curt A.

Curt A. — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:30:06 +0000

What a fascinating letter. While the group carrying it were making their way to Sweden (mid-September?), Montgomery and Eisenhower were building up allied forces for an assault on Holland and a Rhine crossing (which failed within a few weeks – Oper. Market-Garden), 1st Army was taking Luxembourg, Patton was pressing Metz, and Hitler was screaming at his generals for a counterattack which soon became the bulge. It would seem the German army would have been on high alert. The group was definitely not alone.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:13:01 +0000

Very interesting. We take easy communication in the Restored church for granted.

By: Justin

Justin — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:33:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing this fascinating letter, Ardis. I'd be interested to learn the identities of those who escaped from Norway. FWIW, Carl-Erik Johansson's thesis on the history of the Swedish mission mentions in passing that the Swedish mission president during the war years, Fritz Johansson, "was able to forward information, letters and reports from the presidents of the occupied Danish and Norwegian missions, which understandably had to be treated in a very delicate way" (70).

By: Steve C.

Steve C. — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:50:29 +0000

This is quite interesting as I have done very little research on the Norwegian Saints during World War II.

I am always amazed at how well the Church fared in Axis controlled Europe. In spite of being cut off from SLC for four years or more, the local members made the most of it and conducted the affairs of the Church in a wonderful manner with a few exceptions.

I do recall an LDS German soldier stationed in Norway. Although most Norwegians hated the Germans, this soldier said that most Church members accepted him. He was integrated into the local branches (some of them mentioned in the above letter), developed close friendships with the Norwegian members, often ate with the members and helped some members get parts for their illegal radios (a few of these members were part of the Norwegian underground). Although this fellow could not hold callings in the local branches because he was a visitor, once he learned to speak Norwegian he gave talks in sacrament meetings. Pretty cool!