The Espionage Connected to the Soviet Prisoners of War Graves in Northern Norway 1945-51

Abstract

ABSTRACT When the war ended in Norway in May 1945, Norwegians and liberated Soviet prisoners of war celebrated together. Six years later, in 1951, the bodies of the 8,000 buried Soviet prisoners of war in Northern Norway were dug up, bagged and shipped to a collective war cemetery at Helgeland in Nordland. The relocation of the Soviet war graves was named “Operation Asphalt” and the authorities tried to keep it secret. The operation was not uncontroversial. The Soviets, who had been tortured and mistreated by the German occupiers in Norway during World War II, were met with sympathy by Norwegians. This paper examines how the Cold War era and foreign affairs affected the collection of the Soviet war graves, following the process from 1945 to 1951. Further, the paper discusses how Norway’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization from 1949, and the threat of escalating Soviet activities in response to the war graves in Norway contributed to suspiciousness and dramatically changed the Norwegian war graves policy.