
About this episode
The episode discusses a sabotage operation by Norwegian resistance fighters during World War II.
In May 1942, a team of Norwegian resistance fighters in occupied Norway were getting ready to blow up a railway carrying materials crucial to the German war machine. Led by Lieutenant Peter Deinboll, a local from the area, they set out to execute what the Allied forces saw as the top priority sabotage operation in Norway at that stage in the war. Should they fail, allied planes would carpet bomb the village, including Deinboll’s hometown. Lars Bevanger speaks to Lieutenant Deinboll’s nephew, Gunnar Deinboll Jenssen. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by and curious about the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from how the Excel spreadsheet was developed, the creation of cartoon rabbit Miffy and how the sound barrier was broken. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: the moment Reagan and…
People in this episode
Guest: Gunnar Deinboll Jenssen
Topics covered
- World War II
- Norwegian resistance
- sabotage operations
- historical accounts
- military history
Keywords
- Norwegian resistance
- sabotage
- WW2
- Peter Deinboll
- Gunnar Deinboll Jenssen
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Allied forces
Places: Norway, occupied Norway
More episodes of Witness History
- Hussein of Jordan: The survivor king · June 12, 2026 · 11 min
- The inspiration for Chekhov's Three Sisters · June 11, 2026 · 11 min
- Picasso and the Surrealist summer · June 10, 2026 · 11 min
- Mstislav Rostropovich: Virtuoso cellist · June 9, 2026 · 11 min
- Nelson Mandela's incarceration at Robben Island · June 8, 2026 · 10 min
- The creation of Inspector Montalbano · June 5, 2026 · 11 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Witness History podcast page.