A War Hero Who Lived to Be Only 22
Following an act of sabotage against the Røros Railway, Odd Husby was killed by German forces in 1945
Odd Kristian Husby 1922–1945: A War Hero Who Lived to Be Only 22
Following an act of sabotage against the Røros Railway, Odd Husby was killed by German forces in 1945.
Odd Kristian Husby lies buried beneath a prominent gravestone at Havstein Cemetery. He was only 22 years old. Husby was born at Byåsen in 1922. Before the war, he distinguished himself as a Nordic combined skier. When Norway was occupied, he fled to Sweden and joined the Norwegian police troops. With his athletic background, he became a skilled instructor and soldier.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas in 1944, he was sent back to Norway to take part in Operation Lapwing, which aimed to disrupt German troop movements along the Røros Railway. The original group had already spent several months in the mountains of Gauldalen and was now in need of reinforcements. Odd crossed into Norway alone during a terrible snowstorm. It was feared that he had died, but at last, amid the howling storm, there was a knock on the cabin door. A man entered with frostbite on his face. He gave the agreed password: “Lingonberries thrive beneath the snow.” Then he added: “But I don’t.”
On 20 December, the saboteurs blew up several sections of the railway and destroyed more than 20 kilometres of track. Following the operation, Husby and two comrades made their way to the Brun cabin in the mountains near Singsås, where they were to train local members of the resistance.
One morning, the local resistance fighters failed to appear. Odd and his comrades did not know that the Germans had picked up their trail. Odd voluntarily went down to the village to find out what had happened. He encountered a German patrol but managed to talk his way out of the situation and returned to warn his comrades. The Germans, however, followed him.
Odd was outside the Brun cabin tending to the skis when the Germans shouted, “HALT!” Odd drew his pistol and opened fire. In the ensuing gunfight, Husby and his comrades were killed.
The story of Odd Kristian Husby and his friends reminds us of what Norwegians were willing to sacrifice for freedom during the war.