Ragnar Ulstein

{{Infobox military person

|name= Ragnar Ulstein

|birth_name=Ragnar Leif Ulstein

|birth_date= {{birth date|1920|04|19|df=y}}

|birth_place= Ulstein Municipality, Sunnmøre, Norway

|death_date = {{death date and age|2019|12|3|1920|04|19|df=y}}

|death_place=

|image=

|caption=

|nickname=

|allegiance=Norway

|branch=File:Coat of arms of the Norwegian Army.svg Norwegian Army

|serviceyears= 1940–1947

|rank=

|commands=

|unit=

|battles=

|awards=King's Medal of Merit in gold
Defence Medal 1940–1945
St. Olav's Medal With Oak Branch, twice
Military Medal (United Kingdom)

|laterwork= Journalism
Military historiography

}}

Ragnar Leif Ulstein MM (19 April 1920 – 3 December 2019){{cite news |url= https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/politikk/i/1n0eWX/krigshelten-ragnar-ulstein-er-doed |title=Krigshelten Ragnar Ulstein er død |newspaper=Aftenposten |agency=NTB |date=3 December 2019 |language=no }} was a Norwegian journalist, writer and resistance member. He wrote several documentary books from the Second World War, including surveys of the SOE group Norwegian Independent Company 1, volunteers sailing from Norway to Scotland, refugee traffic from Norway to Sweden, and military intelligence in Norway.

Early life and World War II

Ulstein was born in Ulstein Municipality, Sunnmøre, as the son of Johannes Olsson Ulstein (1879–1969) and Borghild Strand (1885–1964). He finished his secondary education at Volda in June 1940. Later that year he fled to the United Kingdom due to World War II and the German occupation of Norway. Here, Ulstein became a member of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1) ({{langx|no|Kompani Linge}}), led by Martin Linge. He participated in Operation Anklet, a raid at Reine in December 1941. After the raid he returned to the United Kingdom.{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ragnar Ulstein |encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget|location=Oslo|editor=Helle, Knut|editor-link=Knut Helle|first=Kjartan |last=Rødland |author-link=Kjartan Rødland |url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Ragnar_Ulstein/utdypning |language=no |access-date=11 August 2009}} In 1943 he was a part of the failed operation Vestige I, which involved placing limpet mines on ships in Svelgen harbor. The actual mine placing was performed by Harald Svindseth, but the explosives went off too early, and the ship was docked instead of sinking. Participants in Vestige I fled to England.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/fylkesleksikon/853729.html|title=Krigshistoria i Bremanger|encyclopedia=Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=9 October 2009}} In 1944 Ulstein was tasked with returning to work as an instructor for Milorg in Sogn og Fjordane. He came via Shetland and landed near Florø together with Harald Svindseth.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/fylkesleksikon/5431511.html|title=Krigsåra 1940–1945 i Sogn og Fjordane|encyclopedia=Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=9 October 2009}}{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/fylkesleksikon/1715924.html|title=Ragnar Ulstein|encyclopedia=Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=9 October 2009}} Svindseth built up a Milorg subgroup near Svelgen with the codename Snowflake, whereas Ulstein led the group Siskin. Siskin's basecamp was at Fosskamben in Sogndalsdalen. Important local contacts were Olav Rise in Leikanger as well as Nils Knagenhjelm and Hans H. H. Heiberg in Kaupanger. Norwegian Independent Company 1 men Nils Fjeld and Nils Thorsvik also participated, sharing the military command with Ulstein. Various incidents in February 1945 spelled the end of Siskin. Some, including Olav Rise, were arrested, whereas Ulstein managed to flee from Sogndalsdalen. German forces approached Fosskamben, but local residents secretly slowed down their travel, giving Siskin members time to hide a large weapons cache and to escape. Ulstein, Heiberg and Knagenhjelm met in Fjærland.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/fylkesleksikon/2745577.html|title=Milorg-basen i Sogndalsdalen|encyclopedia=Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=9 October 2009}} A new base was started in Frønningen. At most, 480 people had some connection to it. It did not remain operative for long, as it was disbanded at the liberation of Norway on 8 May 1945. Then, Ulstein and 72 others travelled to Gaular to assist in the decommissioning of German forces in the area.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/nrk_sogn_og_fjordane/fylkesleksikon/1598024.html|title=Milorg i Frønningen|encyclopedia=Sogn og Fjordane County Encyclopedia|publisher=Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation|language=no|access-date=9 October 2009}} For his war contributions Ulstein was decorated with the St. Olav's Medal with two oak branches, the British Military Medal, the Defence Medal 1940 – 1945, and the Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal.

Post-war life

After the war Ulstein participated in the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany. When returning to Norway he was editor-in-chief of the newspaper Fjordabladet from 1948 to 1949. He was an active writer. He co-edited the official two-volume work on the NOR.I.C.1 company, Kompani Linge, issued in 1948, together with Erling Jensen and Per Ratvik. The books had introductions by both King Haakon and Milorg leader Jens Christian Hauge.{{cite book|title=Kompani Linge |editor1=Erling Jensen |editor2=Per Ratvik |editor3=Ragnar Ulstein |volume=1 |year=1948 |publisher=Gyldendal|location=Oslo |language=no}}{{cite book|title=Kompani Linge |editor1=Erling Jensen |editor2=Per Ratvik |editor3=Ragnar Ulstein |volume=2 |year=1948 |publisher=Gyldendal|location=Oslo |language=no}} Ulstein worked as an editor for Filmavisen, and from 1954 as a journalist for various newspapers, including Bergens Tidende and Sunnmørsposten. He was later granted a government scholarship.

He made his fiction debut in 1961 with the novel Harpegjengen.{{cite encyclopedia|year=2007 |title=Ragnar Ulstein |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon|editor-last=Henriksen |editor-first= Petter |editor-link=Petter Henriksen |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo|url=http://www.snl.no/Ragnar_Ulstein|language=no|access-date=11 August 2009}} He later wrote several documentary books on Norwegian resistance during World War II. The two-volume book Englandsfarten (Volume I, 1965 and Volume II, 1967) covered the traffic between Norway and United Kingdom during the early part of the war,{{cite book|title=Englandsfarten. Alarm i Ålesund |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |volume=1 |year=1965 |publisher=Det norske Samlaget|location=Oslo |language=no}}{{cite book|title=Englandsfarten. Søkelys mot Bergen |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |volume=2 |year=1967 |publisher=Det norske Samlaget|location=Oslo |language=no}} while Svensketrafikken (three volumes, 1974, 1975 and 1977) covered traffic of refugees from Norway to Sweden during the occupation. He wrote a three volume book set on military intelligence in Norway between 1940 and 1945, Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-45 (1989, 1990, 1992), including activities from Special Intelligence Service agents covering German naval operations, as well as activities from XU and other organizations.{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-45. Bind I: Amatørenes tid |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |language=no |year=1989 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo}}{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-45. Bind II: Harde år |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |language=no |year=1990 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo}}{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940-45. Bind III: Nettet strammes |first=Ragnar |last=Ulstein |language=no |year=1992 |publisher=Cappelen |location=Oslo}} For his post-war work, Ulstein has been awarded the King's Medal of Merit in gold.

Ulstein was also involved in the Liberal Party in Ålesund. In 1972 he chaired the county chapter of Ja til EF.{{cite news|title=SP-tillitsmenn i JA-aksjonen|date=3 May 1972|work=Verdens Gang|language=no}} He married Jenny Hermine Akselsen in 1951.

In his later years Ulstein contributed to the website document.no, and stated in an interview for the 70-year anniversary of the war's end that freedom had become more limited and less open than after the liberation in 1945, and that freedom had come under a pressure "we could never dream about".{{cite news|url=http://www.vl.no/reportasjer/reportasje/du-gamle-du-frie-1.356531|title=Du gamle, du frie|work=Vårt Land|date=8 May 2015|language=no}}

Honours and awards

Selected works

{{cite book | title=Kompani Linge |year=1948}} (2 volumes; jointly with Erling Jensen and Per Ratvik)
{{cite book | title=Harpegjengen |year= 1961}}, novel
{{cite book | title=Parade|year= 1964}}, novel
{{cite book | title=Englandsfarten|year= 1965–67}} (2 volumes)
{{cite book | title=Samarbeid om samferdsel: Møre og Romsdal fylkesbåtar 1920–1970|year= 1970}}
{{cite book | title=Svensketrafikken|year= 1974–77}} (3 volumes)
{{cite book | title=Småsamfunn i storkrig. Historia om Giske 1940–1945|year= 1980}}
{{cite book | title=By og land i 100 år, Sunnmørsposten 1882–1982 |year= 1984 }}
{{cite book | title=Etterretningstjenesten i Norge 1940–1945|year= 1989–92 }} (3 volumes)
{{cite book | title=Jødar på flukt|year= 1995}}
{{cite book | title=Lagunen og stormen. Ulstein – bygd i Europa 1940–45|year= 1999}}