the story of the Donau

Known as the 'slave ship' in Norway during World War II the Donau was a 9,000 ton transport ship used by the Kriegsmarine between Nazi Germany and World War II.

Although a transport ship when the war started, it was later requisitioned for war duty and outfitted with anti aircraft guns and depth charges.

It was used by the SS and the Gestapo operating in Norway to transport 540 Jews from their home where they would be then moved to Auschwitz in Poland, whilst on the Donua Jewish men and women were put in separate holds, there they were deprived of basic sanitary and treated badly at the hands of the soldiers.

When the Allies were getting the upper hand over the Germans the Donau was seen by the Norwegian resistance as a very dangerous threat to the RAF, so while it was docked in Oslo Harbor Roy Nilsen from Milorg and Max Manus (who had already sunk another vitally important German ship) from Kompani Linge planted ten limpet mines on the port side of the Donau in the maximally secured harbor getting away Scott-free.

The departure of the Donau from Oslo Harbor was delayed however meaning that the limpet mines detonated before the ship reached its destination (Drøbak).



The captain managed to beach her however where it lay until seven years after the war.

* Photos from the Norwegian movie Max Manus

** A picture of the real ship

my brief trip to Norway

I recently got the chance to visit my brother for a few days in Norway where he moved with his company last year.

This video describes Norway better than I could ever imagine to:



I spent most of my four days in the town of Drammen but the highlight of my trip was the day in Oslo.

Oslo was a nice city but there was nothing exactly outstanding about it (I can't say much different about Dublin), that being said a building I admired for its architecture turned out to be the Oslo Opera House.



That is one of the biggest landmarks of the capital city, I was literally gobsmacked when I looked this up.

I remember passing it on the bus and wondering if it was worth the photo.

The Norwegian resistance museum in Oslo is well worth seeing and is very interesting and I saw probably the weakest point in my knowledge of World War II was about the Norway theater of the war, along with that I would also recommend the movie Max Manus.



Norwegians are very lucky to have this movie about this resistance hero I have to admit I never even heard of but he is much cooler and smarter than the Irish rebels I learned about at school.

Other basic things about Norwegian society is that most Norwegians can speak basic English, the currency isn't Euro but NOC (Norwegian Kroner) since Norway isn't in the EU and that video above is surprisingly completely accurate.

That being said Norway is well worth the visit.


inne Norsk