Latvijas Vēsturnieku komisijas raksti - 23.sējums

152 Konferences “Baltija Otrajā pasaules karā (1939–1945)” referāti par holokausta tematiku
is a blind spot in our knowledge. 82 Could Lie’s men have had a last chance to take part
in one of Jeckeln’s ongoing anti-partisan operations, such as “Winterzauber”?
Lie obviously wanted to build a Norwegian SS Staatsschutzkorps, since he actively
encouraged all policemen to have at least a six-month tour of duty at the front under
their belts. 83 It seems that Lie strove for interchangeability between his policemen and
the German ones.
It seems also that the SS also encouraged this parity between Norwegians and
Germans. Norwegians could serve almost any unit of the Waffen-SS, not just in the
“Germanic” Division Wiking. As already mentioned, Lie himself served in the elite of the
elite – Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. The records of the former Berlin Document Centre
held at the Bundesarchiv contain several instances where Norwegians were inducted
into the German Allgemeine-SS, not just the local Norwegian equivalent.
Furthermore, not only did the Norwegian Ordenspolitiet get the same training and
wear green uniforms almost identical to those of their German Orpo colleagues, there
is evidence to suggest that Norwegians were even permitted serve in German Orpo
units at the front before Lie created the Norwegian Police Companies. For example, it
is fairly certain that Norwegians served in Polizei-Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 18, an elite
unit of the German Orpo, during the ethnic cleansing operation “Enzian” in Slovenia in
the summer of 1942. 84 This same regiment was involved in a long string of atrocities,
including the deportation of the Jews of Athens in 1943. 85
Already in the autumn of 1940, 50 high-ranking Norwegian policemen had been
invited on a “study trip” to Germany, hosted by the Orpo and the SS. They received
red-carpet treatment, and were informed of German policing methods and met highranking
officials from the Orpo and RSHA. 86 Among those who participated in this
“study trip” were many individuals who were to hold important posts in the Ordenspolitiet
under Lie, such as Egil Olbjørn, later the Norwegian equivalent to Befehlshaber der
Ordnungspolizei (BdO) in Norway.
As evidence that this interchangeability was between German and Norwegian SS
and police personnel was real, the case of Rittmeister Fridjof Georg Henriksen may be
cited. Henriksen was an experienced cavalry officer who joined the Legion, but was
later transferred to the SS Cavalry Brigade. After seeing some combat in anti-partisan
operations, he went on to work for the HSSPF in Minsk, and was later appointed an
SS- und Polizeiführer on a local level in his own right. Henriksen had had a leading
role during Operation “Zauberflöte” in Minsk in April 1943, and later lectured on antipartisan
tactics. 87 Thus, we have here an instance of a Norwegian both commanding
and instructing Germans in anti-partisan operations.
Henriksen can also be viewed as an example of a Norwegian displaying SS ideal
of kämpfende Verwaltung. Indeed, Lie could well have wanted more men like him back