Jens Christian Hauge, 91; Norwegian war hero, influential politician
Jens Christian Hauge, 91, who led Norway’s military underground in World War II and then became an influential politician and business leader, died Monday in Oslo. The cause of death was not reported.
Hauge joined the military arm of the Norwegian resistance movement, called Milorg, after Nazi Germany invaded and occupied the Nordic nation in 1940.
In June 1942, at age 27, he became the leader of the 40,000 underground fighters, heading a battle against the German occupation force that made him a national hero when it became known after the war.
When Norway was liberated in May 1945, Hauge was given much of the credit for the peaceful transition back to Norwegian rule. The same year, at age 30, the Labor Party member was named Norway’s youngest-ever defense minister, a post he held until 1952. He also served briefly as justice minister in 1955.
He was partly responsible for Norway’s joining NATO in 1949; it had been neutral before the war.
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