“An echo of our parents”: Norway’s Legal Reckoning with Underage NS Collaborators

Abstract

On 18 June, 1945 ,a 15½ year old boy, O.A.E. (born1929), was brought before the Stjørdal and Verdal court of inquiry together with his father. Both had spent two days in Vollan circuit jail and six weeks in Falstad internment camp on suspicion of criminal treason, as they during the German occupation had been members of the collaborationist party Nasjonal Samling (NS). According to the newspaper <i>Adresseavisen</i> on 19 June,1945, the 15-year-old stated “boldly” when asked by the magistrate that he had joined the NS’s sub-organisation for 10 to 18-year-olds (NSUF) “to help create a healthy youth“. The boy was released on condition of reporting to the police and his case was later dismissed.