32:
463:
By the end of the war XU had some 1,500 agents all over Norway and had developed a sophisticated courier system to the United
Kingdom through neutral Sweden. The amount of information could amount to some 500 A4 pages supplied every day. The highly accurate and current intelligence enabled the Allied
474:
The existence of XU was not revealed to the general public until around 1980, when the
Norwegian government decided to decorate some of the XU members. The government was criticized for waiting for so long, especially since many double agents, otherwise sworn to secrecy, were convicted as
412:, but as the Norwegian resistance movement grew, it became essential to compartmentalise organisations and teams and thereby enhance security against Nazi and Quisling infiltration, so XU split from the Milorg in the autumn of 1941 when Lauritz Sand and many others were arrested by the
467:
XU maintained strict discipline around its cell structure, and the courier system was based on anonymous transfer of information. In one case, it turned out that two operatives who only knew each other by each other's shoes were close friends outside the XU network .
455:
Strømnæs led XU from occupied Oslo for the rest of the war. Apart from supplying the Allied forces with very detailed data about the state of German forces in Norway, XU also had connections within Nazi
Germany. Several of their members were couriers for MI5 agent
443:
in July 1942, and set up headquarters for the organization there. They continued to move in and out of Norway, and
Storsveen was killed in a Gestapo operation in Oslo in April 1943 without revealing his role in XU. XU continued its work under the leadership of
464:
forces to maintain detailed information about the deployment and condition of German forces throughout Norway. This information proved vital in strategic bombing raids and would have been invaluable if an invasion had been necessary.
405:. As it grew, the group also included professionals around Norway, within railroads, police and so on, and collected maps and photos of German fortifications and forces.
471:
After the war ended, confiscated
Gestapo information revealed that the Gestapo in Norway had very little intelligence on the size, scope, members, and operations of XU.
394:, Sand collaborated with an intelligence group led by major John Hagle and captain Eivind Hjelle. By July 1940, this group came into contact with another group led by
503:
498:
379:. Though its work proved invaluable for operations against German operations in Norway, most of its operations, organization, etc., were kept secret until 1988.
488:
109:
435:
In the spring of 1942, the
Gestapo became aware of XU's activities and initiated operations to identify and arrest its leaders. Several leaders from the
401:
Although XU was initially organized by a leadership with a military background, its further development relied heavily upon recruiting students from the
601:
531:
606:
586:
695:
476:
425:
421:
196:
102:
479:. Their names were cleared after 1980, and as of 2006, nearly all documents regarding the XU have been released to the public.
651:
95:
161:
75:
53:
46:
390:
and coined the name XU, X for "unknown" and U for "undercover agent" for his group. During the early stages of the
176:
705:
700:
318:
262:
186:
156:
417:
429:
391:
151:
440:
674:
Sæter, E. & Sæter, S. (2007). XU: I hemmeleg teneste 1940-45 (3. utg). Oslo: Det Norske
Samlaget.
292:
40:
541:
445:
367:" and U for "undercover agent") was a clandestine intelligence organisation working on behalf of
166:
136:
368:
364:
191:
57:
237:
146:
526:
449:
348:
247:
8:
643:
386:, one of the founding members, who had previously worked for British intelligence in the
20:
402:
222:
141:
581:
252:
647:
387:
272:
333:
181:
521:
576:
536:
395:
282:
257:
571:
516:
611:
591:
566:
277:
267:
635:
684:
343:
596:
551:
561:
493:
457:
383:
376:
323:
287:
232:
227:
122:
556:
87:
690:
622:
508:
428:, which was the branch that worked with Britain's intelligence service
328:
212:
171:
416:. Milorg was the Norwegian counterpart to the sabotage service, the
242:
424:
of the
Norwegian High Command. From 1941, XU answered to Department
16:
Norwegian clandestine intelligence organisation during World War II.
546:
413:
409:
372:
338:
308:
217:
118:
460:
who had vital information regarding German nuclear research.
436:
452:, whose identities were kept secret until recently.
382:The name of the organization may have derived from
634:
682:
642:(in Norwegian) (3rd (revised) ed.). Oslo:
103:
117:
408:XU was initially organised as part of the
110:
96:
76:Learn how and when to remove this message
39:This article includes a list of general
683:
91:
25:
439:cell, including Storsveen, fled to
13:
45:it lacks sufficient corresponding
14:
717:
696:World War II resistance movements
30:
640:XU - I Hemmeleg Teneste 1940-45
482:
177:Martial law in Trondheim (1942)
668:
420:and so answered to Department
1:
661:
418:Special Operations Executive
7:
392:German occupation of Norway
10:
722:
628:
18:
475:collaborators during the
301:
205:
129:
638:; Sæter, Svein (2007) .
293:Nikolaus von Falkenhorst
477:post-war treason trials
60:more precise citations.
706:World War II espionage
701:Norway in World War II
192:Liberation of Finnmark
499:Johan Borse (Svensen)
238:Carl Gustav Fleischer
147:Elverum Authorization
349:Sonderabteilung Lola
248:Jens Christian Hauge
187:Heavy water sabotage
137:Operation Weserübung
19:For other uses, see
644:Det Norske Samlaget
489:Otto Erling Aurstad
21:Xu (disambiguation)
527:Anne-Sofie Østvedt
450:Anne-Sofie Østvedt
403:University of Oslo
223:Johan Nygaardsvold
142:Norwegian campaign
653:978-82-521-7208-9
619:Kasper Skjeggenes
388:Dutch East Indies
357:
356:
218:Crown Prince Olav
86:
85:
78:
713:
675:
672:
657:
542:Øistein Strømnæs
504:Sønnøv Sem Borse
446:Øistein Strømnæs
334:Nasjonal Samling
182:Festung Norwegen
112:
105:
98:
89:
88:
81:
74:
70:
67:
61:
56:this article by
47:inline citations
34:
33:
26:
721:
720:
716:
715:
714:
712:
711:
710:
681:
680:
679:
678:
673:
669:
664:
654:
631:
602:Andreas Garstad
582:Sverre Østhagen
577:Brynjulv Sjetne
537:Arvid Storsveen
532:Ivan Rosenquist
485:
396:Arvid Storsveen
358:
353:
297:
283:Wilhelm Rediess
258:Vidkun Quisling
253:Gunnar Sønsteby
201:
125:
116:
82:
71:
65:
62:
52:Please help to
51:
35:
31:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
719:
709:
708:
703:
698:
693:
677:
676:
666:
665:
663:
660:
659:
658:
652:
630:
627:
626:
625:
620:
617:
614:
612:Brynjulf Ottar
609:
604:
599:
594:
592:Ole Henrik Moe
589:
584:
579:
574:
569:
567:Vilhelm Aubert
564:
559:
554:
549:
544:
539:
534:
529:
524:
519:
514:
511:
506:
501:
496:
491:
484:
481:
441:neutral Sweden
355:
354:
352:
351:
346:
341:
336:
331:
326:
321:
316:
311:
305:
303:
299:
298:
296:
295:
290:
285:
280:
278:Josef Terboven
275:
273:Sverre Riisnæs
270:
268:Gulbrand Lunde
265:
260:
255:
250:
245:
240:
235:
230:
225:
220:
215:
209:
207:
203:
202:
200:
199:
197:Post-war purge
194:
189:
184:
179:
174:
169:
164:
159:
154:
149:
144:
139:
133:
131:
127:
126:
115:
114:
107:
100:
92:
84:
83:
38:
36:
29:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
718:
707:
704:
702:
699:
697:
694:
692:
689:
688:
686:
671:
667:
655:
649:
645:
641:
637:
633:
632:
624:
621:
618:
615:
613:
610:
608:
605:
603:
600:
598:
595:
593:
590:
588:
585:
583:
580:
578:
575:
573:
570:
568:
565:
563:
560:
558:
555:
553:
550:
548:
545:
543:
540:
538:
535:
533:
530:
528:
525:
523:
522:Håkon Melberg
520:
518:
515:
512:
510:
507:
505:
502:
500:
497:
495:
492:
490:
487:
486:
480:
478:
472:
469:
465:
461:
459:
453:
451:
447:
442:
438:
433:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
411:
406:
404:
399:
397:
393:
389:
385:
380:
378:
374:
370:
369:Allied powers
366:
362:
350:
347:
345:
344:Statspolitiet
342:
340:
337:
335:
332:
330:
327:
325:
322:
320:
317:
315:
312:
310:
307:
306:
304:
302:Organizations
300:
294:
291:
289:
286:
284:
281:
279:
276:
274:
271:
269:
266:
264:
261:
259:
256:
254:
251:
249:
246:
244:
241:
239:
236:
234:
231:
229:
226:
224:
221:
219:
216:
214:
211:
210:
208:
204:
198:
195:
193:
190:
188:
185:
183:
180:
178:
175:
173:
170:
168:
167:The Holocaust
165:
163:
160:
158:
155:
153:
150:
148:
145:
143:
140:
138:
135:
134:
132:
128:
124:
120:
113:
108:
106:
101:
99:
94:
93:
90:
80:
77:
69:
66:February 2017
59:
55:
49:
48:
42:
37:
28:
27:
22:
670:
639:
636:Sæter, Einar
607:Eric Bentsen
572:Knut Løfsnes
562:Lauritz Sand
517:Astrid Løken
513:William Dall
494:Sverre Bergh
483:Some members
473:
470:
466:
462:
458:Paul Rosbaud
454:
434:
407:
400:
384:Lauritz Sand
381:
377:World War II
371:in occupied
360:
359:
324:Osvald Group
313:
288:Henry Rinnan
233:C. J. Hambro
228:Halvdan Koht
123:World War II
72:
63:
44:
623:Rolv Henden
58:introducing
685:Categories
662:References
597:Sven Sømme
587:Leif Owren
552:Otto Øgrim
509:Eilif Dahl
329:Nortraship
213:Haakon VII
157:Resistance
152:Occupation
130:Key events
41:references
616:Lars Lund
557:Arne Næss
263:Jonas Lie
243:Otto Ruge
547:Nic Waal
363:(X for "
629:Sources
414:Gestapo
375:during
365:unknown
172:Telavåg
54:improve
650:
426:FO. II
422:FO. IV
410:Milorg
373:Norway
339:Hirden
309:Milorg
206:People
119:Norway
43:, but
319:Linge
162:Camps
648:ISBN
448:and
437:Oslo
121:and
430:SIS
691:XU
687::
646:.
432:.
398:.
361:XU
314:XU
656:.
111:e
104:t
97:v
79:)
73:(
68:)
64:(
50:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.