Jens Christian Hauge

Jens Christian Hauge (15 May 1915 – 30 October 2006) was a Norwegian who was leader within the World War II resistance—and one of the two incumbent Milorg Council members in May 1945.

He was a conscript in Stavern in the summer of 1936, and served 48 days [of recruit training ] at the anti-aircraft regimental recruits' school (Luftvernregimentets rekruttskole), In 1938 he received 15 days of recruit training.

He received training as crew on anti-aircraft weapon (luftvernbatterimannskap).

While still a law student he became a member of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights in 1936.

The military invasion of Norway, resulted in students not coming to his private lectures, so he was without income.

On 12 April he applied for work at Oslo Politikammer, and started work the next day.

In June, his employer had established Priskontoret ("the price office"), and he applied for a transfer, and became the leader of the office.

On 13 August he was arrested for making statements (during private lectures—of which he had resumed, besides his employment with the police) that violated (or were offensive to) Nasjonal Samling.

While imprisoned, the "Milk Strike" occurred in Oslo, including the 10 September execution of two: the leader of a trade union and a lawyer in LO.

"[M]ore than anything, it was the justice-scorning executions of these two, that [later] led Hauge to Milorg."

(Years earlier Hauge had the lawyer prosecute a case in Kragerø; Hauge had barely known him. )

During the last days of September, he was transferred to "the newly established prison for political prisoners", at Bredtveit Farm.

17 October saw the trial of Hauge.

(At the end of the trial, Hauge was granted a release until the next day. )

The verdict of 100 days in prison, whereof 66 days had already been served, was announced the next day—and he was imprisoned.

He was released on 30 October, after completing four-fifths of the sentence—eighty days.

He finished his final exams to become a lawyer, in autumn of 1937.

He worked as a private lecturer (manuduktør) for law students, for the next year.

In November 1938 he started as a dommerfullmektig in Kragerø, to perform his period as a judicial "conscript".

In May 1939 he was summoned for the last 14 days of recruit training.

He replied to the summons with a medical certificate regarding his varicose veins, adding that he was willing to be checked by military doctors, even though [his schedule] as a magistrate (konstituert sorenskriver) would make it difficult to leave work.

He received a medical discharge, according to an annotation dated 10 August 1939, by Hauge.

In January 1940 he again was working as a manuduktør in Oslo.

("In 1941 - 1942 there was a tense relationship between Milorg and" SOE. "An early example of such a conflict, surfaced in the wake of the controversial Operation Bittern in the autumn of 1942", according to Njølstad. SOE expeditions which followed, improved Milorg's relationship to the British: The Chaffinch-, Thrush- and Pheasant Expeditions.)

One evening between 7 and 14 October he met The Council (of Milorg) for the first time.

The meeting resulted in a half-pascifistic message to the High Command, which in turn replied with a reprimand: To abstain from shooting in self-defense "is in opposition to human nature".

(Hauge's dissent at the meeting was noticed also by a secretary at SL.)

He joined Milorg at the beginning of 1942.

(His wife and two children were relocated to Vestre Slidre in the middle of March—to a [vacant] cotter home which belonged to Husaker (a mountain farm). )

In the middle of August 1942 he became inspector for (Milorg district) Østlandet—replacing Knut Møyen.

On 3 October 1942 Operation Bittern landed four commandos in Norway.

During the meeting where the leader of commandos showed his orders to Hauge, Hauge confiscated the accompanying list of 62 "that SOE wanted to" assassinate.

In January 1943 he was promoted to Stor I—the General Inspector of all Milorg combat groups in the nation.

He served as Minister of Defence from 1945-1952 and Minister of Justice from January to November 1955.

After 1955 he never held political office, but "continued to exert influence on political processes—sometimes openly", and sometimes less so.

He is also controversial, and has been criticised for not giving more information regarding central parts of the Milorg activities, such as assassinations of Norwegian collaborators.

He was born at Ljan, and he had an older sister Aase.

Their mother was a school teacher of hand craft, and the father was son of a cotter.

Jens Chr.

Hauge's father was a former non-commissioned officer, who worked in an insurance company.