Leif Larsen
| Leif Andreas Larsen | |
|---|---|
Leif Larsen
|
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| Nickname(s) | "Shetlands" Larsen |
| Born | 9 January 1906 Bergen, Norway |
| Died | 12 October 1990 (aged 84) |
| Allegiance | Norway |
| Rank |
Kapteinløytnant (Lieutenant Commander (N)) |
| Unit | Shetland bus |
| Commands held | MV Arthur MV Bergholm SC Vigra Other small vessels |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards |
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Leif Andreas Larsen DSO, DSC, CGM, DSM and Bar (9 January 1906 – 12 October 1990), popularly known as "Shetlands Larsen", was a Norwegian sailor and the most highly decorated allied naval officer of World War II. Arguably the most famous of the men who operated the Shetland bus escape route during the war.
He participated as a volunteer on the Finnish side during the Winter War and was a soldier in the defence of Norway following the German invasion at Kongsvinger Fortress. He had excellent leadership skills; one of the British officers at the Shetland base, David Howarth, described him as "one of the most remarkable personalities of the entire Second World War". Larsen preferred to downplay his own role and instead named his crew as the reason for his achievements.
He dramatically escaped Norway in February 1941 in the fishing boat MOTIG 1, a voyage he recounted in an autobiographic book. He then joined the "Norwegian Naval Independent Unit", an unwieldy cover title far better known as the Shetland bus. The unit for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and, despite its name, was initially independent of the regular Royal Norwegian Navy. He trained with the Linge Company.
He was the skipper of the fishing vessel Arthur during an attempt to sink the German battleship Tirpitz in the Trondheimsfjord in the fall of 1942 (Operation Title). Despite its failure, Larsen received a Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, the first non-Briton to do so. The Admiralty records the operation as "the achievement of penetrating to within 10 miles (16 km) of the berth occupied by the Tirpitz represents, on the part of the personnel and particularly that of the Norwegians, a fine example of cold-blooded courage."
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