Leif Tronstad
| Leif Tronstad | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
27 March 1903 Bærum, Norway |
| Died | 11 March 1945 (aged 41) Syrebekkstølen, Rauland, Norway |
| Buried at | Vestre gravlund |
| Allegiance | Norway |
| Service/branch | Norwegian Army |
| Years of service | 1924–1927 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Norwegian Independent Company 1 |
| Battles/wars |
Norwegian Campaign Operation Gunnerside (planner) |
| Awards |
War Cross with sword Norwegian War Medal |
| Relations | Edla Obel (wife) |
| Other work | Athlete, scientist |
War Cross with sword Norwegian War Medal
Defence Medal 1940–1945
Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Légion d'honneur
Croix de guerre
Leif Hans Larsen Tronstad DSO, OBE (27 March 1903 – 11 March 1945) was a Norwegian scientist, intelligence officer and military organizer. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1927 and was a prolific researcher and writer of academic publications. A professor of chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1936, he was also among the pioneers of heavy water research, and was instrumental when a heavy water plant was built at Vemork.
During World War II Norway was invaded by Germany and Tronstad conducted domestic resistance for one year before fleeing the country for England. There, he gathered valuable intelligence from Norwegian sources, both on the development of the V-2 rocket and the growing German interest in heavy water. In 1943 Tronstad planned Operation Gunnerside, in which the German access to heavy water processing at Vemork was severely impeded. His information about the V-2 rocket contributed to the massive Allied bombing of Peenemünde.
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