Øyvinn Øi

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Øyvinn Øi
Captain Øyvinn Øi some time between 1935 and 1940.
Born(1901-06-19)19 June 1901
Died9 April 1940(1940-04-09) (aged 38)
AllegianceNorway
Service/branchNorwegian Army
Years of service–1940
RankCaptain
Battles/warsSecond World War

Øyvinn Øi (19 June 1901 in Hadsel, Vesterålen – 9 April 1940) was a Norwegian military officer during the outbreak of the Second World War.

Personal life[edit]

Øyvinn Øi was born in Hadsel, the son of lector Gunnar Øi and Thora, née Lind. In 1926 he married Aagot Hesselborg, with whom he had four children.[1]

Career[edit]

After his examen artium Øi took an officer exam attending the Norwegian Military Academy. He also did military studies in France.[1]

Øi, a captain in the general staff, became known to the general public for his lecture entitled "Det strategiske overfall" ('The Strategic Attack') to the officers' society, Oslo Militære Samfund, on 6 March 1939.[2] In this lecture, Øi stated that Norway had inadequate defences and was vulnerable to a foreign attack. This caused a stir in some groups, especially the social democrat newspaper Arbeiderbladet, which came close to accusing him of treason.[3]

A memorial at Jar commemorates Øyvinn Øi, Joar Olsen, Jon Vislie and others.

Norway was indeed invaded when Operation Weserübung reached the country on 9 April 1940. Øi was killed on the same day at a road block set up by German forces at Grorud.[3] He had volunteered to go on a mission to Oslo on behalf of the Norwegian general staff after the staff had evacuated from the Norwegian capital.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Ording, Arne; Johnson, Gudrun; Garder, Johan (1951). Våre falne 1939-1945 (in Norwegian). Vol. 4. Oslo: Norwegian government. p. 564.
  2. ^ "Oslo Militære Samfunds historie". Oslo Militære Samfund (in Norwegian). Retrieved 5 February 2009.
  3. ^ a b Aspheim, Odd V. (1995). "Øi, Øyvinn". In Dahl, Hans Fredrik (ed.). Norsk krigsleksikon 1940-45. Oslo: Cappelen. Retrieved 11 September 2008.