Nasjonal Samling - During The German Occupation

During The German Occupation

When Germany invaded Norway in 1940, Quisling stormed into the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation studios in Oslo and made a broadcast proclaiming himself Prime Minister and ordering all anti-German resistance to end immediately. However, King Haakon VII, in unoccupied territory along with the legitimate government, let it be known he would abdicate rather than appoint any government headed by Quisling. The government refused to step down in Quisling's favour or serve under him. It confirmed that resistance was to be continued. With no popular support, the German occupants quickly thrust Quisling aside.

After a brief period with a civilian caretaker government (Administrasjonsrådet) appointed by the Supreme Court, the Germans took control through Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. He appointed a government responsible to himself, with most ministers from the ranks of Nasjonal Samling. However, the party leader, Quisling, was controversial in Norway as well as among the occupiers, and was denied a formal position until 1 February 1942, when he became “minister president” of the “National government”. Other important ministers were Jonas Lie (also head of the Norwegian wing of the SS from 1941) as minister of police, Dr. Gulbrand Lunde as minister of "popular enlightenment and propaganda", as well as the opera singer Albert Viljam Hagelin, who was Minister of Domestic Affairs. The NS administration had a certain amount of autonomy in purely civilian matters, but was in reality controlled by the Reichskommissar as “head of state”, subordinate only to Adolf Hitler.