The war memorial at Sommerset
The escape from Kalvik was one of the most extensive prisoner escapes from a German prison camp in occupied Norway. Almost 50 prisoners were involved. 11 prisoners were shot as a result of this escape, while 12 prisoners managed to make the trip over the mountains to Sweden! At the same time, this escape is exceptionally well documented.
A German diary gives us a detailed account of the events. A Sørfold resident who was on board the boat the prisoners revolted on later told of his memories. A memorial carved into the rock at Sommerset reminds us of the 11 prisoners who were shot. German prisoner cards tell us who these prisoners were. Swedish police reports testify that 12 prisoners succeeded in their journey to freedom!
The escape from Kalvika
The prison camp in Kalvik was one of the many prisoner-of-war camps that were established along the planned railway route from Fauske to Narvik. Around 300 Soviet prisoners of war were gathered here. During the inspection of the camps in Sørfold in May 1945, Kalvik stood out positively. The doctor Gunnar Moe writes that the prisoners looked good considering the conditions and that they had received very good treatment.
Johannes Martin Hennig, a non-commissioned officer in the Wehrmacht and a priest in civilian life, was responsible for the food supply for both prisoners of war and soldiers here for a few months in 1944. He wrote diary-like letters to his wife throughout his stay in Norway. He described the events during the escape in great detail.
On the morning of June 13, 1944, 49 Soviet prisoners of war, accompanied by two armed guards, marched from the camp down to the quay in Kalvika. They were to be transported by boat from the prison camp in Kalvika to their workplace at Sommerset.
The schooner "Lomen" was from Gimsøy in Lofoten and was in German service in the Leirfjord. The skipper's 23-year-old son was steering the boat that day. Due to illness, 21-year-old Reidar Nilsen from Sørfold was hired as a crew member. Two armed German guards were in charge of guarding almost fifty prisoners. While two civilian German workers who also usually went on the trip had remained at the workplace the day before.
On the trip, the prisoners rebelled. One soldier was killed, the other severely wounded. The Norwegian crew was prevented from intervening. Past Berrflåget, where the Berrflog Tunnel ends today, the boat was driven ashore. Where the memorial is carved into the rock, the rebels went ashore and tried to get their fellow prisoners to follow. From here, 15 prisoners began a long and tiring journey over the mountain towards Sweden.
The execution
10 of the prisoners who had jumped ashore found that they did not want to go on the dangerous and arduous journey anyway. They asked to be taken back on board the boat. But the boat had already turned around, and the prisoners there were more concerned with taking care of the wounded German and getting back to the camp. Therefore, these eleven had to embark on a not-so-easy journey along the fjord back to the camp in Kalvika.
During the occupation, there was no road between Kalvik and Sommerset. Berrflåget is a slippery and steep mountainside that is difficult to navigate. At Hundstihammaren, where the Berrflog Tunnel has its southwestern end today, they were stuck in steep terrain and could not get any further. The area has been greatly altered by tunnel and road construction today.
There they were discovered by a boat sent out to track down the escaped prisoners. Despite the prisoners holding their hands up, shots were fired from the boat. A patrol was sent ashore, which found two prisoners dead and several wounded. Although they claimed not to want to escape and were clearly walking towards the camp in an open field, the order was given to shoot them. 10 prisoners were executed on the spot.
In the afternoon, the bodies were retrieved by boat. Fellow prisoners had to transport them on iron wagons from the quay up to the camp, where they remained for two days to deter further escape attempts. Later, they were buried in the cemetery in Aspfjorden.
The flight over the mountain
15 prisoners set out on the long and arduous journey over the mountains to Sweden. They climbed the steep mountainside to get away from the fjord and to reach the Swedish border as quickly as possible. They took with them the weapons of their guards.
Three of them had to stay behind on the Norwegian side. They probably couldn't handle the rigors of such a high mountain trip.
Patrols were sent out to pursue the escaped prisoners. But the pursuers did not show much zeal. Twice they encountered the escapees without any consequences. A final patrol, sent out a few days after the escape, caught up with Alexei Kuzmich. He was either wounded or very weak and did not resist. He was interrogated and then shot on the spot.
A couple of years after the war, the remains of a Russian prisoner were found at Sommersetvannet. The fate of the third, who did not join the main group to Sweden, is unknown.
Welcome to Sweden
12 prisoners made the long journey to Sweden. They crossed the border to Sweden probably that same night and from there used one of the usual escape routes along the north side of Vastenjaure. At the mouth of Vastenjaure there was a ravine at the time. Here they split up. Some had to pause, while others continued along the river. On June 18, 5 days after the escape, the first three escaped prisoners reached Suorva. Sami had picked them up and brought them by boat. In Suorva, Swedish police took care of them. The ex-prisoners were questioned. On June 22, the last group of 12 prisoners arrived at Suorva. From here they were sent to Lissma farm in Huddinge municipality, which was a collection and internment camp for Soviet soldiers in
no further. The area has today been greatly changed by tunnel and road works.
There they were discovered by a boat sent out to track down the escaped prisoners. Despite the prisoners holding their hands up, shots were fired from the boat. A patrol was sent ashore, which found two prisoners dead and several wounded. Although they claimed not to want to escape and were clearly walking towards the camp in an open field, the order was given to shoot them. 10 prisoners were executed on the spot.
In the afternoon, the bodies were retrieved by boat. Fellow prisoners had to transport them on iron wagons from the quay up to the camp, where they remained for two days to deter further escape attempts. Later, they were buried in the cemetery in Aspfjorden.
The events must have made a profound impression on the fellow prisoners in the camp. Some may have regretted not having turned around and taken them with them when they left the scene at Sommerset.
In the summer of 1945, they returned to Sommerset to carve some words of remembrance for their dead comrades into the rock.
The inscription has the following wording:
