Austmarka
About thirty kilometres east of Kongsvinger and about five kilometers from the Swedish border is Austmarka. In mid-November 1944, two trucks headed east from Austmarka to retrieve firewood. In one truck there were also two couriers going to Sweden. Normally, couriers used to walk in the forest to avoid detection, but for unknown reasons, this time they got lift. After about 3.5 kilometers, the trucks were stopped by a German patrol who wanted to see their passports. The first truck was cleared and could continue, but in the second truck, one of the couriers, Rolf Sannes, began to fumble with his bag. This raised suspicions among the Germans who ordered all three to step out of the truck for a closer control.
When the Germans searched the bags, they found sleeping bags and pistols made in England, which strenghten the suspicions that the passengers were not who they claimed to be. All this made Rolf Sannes panic and instinctively run into the forest, but he was quickly shot down by the Germans. The other courier and driver were tied up and taken to Gestapo in Kongsvinger where they were interrogated and beaten, but did not reveal anything. Rolf Sanne’s body was buried by the Germans in the woods of Liermoen, about five kilometers east of Kongsvinger. After the war, the body was dug up and taken to Sannes native village Larvik, where he was re-buried.
Current status: Monument (2022).
Location: 60°06' 22.45" N 12°22' 36.70" E
Get there: Car.
Follow up in books: Greene, Jack, Massignani, Alessandro: Hitler Strikes North: The Nazi Invasion of Norway & Denmark, April 9, 1940 (2013).
The monument where Rolf Sannes was shot is located along a dirt road a little and was erected in the mid-fifties. It’s little worn with moss on it and the text is becoming difficult to read. Next to the monument is a simple description of the events. The grave in Liermoen where Sannes was temporarily buried is marked with a wooden cross and next to it is a small information board.