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Two German submarines U 318 and U 992 broke the surface in Hopsfjorden, Norway late the night of the 4th of May 1945. They continued to travel on the surface toward Hopseidet. 10 km away from the village the submarines put 30 men ashore, and they returned with a prisoner, a fisherman Ivar ÿye, who would be used as a guide further inland.
This operation was followed by Norwegians ashore. The local policeman in Sjanes informed The Military Command about the subs approaching Hopseidet. An observation post was situated in the village, and the soldiers and some volunteer civilians got ready for a fight by taking station in a couple of places with view to the shore.
On the 6th, between two and three o'clock, the Germans went ashore, and fire was opened from the defenders. After some heavy fire from machineguns the defenders were forced to retire. Only one man stayed behind on the beach; the "Bergen-man" Henry Mohr was hiding behind some big rocks while he was responding the fire with his light arms. When he finally ran out of ammo, he stretched his arms up and surrendered. He was badly mistreated by the Germans, but for some reason not shot. Together with the "guide" Ivar ÿye was taken aboard the sub.
Another fisherman was also wounded by the Germans. Mathis Persen had been hit in the knee early in the fight. He was laying in agony on a small grass-field close to the beach. A German soldier approached him, looked at his knee, shook his head and pointed his gun against his head. Persen begged for his life, the German put away his gun and put a bandage to Persens knee. Twice he went back with his gun lifted, but finally left the wounded man.
The Germans concentrated their energy elsewhere; all livestock they could find was gathered and shot. All the buildings who was in such a state that people could take shelter or live in, were blown up (It is necessary to remember that all houses were burned as the Germans redrew from the county in autumn 1944, and these houses were just improvised structures).
Sigurd Ferman was one of the witnesses to what happened. The Germans were leading six fishermen, who were taken prisoner as they were trying to make it for the mountains, towards the only building left in the village, a warehouse. The fishermen were lined up with their hands above their heads, and three Germans lined themselves up against them with their weapons ready. Just before the weapons were fired, the witness Ferman could hear one of the fishermen shout:" Are you firing at civilians.?" Ferman was stunned as he watched the six fishermen being executed. The victims were screaming. An officer then gave them coup de grace with his bayonet.
Two of the soldiers went inside and searched the building. It later showed that two of the fishermen had knives placed in their hands to make it look as they had been armed. Ferman identified the knives and knew that they were taken from the warehouse.
In the cellar of a cowshed Caroline Mikalsen were hiding with nine of her eleven children, the youngest only 4 months old. One daughter was away, and her husband and the eldest son were among the executed fishermen. The Germans become aware of the hideaways, and one soldier went inside the cowshed and fired his weapon through the roof, above which some of the children was hiding and nearly hit by the bullets. The eldest daughters were hiding inside a cupboard.
Caroline asked for mercy, but the soldier said triumphant that her husband and son were shot, and then he raped her with the children watching. As he left the cowshed, he threw a handgrenade in through a window. It landed in a basket of clothes and did not explode. One of her sons later carried the basket down to the sea.
After this the Germans went back to the beach. The loudspeakers on the subs played march-music, and a voice declared that Hopseidet was taken without German casualties, and that six enemies were fallen. The soldiers embarked the subs, and accompanied by loud music they left and were soon out of sight.
To the six bodies by the warehouse were attached propaganda-posters. The wounded man Mathis Persen was still laying down by the shore. Caroline Mikalsen heard his call for help and found him by rowing slowly along the shore. Her 14-year old son and herself carried the wounded, now unconscious man into shelter. Her nursing saved Persens life until the doctor arrived.
At 5 o'clock the following day Norwegian troops arrived at Hopseidet only to find that six innocent civilians lives were lost. Half an hour later the Germans in Norway surrenders, Hopseidet became the last German military action in Norway.
Later two German soldiers were put to trial in West-Germany, accused of the misdeed, but the case was dismissed in 1969. The soldiers claimed self- defence, and a Norwegian trial was never stated.
On the scene of the misdeed a memorial has been placed, bearing the following inscription:
"In memory of six sivilian unarmed fishermen, mishandled and shot by the Germans the 6. May 1945.
Leonard Eriksen 35 years
Einar Mikalsen 47 years
Johan Mikalsen 18 years
Harald Kristiansen 39 years
Henry Kristiansen 16 years
Reidar Karlsen 17 years
The German U-Boats involved were the "U-318" and the "U-992", which landed a platoon of Kleinkampf-Verband 35 under command of Korvettenkapitain Wolfgang Woerdermann at Hopseidet, near Gamvik in Finnmark county, 6th May, 1945. They executed six unarmed Norwegian civilians as well as committing other crimes. Both U-boat captains were tried after the War, but were found not guilty as the crimes committed were not committed by the U-boat crews. (Torstein Saksvik)
