The Sabotage of Sønderåbrua 14th March
1945.
In late Autumn 1944, the Germans started a massive
offensive in the Ardennes.
SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary
Force) wished that the Norwegian Home Forces should make great
efforts to delay the transportation of German troops to the
continent. The HF were ordered to initiate sabotage on the railways
in southern Norway. They planned the operation 'Betongblanding'
(concrete mixing), and in the middle of March several acts of
sabotage were carried out on railway constructions. The sabotage of
this bridge was part of this plan.
The HF in Drangedal and Kragero were ordered to
plan the blowing up of this bridge and 10 men carried out the
mission on the evening of 14th March 1945.
4 men from Drangedal, 4 from Kragero, 1 from Skien and 1 from
Tønsberg.
The map on the information board shows the trip
some of the men walked to bring the explosives etc. to the bridge.
A distance of about 30km each way.
The operation was very successful. The bridge was
divided into 2 and the parts fell into the river. No-one was hurt
during the incident.
This act delayed rail traffic on the Sørlandsbanen
for about 3 weeks. German troops ordered people from the area to
take part in the rebuilding of the bridge.
On the 9th April 1945, saboteurs from the HF blew
up the Solberg bridge and delayed rail traffic even further.
