Viking Magazine - August 2021 - 31

The first occurred in April 1945,
when they helped transport Nazi gold
and art treasures from the Kaiseroda
salt mine in Merkers, Germany, to
Frankfurt. The SS High Command
had been hiding much of the stolen
art and gold that they had pillaged
from the great collections of Europe.
Fortunately, once the cache was
discovered, the unit affectionately
known as the 'Monuments Men'
directed the movement of the treasure
transported back to safety, entrusted
to the men of the 99th and their
Regiment.
The even more shocking event
happened when some of the 99th
became witnesses to the concentration
camps of the Buchenwald complex.
The men from the 99th, made up
mostly of medical personnel, saw one
of the most horrible crimes in world
history up close. In fact, Captain
Raymond Minge, one of the medical
personnel for the 99th, wrote letters
home that were published in the
Fergus Falls Journal (Minnesota), his
hometown paper, which described the
horrors he witnessed.
Home to Norway
On May 8, 1945, Germany officially
surrendered. The 99th Infantry
Battalion and their Regiment were
Learn More
WEBSITE
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99th Infantry Battalion
Educational Foundation
99battalion.org
DVD
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given their classified mission and were
sent to Norway. While this sounded
like a dream location, there were still
over 300,000 undefeated well-armed
German troops that the Allies were
not completely sure would surrender
without a fight. Fortunately for the
Norwegian people and the Allies, they
did surrender and the 99th helped
disarm the Germans and arrest war
criminals.
On June 7, King Haakon VII
returned to Norway after five years
in exile. The 99th were asked to
serve as Honorary Guards upon the
King's arrival. While in Norway, the
99th socialized, visited relatives and
enjoyed the new freedom in Europe.
After five months in Norway, the
men of the 99th finally received orders
to return to the United States and
go back to their civilian lives. They
departed Oslo on the SS Bienville and
arrived in Boston on November 1,
1945.
If you would like to learn more or
have information to share about the
99th Infantry Battalion (Separate),
please contact Dr. Kyle Ward at
99thKW@gmail.com.
The men of this unit made their
mark after the war, too. But in true
Norwegian-American fashion, they
did so in a very quiet, stoic manner,
never bringing much attention to
themselves or their heroics during the
war. This is why a truly great story
about a brave group of men, has been
all but forgotten by history.
June 4, 1945
Lands in Norway.
June 7, 1945
Serves as King Haakon
VII's Honor Guard on his
return from exile.
Nov. 1, 1945
Arrives at Boston
to demobilize.
Haakon VII inspects 99th
Honor Guard soldiers at
Akershus Fortress in Oslo
on his return from five years
of exile.
sonsofnorway.com VIKING AUGUST 2021 31
TIMELINE PHOTOS (LEFT TO RIGHT): COURTESY 99TH INFANTRY BATTALION FOUNDATION, COURTESY 99TH INFANTRY BATTALION FOUNDATION, CPA MEDIA PTE LTD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, COURTESY 99TH INFANTRY BATTALION FOUNDATION

http://www.99battalion.org http://www.99battalion.org http://www.sonsofnorway.com

Viking Magazine - August 2021

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