Norwegian Spitfire Foundation

Hjem
Norge
Kjeller
Norwegian Spitfire Foundation

Norwegian Spitfire Foundation's vision:

To acquire, restore, operate and maintain Spitfires.

Our goal is:
To exploit the tremendous channel of communication within a flying Spitfire to:
- remember and tell the story of this aircraft and its importance for the outcome of the 2WW and for the creation of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
- show the Spitfire in its true element as an inspiration to younger generations.
- to focus on history, aviation and aerospace technology.
- contribute to understand the importance of Norway's Defence and recruitment to its Forces.

08/08/2026

Robert Gottfried Schwencke Hassel (3 July 1914 – 14 January 1945)

Robert Gottfried Schwencke Hassel was born in Hamar, Norway, on 3 July 1914. Following the German occupation of Norway, he joined the growing number of Norwegians determined to continue the fight from abroad. In March 1941, he left Svolvær during Operation Claymore, travelling to Britain aboard HMS Tartar and arriving in London on 7 March 1941.

Accepted into the Norwegian Air Force training program in exile, Hassel trained in Canada as part of Flyverkull I, qualifying as a pilot in late 1941. After completing advanced training and operational conversion with No. 61 Operational Training Unit, he joined RAF No. 154 Squadron in June 1942 before transferring to No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron on 31 August 1942.

Flying the Spitfire, Hassel took part in fighter sweeps and offensive operations over occupied Europe during some of the most intense periods of the air war. He was credited with combat on 17 January 1943 and continued operational flying with 332 Squadron until August 1943, when he joined RAF No. 611 Squadron. In 1944 he returned to 332 Squadron after a period with 84 Group Support Unit, rejoining the Norwegian fighter wing as Allied forces advanced across Western Europe.

By the beginning of 1945, Hassel held the rank of Lieutenant and was an experienced combat pilot. On 14 January 1945, while flying Spitfire Mk IX PV302, coded AH-F, he was engaged in combat with German Focke-Wulf Fw 190s over northwestern Germany. His aircraft was shot down between Rheine and Osnabrück, and he was killed in action. He was reported missing after the mission before his loss was later confirmed.

For his wartime service, Hassel was awarded the Norwegian War Medal with Star and King Haakon VII's 70th Anniversary Medal.

05/08/2026

Jan Eigil Løfsgaard, DFC (17 November 1920 – 12 October 1942)

Jan Eigil Løfsgaard was born in Oslo on 17 November 1920. During the German invasion of Norway in 1940, he served with the Guard Company in Gudbrandsdalen from 9 April until 13 May. Determined to continue the fight after Norway's defeat, he escaped from occupied Norway from Fosnavåg on 5 November 1940, arriving in Lerwick, Shetland, the following day.

In January 1941, Løfsgaard was sent to Canada as part of the second Norwegian Air Force training class (Flyverkull II). He attended the Army Flying School in Toronto and qualified as a pilot, graduating with the service number 384 and ranking sixth in his class. After returning across the Atlantic in November 1941, he continued his operational training with RAF No. 61 Operational Training Unit from December 1941 to March 1942.

On 31 March 1942, Løfsgaard joined No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron's B Flight as a Wing Sergeant. Flying Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vbs, he quickly proved himself an able and aggressive fighter pilot. He took part in offensive sweeps and fighter operations over occupied Europe during a period when the squadron was increasingly engaged against experienced German fighter units.

His combat record included operational engagements on 30 July and 19 August 1942. For his courage and skill in action, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), in addition to the Norwegian War Medal and King Haakon VII's 70th Anniversary Medal.

Løfsgaard's final combat took place on 12 October 1942. Flying Spitfire Mk Vb W3502, coded AH-S, he was engaged in combat with Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters south of Dunkirk. His aircraft was hit, forcing him to bail out over occupied France. After landing east of Saint-Omer, he resisted capture by German troops either during or after being emprisoned, and was shot and killed during the struggle. He was only 21 years old.

Jan Eigil Løfsgaard is buried at Cimetière des Bruyères, Saint-Omer, France. He is remembered as one of the young Norwegian fighter pilots who gave their lives in the struggle to liberate Europe, and whose sacrifice became part of the proud wartime legacy of 332 Squadron

01/08/2026

Gregers W. Gram was one of the few Norwegian Spitfire pilots who later went on to fly four-engined aircraft during the Second World War. As a pilot with No. 332 (Norwegian) Squadron, he distinguished himself on 13 May 1943 when he shot down the German fighter ace Otto Stammberger.

On that day, Gram was flying Spitfire FN-R as Blue 2 to Blue Leader Kristian Nyerrød. Holding the advantage in altitude, the pair dived on Stammberger's Fw 190. Nyerrød fired first but missed. Gram's attack struck home, forcing Stammberger to bail out and descend safely by parachute.

In November 1944, Gram was posted to No. 313 Ferry Training Unit at North Bay, Ontario, Canada, where he qualified on the North American B-25 Mitchell and the Lockheed Lodestar/Hudson. He was subsequently transferred to RAF Transport Command, 45 Group. As a co-pilot, he completed two South Atlantic crossings in the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. In February 1945, he flew a Douglas C-54 Skymaster from Casablanca via the Azores to Stephenville, Newfoundland. He also carried out several ferry flights in the Douglas C-47, often serving as aircraft captain.

After the war, Gram possessed exactly the type of experience sought by Det Norske Luftfartselskap (DNL), and later Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), where he enjoyed a long and successful airline career. Following his retirement from SAS, he worked for several years as an inspector with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Administration.

A lighter piece of squadron folklore concerns the famous beer-drinking contests between 331 and 332 Squadron. According to legend, 332 nearly always won whenever Gregers Gram took part. The reason? While everyone else had to swallow their beer, Gram supposedly just poured it straight in. Whether entirely true or not, the story has become part of the enduring humour and camaraderie associated with the Norwegian fighter squadrons.

29/07/2026

Ground crew doing engine work on a Spitfire from 332 Squadron. Working long hours in all weather, they ensured that Spitfires, Mosquitos and other aircraft were ready for combat, reconnaissance and convoy protection missions. Their skill, commitment and courage were essential to the squadrons' success and made a significant contribution to Norway's wartime effort and eventual liberation.

25/07/2026

In May 1942, the pilots of 331 (Norwegian) Squadron finally received the news they had been hoping for. After months of defending Scapa Flow from the windswept Orkney Islands, they were ordered south to RAF North Weald, one of Fighter Command’s most famous stations and a key Battle of Britain airfield. The move meant they were leaving quiet defensive duties behind and entering the heart of the offensive air war over occupied Europe.

On their journey south, 331 stopped at RAF Catterick, where the newly formed 332 (Norwegian) Squadron was based and training on Spitfires. While the visit was a reunion among fellow Norwegians, there was reportedly a fair amount of envy as well. 331 was heading for North Weald and combat operations over France, while 332 still had to remain behind and complete its work-up.

The jealousy did not last long. In June 1942, 332 also moved south to North Weald, and together the two squadrons formed the famous Norwegian Wing commanded by David Scott-Malden. From there they flew fighter sweeps, bomber escorts, and operations over occupied Europe, building a combat record that would become legendary in Norwegian aviation history.

22/07/2026

Slightly manual labour, this! Norwegian ground crew filling up the Spitfire fuel tank the manual way. Perhaps from the continent post invasion? Maybe someone got more info.

Photo: unknown.

Since the image creates some debate: The 'original' digital file isn't the original photograph. It's is 2005 scan from a printed book from the 1980s that introduced severe moiré artifacts. The AI restored version removes those scanner artifacts as well as severe brightness in the image, although, like any restoration, some fine details are reconstructed.

05/07/2026

Operating a piece of history. Since leaving the Norwegian Air Force in 1959, 67 years later Norseman R-AF is now under Norwegian state ownership again. The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum (FhM) has taken ownership of the only airworthy Noorduyn Norseman in Europe, and Norwegian Spitfire Foundation has the privilege to operate the aircraft.

Bring your friends and family in a group of 7 for a unique historical flight experience over Oslo. Experience the smells and sounds of our history. We have selected dates available on our website or contact us for a personal reservation.

https://www.norwegianspitfire.com

24/06/2026

"Spitfire Summer".

This one being Kaj Birksted personal Spitfire while flying as Wing Commander at North Weald.

He was one of the remarkable Scandinavian fighter pilots of the Second World War.

Born in Copenhagen in 1915, Birksted was already a trained Danish naval pilot when Germany invaded Denmark on 9 April 1940. Only days later, he escaped from occupied Denmark by boat to Sweden, before eventually reaching Britain. From there his war took a very Norwegian turn. He trained at “Little Norway” in Canada and was accepted into the Norwegian Air Force, before returning to Britain and frontline fighter operations.

Birksted first flew Hurricanes, but it was with 331 Squadron that his name became closely linked with the Spitfire. By 1942 he was flying from North Weald, and on 19 June that year he made his first combat claims against Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. He later commanded 331 Squadron, before becoming Wing Leader of No. 132 Norwegian Wing in 1943, flying the Spitfire Mk IX.

By the end of the war, Kaj Birksted had claimed ten enemy aircraft destroyed, plus one shared, and five damaged. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, the OBE, and Norway’s War Cross with Sword.

22/06/2026

Book a flight with the Noorduyn Norseman! The only flying Norseman in Europe.

Norseman LN-TSN landed today at Kjeller! A long awaited arrival.

Booking for flights with the Norseman LN-TSN are available under «FLY WITH US» on our website. We have published a few dates initially, with more to come.

Flights will take place from our base at Kjeller, near Oslo in Norway.

Our Noorduyn Norseman LN-TSN was built in Canada in 1944 and acquired by the Royal Norwegian Air Force in 1945. The Norseman played an important role in both Norwegian post war- and aviation history. The aircraft is currently owned by Norwegian Armed Forces Museum / Forsvarshistorisk museum (FhM) and operated by Norwegian Spitfire Foundation.

https://www.norwegianspitfire.com

19/06/2026

Happy to bring you a translated piece on Mosquito navigator Erling Victor Johanssen from 12th of October 1998. This piece from Fædrelandsvennen gives a brief but remarkable glimpse into his story, from escape across the sea and service with the Norwegian air force, to being shot down off Haugesund with Finn Eriksrud and surviving captivity in Stalag Luft 3.

Erling Victor Johanssen – 80 years old – pensioner

Seaman, fighter pilot and businessman

Director Erling Victor Johanssen, Vinrankevej 9, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark, turns 80 on Tuesday, 13 October.

The now retired businessman was born in Kristiansand. He is the grandson of printer Petrus Johanssen, who together with O. Chr. Tangen started Fædrelandsvennen in 1875. There were six boys and one girl in the family. The only surviving siblings are the jubilarian and two younger brothers, Georg and Eilif, who live in Kristiansand.

The Norwegian-Danish Erling Victor Johanssen has had a varied and exciting life. After passing his examen artium, he went to sea in 1939. The Second World War had begun when the ship was seized by the Vichy regime in Toulon, France, and sent to Oran in Algeria for internment. After a year of unemployment, Johanssen and six members of the crew escaped in a stolen lifeboat to a Norwegian neighbouring boat. After thirteen days of hard sailing, they reached Cartagena in Spain. From there they continued to Gibraltar and took the first boat to England.

Johanssen joined the Norwegian air force. He wanted to become a pilot, but failed the eye test. He trained instead as a navigator and became operational in 1942, attached to 333 (Norwegian) Squadron. The squadron was equipped with Mosquito aircraft, with a crew consisting of a skipper/pilot and navigator.

The war was hard on 333 Squadron. In the autumn of 1943 there was only one Mosquito left out of six; the rest had been shot down and the crews killed. On his 21st birthday, off the coast of Norway on 18 December, skipper Finn Eriksrud and navigator Johanssen shot down their third enemy aircraft outside Haugesund. Their own aircraft, however, was so badly damaged that Eriksrud had to put it down on the sea. It was smashed to pieces and they ended up in the water.

Things were going badly, but Eriksrud pulled his comrade out through the roof hatch by the hair and up to the surface. They were rescued by a Norwegian fisherman, but soon afterwards the Germans caught them. In January 1944 they ended up in the prison camp Stalag Luft 3 near Breslau in Germany, and around New Year they were moved to Luckenwalde. As the liberators approached from both east and west, Eriksrud and Johanssen saw their chance to escape from the camp.

They headed westwards, and one day ran into a jeep with smiling American soldiers. The two were taken care of and sent to Belgium, then on to London, and in June 1945 they were back home in Norway again.

Erling Victor Johanssen became an active businessman after an interlude as a flight telegraphist with Det Norske Luftselskap and as SAS representative in Geneva. He later established three different companies, including the electronics business with French and American producers as suppliers.

Johanssen started a family in Denmark and achieved great success with his business. His wife, Hanna, died in 1992 after a long and painful illness. He then felt somewhat worn out, sold all three companies and withdrew into retirement.

For many years, the jubilarian had golf as a hobby, and he was very concerned with keeping physically fit. He still takes care of some business operations, but otherwise lives relatively quietly in his pleasant home in Hellerup by Copenhagen, together with his girlfriend. He has kept his good humour, as well as his opinions about life and learning. He is warmly congratulated on the day.

Adresse

Småflyhavna
Kjeller
2007

Nettsted

http://www.norwegianspitfire.com/

Varslinger

Vær den første som vet og la oss sende deg en e-post når Norwegian Spitfire Foundation legger inn nyheter og kampanjer. Din e-postadresse vil ikke bli brukt til noe annet formål, og du kan når som helst melde deg av.