Captain Gunnar Sonsteby, or simply Agent 24, was by far one of the most audacious and elusive resistance fighter of WWII.
After the German invasion of Norway in 1940, he quickly joined the ranks of the Norwegian resistance and began wreaking havoc deep behind enemy lines.
Within a short period of time, and with a little training from the SOE, he began to fulfill his day by assassinating high German officials, destroying supplies, railways, warships, factories, planes and gun batteries.
He was the head of the Oslo Gang, a 10 men group who became Europe's deadliest and most successful saboteurs of the war.
As one of the most wanted man in the country, he became a master of disguise. He operated under 30 to 40 different names and identities, and the Germans did not acquire his real name until near the end of the war. The Gestapo was never able to catch him despite using his father as a hostage for nearly 2 years.
He casually rode his bicycle through Oslo's streets and carried out many of his actions himself. He had 20 to 30 places where he spent the night, many for only one night at a time, and never used any of them for more than a couple months. To avoid detection, he moved from flat to flat almost daily. He carried a hand grenade at all times, so that he could commit suicide if he was arrested.
He became a master forger who could replicate the signatures and documents of high ranking Nazi Officers with incredible precision.
By the end of the war, he became the most highly decorated citizen in Norway, recognized for valor by several countries, including being the only person to this day to have been awarded the War Cross with three swords, Norway's highest military decoration. #ww2 #stayzero #zerofoxtrot