Terje Rollem Terje Rollem ( born Terje Rolld Martinsen ; 16 September 1915 – 4 April 1993 ) was a Norwegian oberst and officer in Milorg during the German occupation of Norway . He is best known for assuming command of Akershus Fortress from the German occupiers at the end of the Second World War . Early life . Terje Rollem was born in Bærum to a clerk named Theodor Georg Martinsen and his wife Margit Dagny Berner Høglund . After taking exams at Holte Gymnasium in Denmark , Rollem entered Stabekk Upper Secondary School with a focus on " realfag " ( emphasis on primarily science and mathematics ) . He finished the examen artium in 1934 , and the next year began his military career at the Officer Candidate School for " Kavaleriet " ( armored vehicle branch of the Norwegian Army , lit . " the cavalry " ) located at Gardermoen Air Station . He attended two more schools in the years following : Wangs Vocational School in 1939 and Oslo Technical School in 1941 . Role in the Norwegian resistance . Rollem was a second lieutenant conscript in the Norwegian Army when war broke out in Norway . Rollem began driving to the front at Trøndelag on 11 April 1940 , two days after the invasion began . However , a German roadblock in Dombås prevented him from reaching the front , so he travelled to Hamar to join up with Dragonregiment No . 2 ( DR 2 ) . With DR 2 Rollem fought in several battles to prevent the German advance , including in Gudbrandsdalen , and was fighting in Åndalsnes when the Norwegians surrendered . After the Norwegians ' defense against Germany failed , Rollem returned to finish his degree at Oslo Technical School . In 1941 he was hired at the engineering firm Ingeniør Falkenberg , where he worked until 1944 . It was during this period that Rollem became involved with illegal work for the Norwegian resistance organization Milorg , division D 13 . 233 ( Oslo area between Akerselva and Lysakerelva ) , and in 1944 he began working for the organization full - time . To avoid detection , Rollem moved from his home in Blommenholm to a cabin in Sollihøgda , which became his base of operations when he was chosen as the Milorg head of district D 13 , comprising the greater Oslo area . Among other activities , Rollem trained volunteers at Katnosa farm , a resistance base on the banks of Katnosa that was 50 soldiers strong . On the night of 8 May 1945 , the Milorg men were informed via radio of the German capitulation . Rollem was suddenly responsible for mobilizing his troops to retake buildings all over Oslo . Tensions were high as armed German units still roamed the city streets , and in the first days of Oslo ' s retaking , six people were killed by uneasy soldiers . Akershus handover . At 10 : 15am on 11 May 1945 , Rollem was ordered to retake Akershus Fortress for Norway , and he sent a messenger to inform the Germans of their arrival . Rollem , who was stationed nearby at Tollbugata 11 , assembled a force of 100 men who carried many Norwegian flags on their march towards the castle at 1 : 00pm . Though Rollem had the full cooperation of the commanding officer , Major Josef Nichterlein , the fortress was still a major stronghold for the Germans , and there were doubts whether they would surrender peacefully . Rollem later said of the incident : The handover occurred at 2 : 30pm , on the square in front of the fort kommandant ' s residence . Rollem had insisted on not having a photographer along , feeling that there was no need for such a photograph and the high - strung German soldiers might mistake the camera snaps for gunfire . However , Rollem ' s supervisor , platoon leader Viggo Didrichson , sent anyway for photographer Johannes Stage to join them on their march to the castle . The handover was captured in a photograph that was later displayed in homes across Norway as symbol of Norwegian liberation . The photograph was taken by Stage with Didrichson by his side , supervising the handover . Terje Rollem is shown standing at attention as Major Nichterlein gives a grim salute along with his adjutant Captain Hamel . Rollem was dressed in old uniform pants refashioned into knickerbockers , Selbu pattern stockings , and a jacket covered by a Milorg armband , a bandolier , and a belt that held his handgun . This outfit , in stark contrast to the neatly uniformed Germans , was an image that represented for many people the everyman regaining control of his country from German oppression . " Luckily Didrichson was more sensible than me , " said Rollem in a January 1981 interview with Vi Menn . " He realized the importance of photographic documentation . That the transfer was a historic moment did not cross my mind . I was just concerned with my assignment . Today I am very glad the photographer was present . " After some words between the two men , with Rollem speaking in broken German , Nichterlein gave one last five minute speech to the soldiers at the fortress . Along with Captain Hamel , Rollem went around the castle grounds , replacing German guards with his own Milorg men . Two Poles condemned to death were freed , and a Norwegian flag was raised , allegedly the same one that was lowered at the fortress in 1940 . Nichterlein and his men were transferred to a prisoner - of - war camp in Skien . Nichterlein ' s imprisonment . Josef Nichterlein had been a renowned pianist before his involvement in the war , playing in venues all across Europe , such as in Paris , Madrid , and Royal Albert Hall in London . While imprisoned in Skien he kept in contact with Albert Schweitzer , a personal friend who he had toured with on piano with Schweitzer playing organ . The Norwegian guards were quite fond of Nichterlein and many asked him to sign the famous liberation photograph . Nichterlein agreed , but said of the photo , " I hope nobody thinks that I brought my hand up for a Hitler salute in the picture — because that man I have loathed all my life . " Nichterlein was sent back to Germany in August 1945 , but died only a week after he returned home and saw his wife and children again . Postwar years . Rollem continued his military career after the war ended , spending a year at military academy in 1946 and the next year becoming a rittmester in " Kavaleriet " and an office manager for " Forsvarsstaben " in Akershus Fortress , where he gathered intelligence for the military . At the same time , he also worked as a manager at the Granli logging company in Kongsvinger until 1949 . In 1951 he began studies at the Royal Military School ( ) in Stockholm . He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1956 and served as a chief of staff for " Kavaleriet ' s " ordnance personnel . In 1960 he once again attended military school , this time at the Military University College ( ) , and in 1962 he was promoted to oberst and commander for NATO ' s Allied Forces Northern Europe in Kolsås . From 1971 until his retirement in 1980 Rollem was head of the Directorate of Public Roads ' military branch . Terje Rollem was married to Margit Dagny Berner Høglund on the 9 June 1944 , the same year he adopted Rollem as his surname and dropped his middle name . They were divorced in 1978 , after which Rollem lived with his partner Liv Sjetne . After his retirement in 1980 , Rollem lived in Lillehammer and maintained his keen interest in the military . He died on 4 April 1993 , outlived by his partner Sjetne , and was buried in Lillehammer . In 1995 , on the 50th anniversary of Norway ' s liberation , a postage stamp was issued in Rollem ' s honor . Rollem was a recipient of the Defence Medal 1940 – 1945 with a rosette to indicate his further role in the Norwegian resistance after the initial fight against Germany .