Eiliv Austlid Eiliv Austlid was a Norwegian farmer and army officer who played a pivotal role in assuring the escape of the Norwegian government during the German invasion in 1940 . Killed in action , he was discredited during and following the war , but his record was restored as a result of a series of articles in the newspaper Dagningen . In 2010 , he received posthumously the War Cross with Sword , Norway ' s highest military decoration for valor . Biography . Austlid ' s father was a folk high school principal from Gausdal . After completing examen artium and Non - commissioned officer education , he enrolled and completed the higher division at the Norwegian Military Academy in 1923 , followed by the winter warfare division in 1923 - 24 . In 1924 he purchased the farm Såstad Søndre in Stange . He served as an aviator scout in the Norwegian army and received infantry training . He was promoted to captain in 1938 . Battle at Hagevollen . Following the invasion of Norway on April 9 , 1940 , the Norwegian government fled north to avoid German capture . At Dovre was the crossroads between the route to Åndalsnes on the coast and the main north - south route between Oslo and Trondheim . When the German invasion became known on April 9 , Austlid was a reserve officer whose mobilization point was at Madlamoen ( now KNM Harald Haarfagre ) in Stavanger . Cut off by the invasion from reaching this base , he instead reported at Terningmoen , where he was assigned a reduced infantry company consisting of reserve soldiers . Stationed in Hamar , he received orders a few days later to lead his troops north on a " special mission " for the Norwegian cabinet . Once his unit had caught up with cabinet ' s convoy near Fåvang , he learned that their mission was to form the vanguard for the advancing convoy as it proceeded north through Gudbrandsdalen . Arriving just short of Hagevollen , situated between the villages of Dovre and Dombås , a German position was discovered ahead . In keeping with military practices of the time , Austlid advised that an infantry reconnaissance squad move ahead while the convoy waited . Trygve Lie , who at the time was Minister of Provisioning , dismissed this course of action and ordered Austlid to make a frontal attack on the position . Austlid accepted the order but mentioned to a subordinate that such mission amounted to suicide . Meanwhile , Norwegian forces had engaged the German position with machine gun fire , which was returned with precise sniper fire . Two Norwegian soldiers were killed . Under cover of machine gun fire , Austlid and six volunteers ran 90 meters across open terrain under machine gun cover . At 50 meters ' range from the German positions , Austlid ordered his men to mount bayonet s . He was himself only armed with a handgun . As they stormed up the hill toward their objective , Austlid was shot in the chest and apparently died on the spot . The assault disintegrated after that , and the convoy made a disorderly retreat southwards . Nevertheless , it was clear that Austlid ' s operation has secured the convoy ' s progress and was therefore a tactical success . Aftermath . After the war , the aforementioned Trygve Lie wrote in his memoirs that Austlid and his men had walked unawares into a German ambush , and that his actions were hasty and reckless . Lie " washed his hands " of the matter and argued rhetorically that " what could we civilians do . " In an authoritative war history written by Otto Munthe - Kaas repeated this version of events , though Munthe - Kaas called for a further investigation of the matter " in fairness to Austlid and his boys . " An article series by Minda Flattum in the Norwegian regional newspaper Dagningen showed discrepancies between the official version , as reflected in Trygve Lie ' s memoirs , and eyewitness reports . Austlid ' s son Bjørnar Austlid conducted a private investigation by finding his father ' s brother in arms and other witnesses and found that previous accounts of combat operations had been factually misleading and libelous of captain Austlid . An article in the journals of the historical association at Stange , the efforts of retired colonel Ulmar Wollan , and the interest of minister of defense Anne - Grete Strøm - Erichsen led to the restoration of Austlid ' s reputation . It became clear that while Trygve Lie clearly did not have the command authority he sought to impose on Austlid , Austlid nevertheless made an assault characterized by competence and courage . On March 24 , 2010 , prime minister Jens Stoltenberg attended the posthumous award of the War Cross with Sword to Eiliv Austlid , represented by three of his children . This was the first time in 60 years that the medal has been awarded . The site of Austlid ' s assault is visible from European route E6 north of Dovre at On April 15 , 2010 , on the 70th anniversary of Austlid ' s death , Stange historielag ( Stange historical association ) published a book about Austlid ' s contributions , how his reputation was mistreated by historians , bureaucratic obstacles to restoring it , and how individuals succeeded in ascertaining the true facts .