Rinnan Gang: Traitors Who Infiltrated Norway’s Resistance in WW2
Spies & Intelligence in WWII
•
13m
April 1940, Norway. German occupation brings fear, repression, and division. While many turn to resistance, others choose collaboration. Among them emerges the Rinnan Gang — one of the most feared groups in occupied Norway.
Formed in 1942 and working under the German Security Service (SD), the group led by Henry Rinnan specialized in infiltration and betrayal. Posing as resistance members, they gained trust, exposed networks, and sent their victims to arrest, imprisonment, or death.
Operating from Trondheim, they carried out brutal interrogations and helped dismantle resistance across central Norway. By the end of the war, hundreds had been tortured and dozens killed.
After 1945, surviving members were arrested, and trials revealed the full scale of their crimes. Many were sentenced to death and executed.
This is a story of betrayal, terror, and justice.
Up Next in Spies & Intelligence in WWII
-
French Resistance Leader Who Betrayed...
6 June 1944, France. As Allied forces land in Normandy, the French Resistance rises to support the liberation. Sabotage spreads across the country, and hope returns to occupied towns.
But in Bordeaux, the resistance carries a deep wound. André Grandclément, once a leading figure in the undergrou...
-
British Traitor Theodore Schurch: Fas...
10 July 1940. As the Battle of Britain begins and Nazi Germany launches a massive aerial assault against the United Kingdom, most Britons stand firm in defiance. Yet not all follow this path. Among those who choose betrayal is Theodore Schurch, a British soldier drawn to fascist ideology long bef...
-
British Traitor Who Betrayed 150 to t...
Early May 1940. Nazi Germany launches its Blitzkrieg across Western Europe, crushing France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in a matter of weeks. As Paris falls and France surrenders, a new reality takes hold—one of occupation, fear, and collaboration.
Amid the chaos, one man makes a choice that w...
