Våre falne 1939–1945 is a biographical encyclopaedia with short articles on Norwegians who lost their lives due to war-related reasons during World War II. The encyclopaedia was issued in four volumes from 1949 to 1951, by the Norwegian government, and contains around 11,000 biographies. The main editor was Arne Ording, with Gudrun Johnson and Johan Garder being responsible for the biographies.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
Arne Ording was a Norwegian historian and politician for Mot Dag and the Labour Party.
The editorial committee consisted of Aslaug Aasland, Gustav Natvig-Pedersen, Otto Lous Mohr, Einar Diesen, Erling Bryn and Markus Endresen. [1]
Gustav Natvig-Pedersen was a Norwegian philologist, educator and politician for the Labour Party. A school teacher and headmaster during his professional career, he served in Stavanger city council from 1922 to 1964 and three terms in the Norwegian Parliament; during one of these terms he was President of the Storting. He made his mark in language politics.
Otto Lous Mohr was a Norwegian medical doctor.
Einar Diesen was a Norwegian journalist and newspaper editor.
The encyclopaedia has been made available on-line.
