Odd Øyen

Odd Toralf Øyen (8 September 1914 – 3 January 1997) was a Norwegian resistance member and anaesthesiological physician.

Early life and World War II

He was born in Oslo as a son of Lieutenant Colonel Toralf Øyen (1878–1963) and Elia Haugros (1876–1951). He took his examen artium at Riis in 1934. He enrolled in medicine studies in 1936, but his studies were interrupted by World War II. He participated in the Battle of Midtskogen on 10 April 1940, one day after Germany invaded Norway. He had finished basic officer training in 1936, and holding the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1940 he continued to participate in battles north of Midtskogen, in Østerdalen. Norway soon lost the battle phase of the Norwegian–German conflict, though, and entered a phase of occupation and secret resistance work.

In February 1944 Øyen became leader of weapons supply and stock of Milorg's District 13, the district covering Norway's capital district. The position was created by Oliver H. Langeland after some of the men handling weapon smuggling had been caught, most recently Mikael Hovhaugholen. Øyen's nom de guerre was "Gamle-Erik", a euphemism for Satan. His doublés were Olav Selvaag and Hans Heyerdahl. Selvaag was asked to become weapons leader originally, and took over on 9 April 1945 when Øyen established a paramilitary base in Nordmarka.Bror With had also been asked, by Jens Christian Hauge in 1943, but he rejected and instead volunteered to become a weapons manufacturer. He became best known for producing a hand grenade, but also mass-produced sten guns. All of this was highly illegal on Norwegian soil, and Øyen sometimes handled the weapons transport from production in Oslo to a testing site in Lommedalen. The weapons drops and manufacture grew in importance from September 1944, when Milorg started its sabotage group Aks 13000.