Ragnar Skancke: Minister for Church and Educational Affairs (1942-1945)

Background

In 1908 he became a student, and in 1913 gained a Bachelor of Engineering in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Skancke worked as a docent at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim from 1913 to 1918, and then spent the next five years as an supervising engineer at the telecommunication company Elektrisk Bureau. From 1923 onwards, Skancke was a professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. He married Ingrid Aas (born 1888) in 1927.

As a young engineer, Skancke distinguished himself as a pioneer in radar research. He joined NS in 1933.

At the University of Göttingen's 200th anniversary in 1937, Skancke represented NTH. Also present were Professor Birger Meidell and Rector Didrik Arup Seip, both from the University of Oslo. The traditional academic procession was dominated by marching students in SS uniforms and swastikas. This was an important National Socialist propaganda show, attended by academics from all over Europe. However, Oxford and Cambridge universities refused to participate.

World War II collaboration

The first political position given to Professor Skancke was that of Minister of Labour in Vidkun Quisling's April 1940 "coup" government, the latter's attempt at seizing power in Norway following the German invasion of 9 April. Skancke was in Trondheim at the time, and only heard of his appointment when it was announced on the radio. He reacted with opposition to Quisling's attempt to form a government, refusing to assume the ministry allotted to him.

Terboven council and NS government

Reichskommissar Josef Terboven, the leading civilian German leader in occupied Norway, on 25 September 1940 appointed a council of Norwegian ministers to assist him in governing Norway. Skancke was appointed as Councillor of State for Church and Educational Affairs, and was given the title Minister for Church and Educational Affairs exactly a year later.

Acts during war

During his collaborationist work in occupied Norway Skancke mostly acted in passive ways, but did not hesitate to enact countermeasures if he met opposition to his work. Although not taking a leading part in the attempted nazification of the Norwegian Church and school system, he did take full responsibility for the sacking of bishops, priests and teachers opposed to National socialist teachings. He also ordered Norwegian teachers and school children to attend a Hitler Youth exhibition in Oslo in February 1941, which led to the first school strike of the occupation, and ordered the confiscation of books by authors opposed to Quisling. Skancke, however, was completely opposed to the deportation to Finnmark of teachers who would not institute the new teaching programmes. In one instance of refusal to cooperate fully with the German authorities, Skancke delayed acting on an order from Reichskommissar Terboven issued on 5 July 1941 that all Norwegian church bells were to be sent to Germany for smelting and use in the war industry. The case dragged out until it was handed over to minister of trade Eivind Blehr in 1942. Blehr refused to release the bells, leading to several confrontations with Terboven until the Germans were later persuaded to drop the demands, saving all the bells.

Post-war conviction and execution

Trials

Following the May 1945 German capitulation in Norway and the rest of Europe, Skancke was put on trial for treason. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1946. In March 1947, the Norwegian Supreme Court rejected Skancke's appeals and confirmed the sentence. In response to the confirmation of his sentence, Skancke attempted to get a retrial, presenting new evidence and witness testimonies. During this process, the mood in Norway largely changed with many calls for clemency for the former collaborationist minister.

Execution

As all calls for clemency were rejected Skancke was executed by firing squad at Akershus Fortress on 28 August 1948, the last person to be executed in Norway, which has since abolished capital punishment for all crimes, including war crimes and treason. Before his execution, the Norwegian High Court had received letters from 668 priests who begged for mercy on Skancke's behalf. Ragnar Skancke was one of only three Norwegian National Socialist leaders to be executed for political crimes in the post-war legal purge, the others being Quisling and Internal affairs minister Albert Viljam Hagelin, all the 34 other Norwegians and Germans executed in the post war process having been convicted of murder, torture or systematic informing.