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<\/p>\nTr\u00f8ndelag County Municipality’s culture prize goes to the association OSS Gjefsj\u00f8en in Sn\u00e5sa. They receive the award for their work in disseminating the story of Operasjon RYPE, and the restoration of Gjefsj\u00f8en mountain farm, which was used as a base for the operation from March 1945.<\/p>\n
Gjefsj\u00f8en was a central place in the last months of the war in 1945 in connection with Operasjon RYPE. The operation aimed to sabotage the railway to delay the withdrawal of German troops. 17 soldiers lost their lives in these mountain areas, and Gjefsj\u00f8en has now been rebuilt as a memorial to their victim. OSS Gjefsj\u00f8en is still a young organization, but has already made a significant contribution to Tr\u00f8ndelag’s cultural life.<\/p>\n
– Since the establishment in 2018, they have restored Gjefsj\u00f8en mountain farm as it appeared when it was the headquarters of The Norwegian Operations Group (NORSE), codenamed “Operasjon RYPE” – this was the only American land operation in Norway during World War II, and thus has great symbolic significance for Norwegian-American military cooperation. That was where it all started in 1945, says Tore O. Sandvik.<\/p>\n
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Photo: Lars Bugge Aarset<\/p>\n
Gjefsj\u00f8en mountain farm and Operasjon RYPE are a section in the great story of World War II.<\/p>\n
The association OSS Gjefsj\u00f8en’s work to make the mountain farm a living cultural monument, gives us a Tr\u00f8ndelag entrance to this story. It has now been rebuilt to preserve the memory of Operasjon RYPE, as a symbol of Norwegian-American military cooperation, and as an example of the voluntary effort to preserve our important cultural monuments. Ebbe Deraas and Kristian Nastad received the award on behalf of OSS Gjefsj\u00f8en.<\/p>\n
– Thank you very much for the great honor that is shown to the association and our work in awarding this prize. That the news came as a big surprise is a significant understatement, not least considering all the good actors we find in Tr\u00f8ndelag’s cultural life. At the same time, we are both proud and happy. This award is a good source of inspiration for further work and effort, and the prize money will also come in handy to achieve the goals we have set ourselves.<\/p>\n
The year of volunteering 2022 is the year of volunteering. Then it is worth mentioning that countless hours of hard work have been put in to restore the mountain farm, including by the Home Guard, soldiers in the task force Rype, HV youths, veterans and pensioners. Gjefsj\u00f8en is a seven-hour march from the nearest road, which gives an insight into how challenging this restoration work has been. Gjefsj\u00f8en mountain farm now stands as a symbol of what volunteering can accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n