Wilhelm Mohr

PART I – The Contribution of the Norwegian Air Forces
Inactive pilots show signs of restlessness
Naturally – and Captain Øen makes the same point – the group of
inactive pilots in London at the time were becoming frustrated and
impatient. Their main wish was to get into the RAF and take their share
in the war as soon as possible.
Captain Øen concluded that, as France had now capitulated, Canada
offered the only opportunity for Norway to establish a training base in
order to raise identifiable Norwegian air units. Such a solution was to
be preferred.
The Government of Norway was by this time established in London.
Captain Øen’s proposal, supported by the Army Command, was
approved on 19 June. A similar arrangement for the training and furnishing
of naval air units was also approved. An aide memoire reflecting
this view was submitted to the British Government on 10 July 1940,
UK renders support. Camp «Little Norway» takes
shape.
It is fair to assume that the Norwegian proposal was not accepted by
the British without reluctance. At the time the British wanted as many
pilots as they could muster. Poles, Czechs, Belgians and Dutch were
already in service. They did, however, acquiesce, whereupon the British
Air Ministry gave the plan its full support.
All efforts were now focused on setting up a joint training establishment
in Canada. This became known as «Little Norway». Rapid progress
was made. The camp was erected adjacent to the Island Airport in
the harbour area of Toronto. Elementary training aircraft of the type
Fairchild PT-19 and then PT-26 Cornell were acquired, and the operational
aircraft on order, mentioned earlier, were delivered. The camp
was inaugurated on 10 November 1940. Personnel at that time numbered
about 300. Most of the student pilots had escaped from Norway
via the UK or via Sweden and Russia (Siberia and the Pacific). Many of
the technical trainees were selected from the Merchant Marine and they
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