May 1945, Quisling makes a run for it...

[Cryptic]

Starring at the grainy photo of the executed Mussolini, he started to sweat. The photo, with its ominous caption, had been circulating through the capital courtesy of resistance groups.

The traitor mulled his chances. To stay put meant certain death. A potential, though very tenuos refuge, was just a border away. True safety, however, was harder to reach. There was Spain and possibly Switzerland. Much further out were the Fascist friendly regimes in Argentina, Paraguay and possibly Chile.

The traitor was isolated and his situation seemed hopeless. But there were glimmers of hope: There was no immediate danger of mob action, official arrest was possibly weeks away, and he had access to identity documents, cash, and by extension, perhaps even a piloted airplane.

What does Quisiling do? Can he escape and survive?

 

[Uff Da the optimist]

No.

Don't you dare let this vermin escape!

(Okay, this makes for a very interesting TL. Do go on my good sir!)

 

[zert]

If he does somehow escape, do the Norwegian authorities track him down and go after him overt or covert?

 

[Living in Exile]

He doesn't just have to be worried about the Allies, the Nazis are not going to take kindly to a rat leaving a sinking ship. So Switzerland is probably out of the question. Fortunately Sweden is right over the border. Finland also might be a refuge, having collaborated with Nazis during the war. Are there any examples of prominent Nazis who made it to those countries and then were extradited?

 

[Cryptic]

No.

Don't you dare let this vermin escape!

(Okay, this makes for a very interesting TL. Do go on my good sir!)

Thanks for the encouragement. I"ll do my best....

May 01, 1945

Planes, trains and Automobiles​

Quisiling downed another shot at his manor home and ran through the options again. Norway not the Stalinist USSR or ironically, NAZI Germany. His wife would not be deemed guilty by association. She could stay behind for now.

How to get out?​

Over land by car to Sweden? The images of Mussolini being caught and executed by partisans on a rural road flashed in his mind. Not a good idea.

An airplane to somewhere? Quisiling had German contacts who could give him access to a plane at a secure luftwafe field, he could pay a pilot well. German troops, though going to surrender any day, were still under orders to resist mobs and ad hoc resistance groups carrying out extrajudicial killings. The only problem - where would he fly to and would any german plane not make an attractive final kill tally of the war?

Trains? No, but a boat- yes. For once, Quisiling made a clear decision quickly. He first stop was going to be Telemark Province, the province of his birth and thankfully, the rural home of more than few Norweigan SS recruits for Wiking and Nord Divisions.

The first stage would need to be overland and entail some risks, but those risks could be minimized to a degree

to be cont.

 

[Uff Da the optimist]

Fortunately Sweden is right over the border. Finland also might be a refuge, having collaborated with Nazis during the war. Are there any examples of prominent Nazis who made it to those countries and then were extradited?

No.
Listen, after the war neither Finland nor Sweden was any kind of haven for nazi's.

Sweden would extradite him to Norway, or suffer a hostile neighbour and pariah-status amongst their European neighbours.
Finland had switched sides in '44, and might give him to the Soviet Union which they could use as a goodwill gesture by handing him over to Norway.

The man was f***ed, not "grand" enough to get help, and not small enough to be forgotten.

 

[Uff Da the optimist]

Trains? No, but a boat- yes. For once, Quisiling made a clear decision quickly. He first stop was going to be Telmark Province, the province of his birth and thankfully, the rural home of more than few Norweigan SS recruits for Wiking and Nord Divisions.
[/SIZE]

awesome

 

[Living in Exile]

I didn't think so, but even if Sweden or Finland are guaranteed to turn him over, it gives him a little extra time to figure out a new plan. Shave his head, grow a beard and dye it. That sort of stuff.

 

[oudi14]

Leon Degrelle made it to Spain [albeit barely] so why can't Quisling? BTW, was he the last person legally executed in Norway?

 

[usertron2020]

He doesn't just have to be worried about the Allies, the Nazis are not going to take kindly to a rat leaving a sinking ship. So Switzerland is probably out of the question. Fortunately Sweden is right over the border. Finland also might be a refuge, having collaborated with Nazis during the war. Are there any examples of prominent Nazis who made it to those countries and then were extradited?

Didn't one of Quisling's fellow travellers (I do not remember the name anymore) actually successfully take flight at the end of the war and escape to Spain? IIRC, he ran out of fuel and crash landed on a remote Spanish beach not far from the French border, and was left with two broken arms and several fractured ribs. But he was safe, under Franco. Apparently the guy was too small fry to draw the immediate attention of the Norwegian authorities, and Spain was an international pariah for nearly thirty years as it was.

 

[Uff Da the optimist]

Didn't one of Quisling's fellow travellers (I do not remember the name anymore) actually successfully take flight at the end of the war and escape to Spain?

Perhaps. But Quisling was Norway's traitor number 1 and would remain a priority until caught and put to trial.

 

[oudi14]

That was Leon Degrelle, who I mentioned in an earlier post.

Didn't one of Quisling's fellow travellers (I do not remember the name anymore) actually successfully take flight at the end of the war and escape to Spain? IIRC, he ran out of fuel and crash landed on a remote Spanish beach not far from the French border, and was left with two broken arms and several fractured ribs. But he was safe, under Franco. Apparently the guy was too small fry to draw the immediate attention of the Norwegian authorities, and Spain was an international pariah for nearly thirty years as it was.

 

[usertron2020]

That was Leon Degrelle, who I mentioned in an earlier post.

Yeah, I think our posts passed each other in cyberspace, there being only 5 minutes separation between them.

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

What is this guy guilty of exactly?

 

[Cryptic]

May 03, 1945

An unintended concequence:

The lurid photos of the lynched Mussolini with shrill proclamations of "The days of Reckoning have Come" circulating around Oslo did frighten collaborators and pro nazis. It also united them and drove them to action. Hundreds, if not thousands of them and their families were fleeing the capital and the apparently imminent lynch mobs for rural areas. News of actual lynch mobs rampaging in Prague gave speed to their flight.

A whirlwind of preperations:

First the pre recorded radio broadcasts were delivered- it was a simple trick designed to give the impression that Quisling was still in Oslo. Second, transport and weapons were secured from the Germans. Third, Quisling visited a designated nazi rally point- loudly assuring a hundred collaborators, flunkies, wanna be "Wikings" and their families that transport was coming for them and that he intended to remain in Oslo to make ammends to the new government.

The first part was true - the Germans had been generous with trucks, weapons and fuel. Quisling did care about his supporters. The second was false - Quisling's personal small, fast convoy was leaving for Telemark Province immediately.

The Race starts:

Quisling and his wife heaved a sigh of relief as Fyresdal, the small and insular town of his birth came into view. The allied boasts about a guerilla behind every bush were false - Quisling knew they were, but the actual confirmation was welcome. He and his compensated escort of 16 actual SS Nord / Wiking veterans from Telemark and their Oslo girl friends- some wearing way too much make up, completed the uneventful trip crammed into four heavily armed Kubelwagons. They shook hands and quickly parted ways.

Das Boot (well, Das fishing Boot):

to be cont...

 

[Meadow]

An original idea for a TL, with a robust and simply told story. I like it.

 

[Clandango]

From what I have read, Vidkun Quisling turned down the chance to escape when Léon Degrelle came to there to visit. The pair had met and badmouthed one of the Germans who had more power than both of them. Whatever can be said for the man, cowardness was not a major personality point for him. Though it might be partially due to his delusions or meekness. When stabbed he once went home and sat in a chair until someone found him. That and he turned himself into the authorities, though his suitcases filled with cigars, liquor, and chocolates suggest he still didn't realize he... Yah. Maybe an earlier point of divergence could be used though he might still do good if he escaped. A British writer later lied and claimed he had been shot in a coliseum full of people crying for his blood and managed to use his mastery of mathematics to keep standing after death. Looking at his Wikipedia page you can see what seem like reasonable motives. If you knew more though...

 

[Cryptic]

May 08, 1945

The stumbling start of the chase

LTC Bjorn Aaberg felt like he was the only man in Norway really trying to find Norway’s most wanted man. Though tens of thousands of Norweigans were filling the Royal Palace Square singing the national anthem, most had little interest in actively pursuing real or imagined traitors. They simply wanted to get over their hang overs and on with their lives.

"Slow" as applied to Bjorn's world:

- The search of Quisling's home, radio Norway, private offices, government ministries, and the homes of supporters in Oslo: 3 long, slow days.

- Realizing that Quisling might not actually be in Oslo: 1 entire agonizingly slow day

- Acting on that realization: 2 excruciatingly slow days and counting. Bjorn wanted to send an infantry battalion to Telemark province immediately (the most logical starting point of an expanded search), crack some heads and make arrests. The politicians, however, insisted on primarily police investigation. Of course, police investigations needed policies, procedures and well, investigators.


Das Boot and the Norweigan Travellers of Fyresdal, Telemark Province:

Brushing aside strong memories of his hometown, Quisling played up his local accent when speaking to the Reisende clan elder. He even slipped in a few words of their dialect that he had learned as a child. Throughout his childhood, the Norwegian travelers were frequent visitors to and to all nearby waters. In their small boats, the Reisende fished, smuggled, smuggled fish and smuggled fishy people for generations. Quisling's father, a local ship owner had periodically employed men from the clan for years. The apolitical Reisende knew Quisling's family and family ties met a lot to them. These ties of course, could and would be strengthened by cash infusions.

Sailing Plans and a new identity:

The arrangements were made, Maria would stay behind- for now. Quisling ceased to exist and became Hans Jensen, a displaced Dane. As for sailing, Sweden was attractive, but too close to home and had a very intact infrastructure - all the easier to identify him and to eventually deport him. That left few other choices....

to be cont...

Looking at his Wikipedia page you can see what seem like reasonable motives. If you knew more though...

Thanks. I am trying to do more research, and hope to include plausible, yet concise details

 

[Clandango]

His wife is Russian. Might be easy enough to pass her off as a refuge.

 

[Cryptic]

His wife is Russian. Might be easy enough to pass her off as a refuge.

Thanks for the tip about his wife .

It might also make them stand out more as a couple - "be on the look out for a Scandanavian male accompanied by a Russian female speaking accented Norweigan".

I am thinking that Quisling, who can can pass in general terms for Danish, Swedish or Norweigan based on language is more mobile traveling alone - for now. Maria would also lead to the doubling of bribes and other expenses.