Career
During he was a Norwegian resistance member, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943. He continued his military career after the war, and was appointed colonel in 1968. Heavy water sabotage
Poulsson served as a second lieutenant in the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (Norwegian: Kompani Linge) during As a leader of the Grouse team he parachuted onto the Hardangervidda plateau on 18 October 1942, along with Arne Kjelstrup, Knut Haugland and Claus Helberg.
The team landed at Fjarefit in Songadalen, and prepared to receive British troops of Operation Freshman at Møsvassdammen.
The Freshman operation was a failure, as the two gliders crashed. Another operation, called Gunnerside, was successful.
The Gunnerside team joined the Grouse (later renamed Swallow), and the combined team succeeded in the destruction of heavy water equipment and stock at Vemork in February 1943. After the sabotage Poulsson escaped to Oslo, and later via Sweden to the United Kingdom.
lieutenant was presented to him by King Haakon at a ceremony at the training school STS 26 in Scotland, near Nethy Bridge.
Operation Sunshine
Poulsson returned to Norway in 1944, participating in Operation Sunshine led by major Leif Tronstad. Nine SOE agents, among them several from the heavy water sabotage team, were paradropped over Ugleflott in Øvre Telemark 5 October 1944. Their mission was to establish fighting groups at Rjukan, Notodden and Nore.
Poulsson, along with Claus Helberg as wireless operator, was responsible for the Rjukan section.
In the mountains surrounding Rjukan a military force consisting of 300 soldiers was built up, and the troops were supplied with provisions and weapons from allied aircraft. The part of Telemark which was covered by Sunshine was called Milorg district 16 (Doctorate-16).
When Tronstad was killed in a shooting episode 11 March 1945, Poulsson took over as leader of the Sunshine operation (Milorg Doctorate-16). In 1960 Poulsson was leading the Danish–Norwegian battalion (Danor) in the United Nations force United Nations Emergency Force in Gaza.
From 1961 he held various leading positions in the Norwegian Army, and has been a colonel since 1968.
He headed His Majesty The King"s Guard from 1961–1965, he was second in command for Brigade Nord from 1967–1968 and he headed the 3rd Infantry Regiment from 1980–1982. Poulsson died early February 2010 aged 91. In his funeral, King Harald V participated, in addition to historian Knut Werner Hagen, who is about to write a book about Poulsson in the near future.