Background
Einar Skinnarland was born in Vinje, in Telemark county, Norway.
Einar Skinnarland was born in Vinje, in Telemark county, Norway.
Skinnarland graduated from Telemark Engineering College in Porsgrunn.
Skinnarland worked at the Norsk Hydro plant at the Vemork hydroelectric plant, and decided to escape to the United Kingdom to help the war effort. He participated as a wireless operator in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage at the Vemork hydroelectric plant, site of the heavy water production at Rjukan Falls in Telemark. He was the first agent to be sent to Rjukan, dropped on the Hardangervidda on 28 March 1942.
He had lived near the factory almost all of his life.
Skinnarland moved to Toronto in Canada in 1965 and helped build some of the world"s largest dams.
Norwegian Independent Company 1]
He reached Aberdeen with the hijacked coastal steamer Galtesund in 1942, and was soon enrolled as a member of the Norwegian Independent Company 1 (Norwegian: Kompani Linge) under the SOE.