Per Imerslund

Who was Per Imerslund?

Nils Per Imerslund, born in Kristiania, Norway, was one of the most prominent figures in the national socialist scene in the pre-World War II Norway. He first gained prominence at home and abroad with the publication in 1936 of his début book, Das Land Noruega, a fictionalised autobiography of his youth in Mexico. His blond, blue-eyed stature and extravagant way of life gave him the position of "det ariske idol". A loathing of his homosexuality and self-perceived feminine traits, led him to frequently risk his life. He lived most of his early years in Mexico and Germany, fought with the Sturmabteilung in Berlin in the 1930s, fought with the fascist Falange in the Spanish Civil War, and finally joined Hitler's Waffen-SS to fight in Ukraine and Finland, where he was severely injured. He died at Aker University Hospital December 7, 1943. Imerslund also participated in radio broadcasts in the Nazi-controlled Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.