Leif Tronstad

Leif Tronstad
Born	(1903-03-27)27 March 1903 Bærum, Norway
Died	11 March 1945(1945-03-11) (aged 41) Syrebekkstølen, Rauland, Norway
Buried	Vestre gravlund
Allegiance	Norway
Service/branch	Norwegian Army
Years of service	1924–1927 1940–1945
Rank	Major
Unit	Norwegian Independent Company 1
Battles/wars	World War II Norwegian Campaign Norwegian resistance movement  † Operation Gunnerside (planner)
Awards	War Cross with sword Norwegian War Medal Defence Medal 1940–1945 Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Légion d'honneur Croix de Guerre Medal of Freedom
Relations	Edla Obel (wife)
Other work	Athlete, scientist

Leif Hans Larsen Tronstad DSO, OBE (27 March 1903 – 11 March 1945) was a Norwegian inorganic chemist, intelligence officer and military organizer. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1927 and was a prolific researcher and writer of academic publications. A professor of chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1936, he was among the pioneers of heavy water research, and was instrumental when a heavy water plant was built at Vemork.

After the invasion of Norway by Germany during World War II, Tronstad conducted domestic resistance for one year before fleeing the country for England. There, he gathered valuable intelligence from Norwegian sources, both on the development of the V-2 rocket and the growing German interest in heavy water. In 1943 Tronstad planned Operation Gunnerside, in which the German access to heavy water processing at Vemork was severely impeded. His information about the V-2 rocket contributed to the massive Allied bombing of Peenemünde.

For a long time Tronstad had wanted to return to Norway to organize resistance work, however he was prevented by the Norwegian military authorities in Britain. In 1944, he did travel to Norway, to organize Operation Sunshine, for the defence of Norwegian infrastructure. After five months in the country, he was killed in action after his team had taken the local bailiff hostage.