Anne Margrethe Strømsheim

Anne Margrethe Strømsheim (née Bang; 1914 – 6 October 2008) was a Norwegian resistance member during the German occupation of Norway during World War II.

[2] After Hegra Fortress surrendered on 5 May 1940 Bang was held as a prisoner of war by the Germans, although she was treated much better than her fellow male soldiers who were set to do forced labour.

Only after she managed to contact the Norwegian Red Cross did the PoWs receive medical treatment, with more than 40 men being hospitalised and several dying of tuberculosis.

[2] After the end of the 1940 Campaign she continued her fight against the occupiers through participation in the Norwegian resistance movement[1][6] In the autumn of 1940 Bang was brought in for interrogation by the Gestapo.

When she was confronted with her resistance efforts at Hegra she quoted a section of Mein Kampf that states that any country and people that does not intend to defend itself is not worthy of existence and should be exterminated.

[2] Continuing her activities in the Norwegian resistance Bang eventually had to flee Trøndelag to avoid arrest, being warned in advance by a local Nazi.

[2] On International Women's Day (8 March) 2005 a street in Stjørdal was named Anne Margrethe Bangs gate in honour of the sole female defender of Hegra Fortress.

[6] Strømsheim expressed concern over the young Norwegian people being sent to conflict zones in the 21st century, stating that her own mother had not recognised her after the war.

Some of the Norwegian defenders at Hegra gathered in one of the fortress' subterranean halls during the siege.