Knut Magne Haugland, DSO, MM, (23 September 1917 – 25 December 2009[1]) was a resistance fighter and noted explorer from Norway, who accompanied Thor Heyerdahl on his famous 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition.

Haugland, born in 1917 in Rjukan, Telemark, Norway, took his examen artium in 1937 qualifying him for university study.

[3] Haugland, with nine other Norwegian resisters organised and carried out the famous raid on the Norsk Hydro Rjukan plant at Vemork.

[4] Haugland was parachuted over Hardangervidda on 18 October 1942 together with Arne Kjelstrup, Jens-Anton Poulsson and Claus Helberg.

After a trip to the United Kingdom for radio supplies, he returned to Norway in November, being parachuted at Skrimfjella together with Gunnar Sønsteby.

On 1 April 1944 he narrowly escaped another capture by the Gestapo when one of his transmitters, hidden in the Oslo Maternity Hospital, was located by radio direction finding.

He also received the French Croix de Guerre avec Palme and Légion d'honneur and the Royal Norwegian Order of St.

He headed the electronic intelligence service in Northern Norway, an important position during the Cold War.

It was here that Haugland first heard of Heyerdahl's theories about Polynesian migration patterns, and his plans to cross the Pacific on a balsa wood raft.

[7] Several foreign decorations resulted from Haugland's connection with the Kon-Tiki and a state visit in the postwar period.