Near Leadville in Lake County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) NORSO (Rype Group) Special Force

Photographed By Erik Brun

1. Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) NORSO (Rype Group) Special Force Marker

Inscription. The 99th Infantry Battalion (SEP) was:
Activated 10 July 1942 at Camp Ripley Minnesota
Deactivated 11 November 1945 at Camp Miles Standish, Boston Massachusetts Camp Hale Colorado was the main ski trooper training area located 5 miles north of this site on route 24. Campaigned in European Theater of Operations.
Battle Awards - Presidential Unit Citation- Belgian Croix De Guerre Normandy – Northern France – Ardennes – Rhineland – Central Europe The Liberation of Norway
8 May 1945 The Rype Group parachuted into Norway on 24 March 1945 for sabotage missions and later joined the Underground for the liberation of Norway

As quoted by an unknown but remembered 2nd Armored Division Major at the end of the attack thru Northern France “This Viking Battalion is the only infantry outfit tanks have trouble keeping up with”

Erected 1985 by 99th Infantry Battalion and NORSO Veterans Groups.

Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II.

Location. 39° 21.717′ N, 106° 18.65′ W. Marker is near Leadville, Colorado, in Lake County. Memorial is at the intersection of 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway (State Highway

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24) and Tennessee Pass Road on 10th Mountain Division Memorial Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Leadville CO 80461, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Norwegian Memorial (a few steps from this marker); 10th Mountain Division Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Construction of Camp Hale (approx. 5.2 miles away); The Highest Compost Pile in the World (approx. 6½ miles away); Top Secret (approx. 6½ miles away); Skiing on Top of the World (approx. 6½ miles away); More Than Just a Mine (approx. 6½ miles away); Water Treatment Protects Downstream Users (approx. 6½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Leadville.

Regarding Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) NORSO (Rype Group) Special Force. A new interpretive sign will be 3'x 4' and located to the left of the Norwegian Memorial. To be erected in the Summer 2016. The site is maintained by the 10th Mountain Division Foundation, 99th Infantry Battalion Foundation and the Special Forces Association Chapter IV/XXIV.

Also see . . . 99th Infantry Battalion (Separate). Website homepage:
During late 1944/early 1945 a sabotage mission to Norway was planned, with the name Operation RYPE (Norwegian for Grouse). The main mission would be to destroy railroad lines in Norway making it impossible for
Photographed By Erik Brun

2. Officer of Static Services O.S.S. NORSO (Rype Group) Special Forces Marker
Representatives of Fort Carson's 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the Special Forces Association, Chapter IV/XXXIV show their respect at the annual Ski-In event in February each year. They gather each year in February to honor the men who trained at nearby Camp Hale and Memorial Day to honor their fallen.
the Germans to move their troops in Norway to the European Continent where they would be needed during the final battles of the war. Because the British Navy had mined the Norwegian coastal waters, the railroad was viewed as the only way for the Germans to move their troops south. Thus, Operation RYPE was considered to be of high strategic importance. (Submitted on June 18, 2016, by Erik Brun of Chester, Virginia.)

Additional commentary.
1. Norwegian Operational Groups
Major General William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan’s vision to create an organization that would integrate intelligence, counterintelligence and field operations into one distinct organization gave rise to the Office of Strategic Services or OSS.
In the summer of 1943, a hundred men of the 99th were selected by the OSS for clandestine operations in Europe. These Norwegian speaking soldiers would become the core of two Norwegian Operational Groups of the London based Special Operations section became known as NORSO. In August and September, 1944, teams parachuted into France and conducted a new kind of warfare against the enemy. In the winter one of the Operational Groups was ordered to China to train Nationalists Chinese Commandos while the other launched an operation

Officer of Static Services O.S.S. NORSO (Rype Group) Special Forces Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Erik Brun

3. Officer of Static Services O.S.S. NORSO (Rype Group) Special Forces Marker

The 10th Mountain Division Association hosts two annual events at this monument site. The highlights of February's annual Ski-In are the Flag Run down the slope on a ski run, (originally developed by the Army to train Ski Troopers for Camp Hale now run by nearby Ski Cooper) and a memorial service. The second major annual event is every Memorial Day.

into Norway. In March 1945, Operation RYPE, led by Major William Colby, interdicted German movements in Norway. Today these Operational Groups are seen as pioneering examples for future US Army American Special Forces units.
The men of the 99th and NORSO would see their ancestral homeland and serve as honor guards to welcome the Norwegian Royal family on their return, proudly cementing the bonds between these two great nations.

— Submitted June 18, 2016, by Erik Brun of Chester, Virginia.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 4, 2016, by Erik Brun of Chester, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,161 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 18, 2016, by Erik Brun of Chester, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on June 4, 2016, by Erik Brun of Chester, Virginia. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.