Who Knew Evil Adolf Hitler had a Disney Crush?
By Andy Yemma
I have visited many World War II museums in many countries around the globe. I have never been in one as fascinating as the Lofoten Kirgsminnemuseum in Svolvaer, north of the Arctic Circle in Norway.
In three rather small rooms, 76-year-old founder William Hakvaag has curated hundreds of World War II artifacts, photos, medals, knick-knacks, and whatnot… all with a story or two behind them. Most of them relate to the conflict in northern Norway, but not all. There’s a large photo autographed by the late President George H.W. Bush of the type of U.S. Navy airplane he flew in the Pacific Theater, gifted by a co-pilot who was from the Lofoten region of Norway.
Did you know that Adolf Hitler, for all of his atrocities and monstrosities, had a hidden talent as a sketch artist — and a secret fascination with Walt Disney’s early cartoons? Apparently so. Check out his sketches of Snow White and Pinocchio.
There’s so much to see that you could be excused for missing what is claimed to be the purse of Eva Braun, Hitler’s short-lived bride, collected from the Berlin bunker where they died.
More of the quirky and fascinating collection in this WEB STORY:
Over the past 50 years, Hakvaag has amassed this collection of curiosities and actual war mechanisms. There are guns and more guns. Grenades (potato-mashers as they were called in the old war movies.
There’s an enigma machine used to break German code. “Where on earth did you find that?” I asked him. “Up there,” he replied, indicating divine intervention. The same with a Norden bomb-sight, used in U.S. B-17 bombers and so secret that captured crews were instructed to destroy at all costs rather than fall into enemy hands.
I mentioned this is all in three small rooms. Actually there’s a fourth. A Gestapo interrogation room modeled on one that actually existed in Lofogren. You may enter if you dare.
We are on a cruise to see the Northern Lights aboard the Hurtigruten MS Trollfjord. This morning we were supposed to disembark in Svolvaer to go fishing. But the excursion was cancelled the night before due to inclement weather (sleet and high winds). The ship’s crew suggested having a look at the Kirgsminnemuseum instead. I’m glad we did.