[Tryggve Gran--the first Norwegian heroic pilot]

Tryggve Gran grew up in an affluent family in Bergen, Norway. The German emperor, William II, often visited the families of his friends. Gran became a good skier, hence well prepared for Robert Scott's second expedition to the Antartic in 1910. Gran deeply regretted the Scott-Amundsen competition, and was cut off from the team heading for the South Pole. In 1913, Gran trained in England and France as an air pilot. On 30 July 1914 he became the first pilot to cross the North Sea from Scotland to Norway. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1916 under the pseudonym of Teddy Grant, passing himself off as a Canadian, and received the Military Cross for distinguished war service. During the Second World War, Gran was a member of Quisling's pro-German National Party. A commemorative stamp was issued in 1944 on the 30th anniversary of his North Sea flight, and a meeting held in his honour with Quisling and German officers present. In this article, the author discusses some psychological aspects of Tryggve Gran's choice of tasks and of his politics. Gran lost his father when he was only five and when he was 11 he was sent off to a pension in Switzerland for a year. Strongly ambivalent feelings from the oedipal period and from the latency may later have been released through hazardous activities, certainly with self-destructive aspects. His membership in Quisling's party might be seen in this context.