Konrad Wagner and the conflict at the Department of Anatomy during the occupation.

Abstract

Background: During World War II, the Norwegian Nazi Party (Nasjonal Samling) tried to use the academic community to promote its ideology. In 1941, a conflict broke out between prosector Konrad Wagner and Professor Kristian Schreiner at the Department of Anatomy, University of Oslo, which escalated into an issue with political overtones.

Material and method: The primary sources for the article are the National Treason Archives, which contain Wagner's file in the form of 421 digitised pages, as well as the National Archives of Norway's digital archives and the National Library of Norway's online collection.

Results and interpretation: Wagner resigned from his position at the department in January 1941 due to what he perceived as harassment from Schreiner. Despite the accusations being rather trivial, the matter became politicised, particularly due to Wagner's contact with the Norwegian Nazi Party and his attempts to have Schreiner removed. The conflict led to a deep division at the department and resulted in Wagner's resignation. He then became the Secretary-General of the Nazi-controlled Norwegian Medical Association for two years. In the final part of the war, he participated in the German medical service. In the post-war treason trials, Wagner was sentenced to five years of forced labour. The conflict illustrates the fragile balance between scientific autonomy and political pressure, and shows how personal and political disagreements escalated in a time of war and occupation.