who had signed the order for the prisoners' executions, killed himself several days prior to 1st Airborne Division's arrival in May 1945, but several Wehrmacht personnel implicated in the decision to execute the prisoners were put on trial and found guilty: Dr Seeling was shot 10 January 1946 at Akershus Prison, Oslo; Hauptscharfueher Erich Hoffman was hanged 15 May 1946 at Hamelin Germany; whilst Unterscharfuehrer Fritz Feuerlein who had shot a prisoner in the back of the head was sentenced to life imprisonment but was extradited to the Soviet Union for alleged abuse conducted against Soviet prisoners. The commander of the German forces in Norway – Generaloberst Nikolaus von Falkenhorst – was also found guilty of two of the Freshman deaths during his war crimes trial. Sven Hedin intervened on his behalf on 4 December 1946, with the argument that von Falkenhorst had likewise striven to pardon the ten Norwegians condemned to death. The sentence was later commuted to twenty years' imprisonment. Falkenhorst was released from Werl Prison on 23 July 1953, due to bad health and died in 1968. References Bibliography Conflicts in 1942 Airborne operations of World War II Military history of Norway during World War II Military operations of World War II involving Germany Norwegian resistance movement Nuclear program of Nazi Germany World War II sabotage World War II aerial operations and battles of the Western European Theatre World War II British Commando raids Glider Pilot Regiment operations November 1942 events World War II prisoner of war massacres by Nazi Germany