The beautifully crafted plate pictured below features the inscription “Gruss Aus Dem Lander Mitter Nachtsonne im Kreigjahr 1941,” which translates to “Greetings from the land of the midnight sun in the war year 1941.” The phrase “Mitter Nachtsonne” refers to the “midnight sun,” a natural phenomenon experienced in regions near the Arctic Circle, such as Norway, where the sun remains visible at midnight during the summer months.
These pieces were made by soldiers stationed in Norway. They were created on behalf of the Wehrmacht Headquarters Norway in collaboration with the NSO (National Socialist Organization) under the initiative “Kraft durch Freude in Norwegen” (Strength through Joy in Norway). The inscription also notes the involvement of Adjutantur Norwegen Wbt. Sonderführer (Lt. M.A.) P. Walter.
- The text describes the process of making wooden plates and bowls without a lathe, using simple tools [1].
- The instructions are for creating round forms from wood [2].
- The process involves hollowing out, smoothing, and shaping the wood using various tools [2, 3].
- The instructions include decorating the finished pieces with a knife and paint [3].
- The pictured works were made by soldiers in Norway [3].
- Some of the techniques require working with the grain of the wood [2, 3]
- Tools used include a compass, gouge, hammer, sandpaper, swan-neck scraper, chisel, coping saw, file and paint [2, 3].