Egil Reksten

Egil Reksten (3 May 1917 – May 30, 2009) was a Norwegian engineer and resistance member during World War II. He is best known as leader of the illegal radio post Skylark B.

World War II Reksten was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Saron Eriksen Reksten (1875-1955) and his wife Inger Jacobsen (1887-1987). His father was the Rector at Kamper School (Kampen skole) in the Gamle Oslo district of Oslo.

He attended the Norwegian Institute of Technology, and graduated in chemistry in 1941. His professor was Leif Tronstad, a well-known resistance member during the German occupation of Norway since April 1940. In September 1940 the Secret Intelligence Service established two stations for radio communication; the so-called Skylark A in Oslo led by Sverre Midtskau and Skylark B in Trondheim led by Erik Welle-Strand. Skylark B was operated by students at the Institute of Technology, and after technical difficulties in the initial phase, When Welle-Strand left the country, Reksten took over as leader of Skylark B. After less than a year, however, Gestapo managed to track the Skylark B transmitting activity. but after stays in six different Nacht und Nebel camps, Reksten returned to Norway after the war's end. He spent the rest of his professional career there. He was married, and celebrated his diamond wedding in 2007. He resided in Asker in Akershus, Norway. He died in 2009 and was buried in the churchyard of Haslum Church at Bærum in Akershus .