In this essay the main task will be to try to describe how two children experienced the cruelty of war, and some of its consequences. I will concentrate on the effects of the explosion in the harbour of Bergen , which took place on the 20^th of April 1944. This was the greatest single disaster in Norway during the second world war, and it had a devastating effect on everyone present in Bergen on that day. In addition, I will try to get the childrens attitudes towards the enemy, in this case, the German soldiers and their Norwegian sympathisers. I have concentrated my work on trying to capture, through interviews, how the children experienced these issues, and what thoughts they have now, 53 years after. How did it affect their lives then, and how do they see it now? I will present this using both written and oral sources, illustrated by audio-excerpts from the oral sources, and pictures from the events in question.

In the case of the explosion, I will present a factual background on the events that took place, to give the reader an insight into the experiences these children had. The background will be based on written material , produced the days after the explosion , and material written during the years after the war.Then I will present my two interviewees views on the explosion. This will then show two entierly different personal aspects on this event. What do they remember? How did they react?

In the second part, I will describe the German occupants, and their Norwegian sympathisers. Who were the enemy, how were they organised, and what did they do? I will then try to give my interviewees views on them, and how they interacted with them.What were their feelings towards both Germans and Norwegian nazis. And I will also get into their views on women who had emtional and/or sexual relations with German soldiers.

When one works with oral sources, there is a myriad of methodical problems, and you have to be careful in using them. Mainly there are three concern you must be aware of, credibility, durability and relevance. Some of the information you obtain, will easily be confirmable, if you compare them with written sources, if available. Other pieces of information might not be. In order to determine which is which, there is of course some thing called gut-feeling. But preferably you have the opportunity to check your information with other sources, both written and other oral sources. I will try to evaluate the sources I have used, and determine the credibility they represent.