BACKGROUND: Founded in May 1933 by Vidkun Quisling, the Norwegian "Nasjonal Samling" (National Unity) party was designed and structured on the NSDAP, and held most of the same ideological beliefs. Although the NS party never enjoyed any electoral success prior to the invasion of Norway, Quisling proclaimed himself Prime Minister after the German occupation. This was originally rejected by the Germans, but in September of 1940 Quisling's NS party was declared the only legal political party in Norway, and in February of 1942 Hitler finally appointed him as Minister President. As the nominal head of state Quisling was, in reality, just a puppet collaborator, with the real power in Norway secured by the German Reichskommissar Josef Terboven. The NS was divided into numerous sub-sections, designated "Hirds," which is an ancient Norwegian word translating roughly as "the King's followers." The "Rikshird" (National-followers) was founded in 1933 for all active party members between 18 and 45 years of age, and would have been roughly equivalent to the German "Sturmabteilung," or SA. In March of 1941 the Rikshird was allocated policing powers, and in March of 1942 the first armed unit was established. On August 14TH, 1943 a new law was enacted that officially incorporated all of the Rikshird personnel into the Norwegian armed forces.