The museum owes its name to a Norwegian guerrilla group which had its headquarters in the hills around Matre at the end of the second world war, while Norway was occupied by the Germans. The group was to operate behind German lines in event of an allied invasion. At the end of the war, the group numbered 259 soldiers.

The story of Björn West is an interesting, dramatic and exciting piece of Norway’s war history which the museum preserves and conveys. It has a fine collection of authentic weapons and artillery and gives an impression of the extreme conditions under which the soldiers lived and operated.