The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb

by Neal Bascomb

An epic adventure and spy story about what many consider the greatest act of sabotage of World War II, based on a trove of exciting new research

It’s 1942 and the Nazis are racing to build an atomic bomb. They have the physicists. They have the will. What they don’t have is enough “heavy water," an essential ingredient for their nuclear designs. For two years, the Nazis have occupied Norway, and with it the Vemork hydroelectric plant, a massive industrial complex nestled on a precipice of a gorge. Vemork is the world’s sole supplier of heavy water, and under the threat of death, its engineers pushed production into overtime.

For the Allies, Vemork must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress high in a mountainous valley? The answer became the most dramatic commando raid of the war. The British Special Operations Executive together a brilliant scientist and eleven refugee Norwegian commandos, who, with little more than parachutes, skis, and Tommy Guns, would destroy Hitler’s nuclear ambitions and help end the reign of the Third Reich.

Based on exhaustive research and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is a compulsively readable narrative about a group of young men who endured soul-crushing setbacks and Gestapo hunts and survived in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on earth to save the world from destruction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Military Fiction, Military History, Historical

378 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Neal Bascomb is a national award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of a number of books, all non-fiction narratives, all focused on inspiring stories of adventure or achievement. His work has been translated into over 18 languages, featured in several documentaries, and optioned for major film and television projects.

Born in Colorado and raised in St. Louis, he is the product of public school and lots of time playing hockey. He earned a double degree in Economics and English Literature at Miami University (Ohio), lived in Europe for several years as a journalist (London, Dublin, and Paris), and worked as an editor at St. Martin’s Press (New York). In 2000, he started writing books full time.

His first book HIGHER was selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer award and was featured in a History Channel documentary. His second THE PERFECT MILE was a New York Times bestseller and frequently ranks as one of the top books on running. His third RED MUTINY won the United States Maritime Literature Award and critical acclaim around the world. His fourth HUNTING EICHMANN was an international bestseller and led to a young adult edition called NAZI HUNTERS that was the 2014 winner of the YALSA Award, Sydney Taylor Book Award (Gold Medal), among numerous others. His fifth book THE NEW COOL was optioned by major producer Scott Rudin for film. His sixth ONE MORE STEP, focused on the first man with cerebral palsy to climb Kilimanjaro and finish the Kona Ironman, was a New York Times bestseller as well.

An avid hiker, skier, and coffee drinker, he is happily settled in Seattle, Washington with his family.

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

You could probably spend an entire reading lifetime working through World War II books and not cover every aspect of it (the same could be said of books featuring talking frogs, but that’s neither here nor there).

I’m not a particularly avid WWII buff (by and large, I prefer my history pre-1800, just because I dig the scent of unwashed people dressed in woolen garments in the midst of summer heat), but will delve into an interesting tale every once in a while, and The Winter Fortress certainly qualifies in that regard. In the fog of war, it’s impossible to tell which individual efforts add up to a collective victory, and one could argue that the Herculean efforts of a dedicated band of Norwegian resistance fighters and British sappers to short circuit German efforts to build an atomic bomb by sabotaging the heavy water plant at Vemork had zero impact on the outcome of the war.

(Side note: I always thought heavy water was a really stupid plot device in one of my favorite G.I. Joe miniseries (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj-YZ... turns out it’s a thing, and an important one vis-à-vis the construction of nuclear bombs.)

If you did make that argument, however, you would be doing so with the benefit of hindsight, still may not be correct, and would, in so doing, egregiously discount the fanatically self-sacrificing efforts of the heroes of this tale, a group of men who in some cases gave their lives to help not just their fellow Norwegians, but the world at large (and those who didn’t give their lives suffered untold physical anguish and interminable years away from their family and friends). Add to that the fact that the Norwegians primarily responsible for planning and executing first a sabotage raid on the plant itself and then on a ferry carrying the heavy water when the Germans elected not to rebuild the plant after an American bombing run considered to the same degree the potential loss of innocent lives from their operations the best plan for success and it’s hard to imagine a nobler group of humans acting in the face of overwhelming odds, men who, without violence being imposed upon them by a totalitarian dictator and his fascist regime, would have happily led quiet and peaceful lives.

If this seems an uncharacteristically sober review for the guy who may or may not be responsible for inflicting the atrocity that is Water for Alien Were-Dinos on the world, it’s simply because the people profiled in this book deserve not to have reviewers making jokes comparing the substance they sought so desperately to destroy to a crucial element of Cobra’s teleportation device.

(Did I do that already? Damn. Sorry, Norwegian heroes—my bad.)

If you’re looking for a rip-roaring yarn about a piece of history you may never had heard anything about, this is well worth a read. Two warnings, however: 1) there is some fairly explicit descriptions of just how hungry these men were, at least in terms of their willingness to consume every conceivably edible part of a reindeer (eyelid fat soup, anyone?); and 2) there are a lot—and I mean a LOT—of Norwegian names in here, and as someone who struggles enough as is visually telling one white person from another (we really all do look alike), you may, as I did occasionally, get lost trying to figure out who’s who.

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book detailing the raids to sabotage the heavy water production at Vemork hydroelectric power plant in Norway during the Second World War to disrupt German atomic research and development. Good technical details about heavy water and atomic development in Germany is given. It is strange that the Germans did not protect the heavy water production and transportation better in Norway, because of it's importance and seeing that troop numbers in Norway was very high.

The background of all the key people involved in the raids are given and all the plans and raids that were carried out against the plant are described in detail. These stories make up most of the book and describes the hardships they faced every day just to survive long enough in the Telemark region in winter just to do the raids. A tragic part of these planned raids is Operation Freshman, where two glider loads of British Royal Engineers crashed, were captured and eventually executed on Hitler's Commando Order after being tortured for information.

Highly recommended read to see what hardships these brave men endured to save the world, without even knowing how important their missions were.

[Brendan (History Nerds United) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to come back and update this review for Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress. Books, like movies, can have strange afterlives. There are the works which you take them in and then never think about them again. Others stick with you. This one stuck with me. Each of the elements of the story are stuck in my brain years later. I still don't understand how it didn't become a movie. In fact, all of Bascomb's books are top tier and are vivid in my brain. However, one at a time and let's start here.

This book seems like a pretty straightforward story. Norwegian commandos need to blow up the Winter Fortress.

Now, I am sure you can picture that action movie in your head. And that is absolutely here in this book. But it is also a hell of a lot more than that.

It is a story about heavy water and what it can do. I still don’t understand it, but that’s because I’m dumb.

It's also the story of the Norwegian resistance to Nazi rule during World War II. Bascomb introduces the main players and details their flights from (or their hiding in) Norway. You learn who they are, who they put in danger by resisting, and the challenges they have before they even start their mission to destroy the Winter Fortress.

And then the mission happens, and you are only halfway through the story. This is not a book about one sabotage mission, it’s actually three in one. And each mission varies greatly about how successful it is.

Bascomb really brings home the danger, heartbreak, and sacrifice of his subjects. And hey, it’s always a good book when the Nazis lose in the end. This book is an all-timer for me. I can't recommend it enough.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this WWII tale of bravery, endurance and sacrifice. The heavy water being produced by the Norwegians is thought to be crucial to the development of the Nazi atomic program. The Allies can't take the chance that the Germans will get a bomb and need to destroy the capability to make heavy water. There are four main efforts to stop the Germans getting their water. One will be a tragic failure, one is an amazing commando success, one is a controversial attack with little impact and one is a muted success coming at the cost of innocent lives. Bascomb tells the story in an exciting and compelling narrative. Those Norwegians are tough characters, surviving in harsh winter conditions that would kill most others. I've enjoyed two aspects of the story:

1-Why were the Norwegians producing heavy water in the first place? Because they could! It was just basic research (let's make it and maybe one day someone will figure out a use for it) combined with available excess power from the hydroelectric plant.

2-The German efforts in atomic research in other stories always seems to be treated with condescension. In this book, he puts you in the day-to-day mix of intelligence and unknown progress of the program. The Allies have an idea how dangerous this unknown technology could be and are willing to go to great lengths to prevent progress.

A bonus: you get to know how many parts of a reindeer are edible. How about the 4 stomach chambers with partially digested moss? Yum!

Four Reindeer Stomach Chamber Stars

[Jill Hutchinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely engrossing book......well written and researched, it tells the story of the brave Norwegian underground and their efforts to sabotage the production of "heavy water" being used by the Nazi occupiers to develop a nuclear bomb. It is unfortunate that this extremely important operation does not get much attention in the overall history of WWII, since the war may have turned out very differently if Germany won the nuclear arms race.

The initial chapters deal with how nuclear fission is attained and explains the use of "heavy water". It is a little slow but necessary in understanding a process of which few readers are familiar and why it was so important to destroy the manufacture of "heavy water" coming out of Norway.

Along with King Haakon and his government, many Norwegians fled to Britain when the Nazi occupation of their country began and formed an army to infiltrate their country. One of their major tasks was to destroy the hydroelectric plant at Vemork although only the top leaders were aware of why it was so important. Thus began one of the most heroic adventures of WWII and the bravery of these Norwegian freedom fighters is almost beyond understanding. Against all odds, they took on the task of the destruction of a huge and heavily guarded industrial complex. It is, in a word, amazing and so is the book. I highly recommend it.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4* of five

ON KINDLESALE FOR $2.99!

I voted for this book in the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards. I won the book in a Literary Hub Daily Giveaway, for which I thank them.

The beginning, for once, is the fifth star's vanishment. The physics lesson went on too long. Yes, I agree that it was needed. This being a popular history book, however, a lesson of half the length and a quarter the depth would've been more appropriate, not to mention more palatable.

But the tale itself is exciting and engrossing and, if over-detailed at times, sets a spanking pace. We owe a lot to the Norwegian resistance movement. Does anyone still know, or use, the noun "quisling," I wonder? It's Norway's other huge contribution to world culture. Oh yeah, some Brits were involved as well. In minor roles.

Heh.

[Steve]

Norsk Hydro hydraulic power plant at Vemork, Norway

Science, Spies and Sabotage in a Real Life Thriller


Sometimes real life offers up stories that trump the finest thrillers, and the story of the struggle between the Allies and the Reich over an essential ingredient for the manufacture of atomic bombs - heavy water - is just such a tale.

At the end of the 1930's, when Hitler had already annexed Austria and swallowed up Czechoslovakia, the fearsome power leashed within the isotope U-235 had become clear to a double handful of physicists around the world and a trigger - slow-moving neutrons - had been found for unleashing that power. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland(*) and just a few weeks later had set up its atomic bomb program headed by Kurt Diebner, a physicist of theretofore unimpressive accomplishments, but seconded by extremely capable men such as Werner Heisenberg and, reluctantly, Otto Hahn. Very quickly they determined that the best means to slow the neutrons released during atomic fission to the velocity required to assure that the fission process continued was to surround the uranium with heavy water, water in which the hydrogen had been replaced by a heavier isotope of hydrogen: deuterium.(**) The only industrial source of that seemingly essential ingredient of an A-bomb was a plant in the wilds of Telemark, Norway, perched precariously on a mountain slope at Vemork.

There most of the power produced by the largest hydroelectric plant in the world at that time was expended to distill heavy water from ordinary water in yet another plant further down the slope.



Norsk Hydro heavy water electrolysis production plant at Vemork, Norway


Both sides wanted that heavy water for themselves or, failing that, wanted to deny it to the enemy. The stage was set for a critical struggle carried out primarily within the shadows.

In The Winter Fortress (2016), Neal Bascomb grippingly - and rather thoroughly - relates the arc of that struggle, from the initial smuggling of all the stores of heavy water then available from Vemork to Paris by French secret service operatives (with the cooperation of the Norwegians) under the eyes of the German Abwehr in March of 1940(***), through the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and their demand for an enormous increase of production at Vemork; the early activities of the British secret service and the Norwegian underground resistance to track the activities at Vemork and to plan a strike while the Gestapo was arresting, torturing and executing their colleagues; to the first attempted attack that resulted in the death of all the British involved due to misadventure caused by foul weather, capture, torture and execution.

The second attempt was up to a small band of Norwegian commandos, four already in place and barely surviving in the sub-Arctic winter while the Germans sought for them and desperately rolled up the local resistance after the first, failed effort, and six others in England trying again and again to parachute by full moon into marshes close to Vemork. These ten men overcame incredible obstacles (related with relish and great detail by Bascomb) to successfully destroy the heavy water distilling portion of the plant and to escape the Germans. But by the summer of 1943 the plant was repaired and ready to produce again.

An air strike on Vemork had been considered over a year ago and rejected since it was not clear that the bombs would penetrate the eight story building into the basement where the heavy water was produced and because it was very clear that such a strike would result in the destruction of many civilians. But over the Norwegians' objections the US Air Force mounted an air raid. The result was just as anticipated earlier. Nonetheless, the Norwegian plant owners refused to continue the production, and, curiously enough (the previous plant director wanted to stop production after the first attack; as answer the Germans sent him to a concentration camp), the occupiers agreed; Diebner wanted the production set up deep within the Reich. The distilling appliances and heavy water were to be transported from Vemork at once. But the underground hastened into action and sank the railway ferry carrying the heavy water.

The Germans were out of time; it was too late to set up a sufficiently productive heavy water plant from scratch, and the Allied air forces bombed the sites where the large scale experiments were being carried out, delaying progress even further. Germany surrendered before the fruits of the Manhattan Project tore asunder the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.(4*)


(*) Upon which, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany: the "official" beginning of World War II.

(**) Both sides soon found out that the use of plutonium would sidestep the nasty problem of separating the rare U-235 from U-238 and that heavy water was very useful for the production of plutonium.

(***) This included a bait and switch at the Oslo airport, where the Abwehr were tricked into believing that the heavy water was on one plane (to Amsterdam) but was actually on another to Perth. Even though at that time both Norway and the Netherlands were neutral states, the Luftwaffe forced the Amsterdam plane to land in Germany, where they found crumbled granite instead of the hotly desired heavy water in the plane's luggage hold. The 185 kg of heavy water was subsequently secreted from Joliot-Curie's institute and temporarily hidden in Windsor Castle (!) when France was invaded.

(4*) Side note: The seemingly unimpressive Diebner had stumbled upon the principle of fusion bombs too late to do anything about it.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

After rather a slow start, once the action gets started this is edge of your seat stuff. It seems to lose focus from time to time after the first successful mission, but still has enough narrow escapes to hold interest. It would have been fascinating to have had a more complete juxtaposition of the Manhattan Project with the Nazi efforts.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting, well-written and very readable history.

Bascomb does a great job providing insight into Germany’s atomic project, the sometimes amateurish British efforts to sabotage it, and how the Norwegian resistance struggled to find ways to hinder the project without inviting German reprisals on the civilian population. Bascomb does a great job immersing the reader into the action and building up tension and drama, and his assessment of the effectiveness of both the German project and the Allied sabotage effort is clear and easy to follow.

The narrative is straightforward, clear and compelling, although it does bog down just a bit when describing the history and technology of the atomic project. Keeping track of the various Norwegian players can be a bit hard, but the narrative is vivid and gripping enough to keep you going.

A well-researched, thorough and engaging work.

[Doubledf99.99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very good fast paced page turner by Mr. Bascomb. and he doesn't disappoint in this remarkabe book of daring.
The bushcraft of the Norwegians made for some tough and skillful commandos.

[Themistocles · Rating 2 out of 5]

JUST GET DOWN TO IT, DARN IT!!!

Now, I understand the trend of modern historians to make the story more human. It is actually a real need, after decades of dry historiography. It makes reading easier and, if successful, gives insights that may not be of primary importance but nonetheless offer valuable glimpses of the world and persons described in the particular story.

But this... seriously, is the childhood life of a character whose name you'll forget right after the chapter have any interest? The book drags on soooo slowly with inane details it gets downright boring. Not to mention the so à la mode practice of writing as if the author was right there with, say, the parachutists in the glider plane and can recite all the details, even those in the minds of the characters. It gets silly real fast.

It's a shame that such an interesting story would need so much padding and page filling to become a book. My suggestion? Start reading from the middle of it, you'll be much better off.

[Larry Loftis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I work in the WWII genre, I knew the general story of the raid on Hitler's heavy water plant at Vemork, Norway. But I wanted details. Neal Bascomb delivered, and then some. This story (actually several stories)---flawlessly told---is one of the greatest of WWII.

And the heroes who pulled off the raids---whew! You may recall the iconic scene from Sylvester Stallone's "First Blood" film where Col. Troutman explains to the local sheriff (Brian Dennehy) that RAMBO "would eat things that would make a billy-goat puke." Well, the Norwegian mountain men of this REAL story ate things that would have made RAMBO puke. That will give you an idea of the level of research Bascomb brings; he left no stone unturned.

This is one of my all-time favorite WWII books and I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-researched, well-written account of a critical defeat for the Nazis. Bascomb does an outstanding job of recounting the efforts of the Allies to disrupt German efforts to make an atomic bomb. German scientists were musing about atomic energy in parallel with U.S. and British scientists before the war. The outbreak of war isolated the German efforts. Then in the spring of 1940 Germany overran Norway. Norway had the only large-scale factory for isolating and refining heavy water, water molecules with an extra neutron. The Norwegian owners had more-or-less agreed to sell their heavy water exclusively to the allies, depriving Germany, but Germany's conquest of the country meant Germany 'owned' the heavy water factory. Heavy water was used as a moderator, to concentrate an atomic reaction in German experiments. In the US, scientists chose instead to use graphite as their moderator. What followed were commando raids, sabotage, bombing, and finally the sinking of a ferry. Serial tragedies paired with successful missions delayed German research until the war was won. In the end, FDR's commitment to the Manhattan project produced three bombs in time to use two to force Japan to surrender. The German program never was prioritized in a way that could have produced a bomb in time to affect the war. But what if they had had unlimited access to heavy water? They would have produced more successful experiments earlier and possibly been able to justify more funding, leading to a much earlier success. It is quite possible that some brave, capable Norwegian commandos saved London and assured Hitler's defeat.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't worry about the nuclear science, it's relatively short. The background information of those involved; not that short, but they led interesting lives. And the mission(s); nothing short of riveting. Another extraordinary piece of WWII history expertly told by Neal Bascomb. I like how he does not need big words to describe big happenings, actions, emotions, etc. Commendable.

[Michael Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well researched and thorough, but I found it way too hard to keep up with the various people and felt there was too much personal detail (almost like the author just put everything he learned in the book). There are 2 climaxes in the book, and a lot of other relatively less interesting detail. Cool story, not necessarily enjoyable book.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great WWII story that is not known to many people outside of Norway, because most European countries have their own stories. I know mostly the Dutch hardships, as we learn those during history classes at school.

This is a story of brave Norwegians in the resistance, blocking the production and later delivery of heavy water to Germany, a substance that could be used to produce atomic bombs. I must admit that in the beginning I checked a few times if this was historical fiction rather than based on a true story. It's very engagingly written and reads like fiction. But it's all based on diaries and interviews, though I imagine a bit embellished in the details to make it feel more like a story.

I loved reading this, it was a slow start but picked up pace after a third, I couldn't put it down after that!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

While I liked Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi better, this was another great WWII thriller, focusing on another part of the war that isn't taught today. I had never heard of the heavy water plant in Norway before, ever, but now I know that the sabotage missions against it were absolutely crucial to preventing Hitler from getting his atomic bombs. You'd think this would rate a mention in history books, but apparently does not--I'm assuming because the heroes aren't British or American (oooooh no she did-n't!).

The start to the book is a little slow, as the author goes through meticulous detail the reason why the heavy water plant was important, the stories of all of those Norwegians who either escaped to Britain to fight, or stayed behind in hiding, and the extreme training and hardship they went through for their missions. The first part of the book has a very interesting, basic-level explanation of heavy water, where it comes from, and why and how it's used in bomb-making. It was physics at a level that any casual reader could understand, but it gave me enough knowledge to really get why the attacks on the plant were necessary. He could have just said "heavy water is used in making bombs and so where it's made had to be destroyed," but instead, the author told me why everything was happening, instead of just that it was happening. That shows a lot of respect for the reader, and I appreciate it.

Although the book is several hundred pages and can appear quite daunting, the last section is all notes and sources, so the actual bulk of the story goes pretty quickly once you get into it. It's a spy thriller that has the advantage of being 1) intelligent, and 2) actually true. When you get tired of your James Bond-style pulp fiction, pick this up instead for some real-life spies and saboteurs.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb details the efforts of the Allies to derail the Nazi Atomic Bomb program and the efforts (or lack thereof towards the end of the war) for the Nazi’s to develop the bomb. It focuses on the hard water plant that was successfully sabotaged by a bold commando raid of Norwegian rebels trained by the British and eventually the plant bombing by the allies. This book is a more detailed account of Assault in Norway which until now was the most authoritative book on this subject. Bascomb expands upon that book by providing more details about the commandos and the Nazi program as well as how it ties into the bigger picture of the war. If you want a book on just the commando raid, then Assault in Norway is still the way to go but this will provide a more thorough explanation for those less knowledgeable about the Norwegian resistance. The book is fast paced with plenty of good information and explanation of why people were doing what they were. Hopefully the finished copy will include more maps for those not as familiar with Norway’s layout. Overall though a great book on a topic that was one of the lesser known but very interesting parts of World War II.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bascomb did it again. I cried. The book starts slowly with laborious explanation of physics-level knowledge on the atomic fission... Then things get fun. This book reminds me of the great sacrifice made 75 years ago and inspires me to be great. Wonderful read for those who enjoy the unsung heroes

[Sara Zovko · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ne mogu reći da je ovo loša knjiga, ali više od mjesec dana probijam se kroz stranice pune imena švedskih vojnika, raznih znanstvenika i svega ostalog i sve mi je jasnije da nisam raspoložena za ovako nešto. Možda ponovno pokušam nekom drugom prilikom.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic.

[Bert Chuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book presents a background, the development of the nuclear race in World War II, Nazi Germany, England, and the United States at the same time.

 The main story is the race for heavy water produced in Norway and efforts to prevent it of the Nazis. This is a heroic epic of fighters of various kinds. It is a well-written story. The writer manages to bring the harsh conditions of survival in the Scandinavian winter with improvisation that stems from a lack of supplies and the fear of being discovered. However, somehow the book could not make me keep my eyes fixed to the pages and occasionally found myself thinking about extra things as I read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big lover of WW2 history and spy history and this is a great combination of the two! BONUS, it mostly takes places in Norway which A. I know little about and B. doesn't often factor into most WW2 history/spy lore. But during WW2, the Nazis were in the race to create an atomic bomb. They needed heavy water, and used a plant in Norway, a country they invaded towards the beginning of the war. But the Norwegians were like helllllll no and some of them formed an resistance, teamed up with the British, and went on several missions to sabotage and then destroy this plant making the heavy water. This book was well researched as several key players are pulled out and their stories and backgrounds told in more detail. Plus, really amazing descriptions of the craziness that is the Norwegian landscape! Many events you won't learn in your typical WW2 History 101 class, but you should know about these resistance fighters because they are awesome!

[Lady Lex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ті діжки з важкою водою і досі на дні озера Тіншо... Саме з кінця почалось моє знайомство з неймовірними норвежцями, котрі робили усе, аби захистити свою країну та й увесь світ від ядерної зброї у руках нацистів. І про котрих зараз, на жаль, знає так мало людей.

Я полювала за цією книгою кілька років. І вона виправдала кожну хвилину очікування. Це непередбачувані події (так, нехай я й знала фінал і те, що зрештою з ядерною програмою в нацистів не склалося), це емоції через край, бо те, що відбувається зараз у нашій країні, ніби відбиття минулого, й вкрай важко не провести купу паралелей, й не пропустити усе це крізь себе: очікування, втрату надії, бажання боротися, а не сидіти на місці, біль від того, що твоя країна потерпає від навали потвор у формі... Трясця! Я хвилювалась за кожного з командос, ніби я знайома з ними особисто, а події книги відбуваються просто зараз. Я блукала з ними по Відді, відчувала, як стискається шлунок, коли в них закінчувалась їжа, я затамовувала подих, коли їх могли піймати, або коли арештовували когось з їхніх знайомих. І я оплакувала кожну загибель котрого з цих героїв. Ця книга не відпускала мене ні на хвилину. І навіть коли я думала, що варто перемкнутися й прочитати щось інше, потім повернутись до неї, я лише приводила до ладу все, що коїлось в серці й думках в той момент, й бралася знову читати саме її.

Для мене це не просто одна з найкращих прочитаних в цьому році книжок, я вважаю її ледь не найкращою з прочитаних про Другу Світову книжок за увесь час, а читала я їх дуже і дуже багато. Must read. Хоча б тому, що про їхню боротьбу й незламність, відвагу та відданість своїй країні має знати кожен у світі.

[Mook Woramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

อ่านจบมีคำที่แว่บขึ้นมาในหัวคือ ‘นอร์เวย์แม่งคนจริง!!’

ภาพจินตนาการนอร์เวย์ในความคิดเราคือ เมืองหนาว สงบ เรียบร้อย รักสันติ

พอได้อ่านเล่มนี้ถึงรู้ว่าในช่วงสงครามโลกครั้งที่สอง นอร์เวย์ต้องผ่านอะไรมาไม่ใช่น้อย กว่าจะเป็นประเทศได้อย่างทุกวันนี้ 😲😲

The winter fortress เล่าถึงปฏิบัติการทำลายโรงงานผลิต ‘น้ำมวลหนัก(heavy water)’ ซึ่งเป็นองค์ประกอบสำคัญในการผลิตระเบิดปรมาณู

โรงงานตั้งอยู่ใน vemork ประเทศนอร์เวย์ ซึ่งขณะนั้นโดนเยอรมันยึดอยู่ เยอรมันต้องการน้ำมวลหนักปริมาณมากเพื่อไปทดลอง

ฝ่ายสัมพันธมิตรก็ต้องร่วมมือกับบรรดาไส้ศึกในนอร์เวย์ ฝึกทหารคอมมานโด วางแผนปฏิบัติการระเบิดโรงงาน

ความยากลำบากคือ ปฏิบัติการกันหน้าหนาว อ่านแล้วแบบ ทั้งภูมิประเทศที่มีแต่ป่าเขา ภูมิอากาศโหดร้ายทารุณ คืบก็หิมะ ศอกก็หิมะ ขาดแคลนอาหาร ความหนาว ความเหงา คือมีแต่คนนอร์เวย์และชินพื้นที่เท่านั้นแหละที่จะไม่หนาวหรือหลงทางตายซะก่อน ❄️🌨️

แล้วทหารกับกลุ่มใต้ดินนอร์เวย์คือเด็ดจริง คนจริง สู้จริง ยอมเสี่ยงตายเพื่อประเทศสุดๆ
คล้ายๆขบวนการเสรีไทยของไทยเรานั่นแหละ

ปฏิบัติการสำเร็จไปได้ด้วยดีก็จริง แต่แทบไม่เปลี่ยนแปลงอะไร เยอรมันเดินหน้าต่อ คนบริสุทธิ์ถูกฆ่า ชาวเมืองถูกจับทรมาน ทหารบางคนมี PTSD
เป็นเหยื่อสงครามของคนบ้าอำนาจไม่กี่คน เฮ้ออ เบื่อสงคราม

เล่มนี้เราว่าอ่านไม่สนุกเท่าไหร่ ตัวละครเยอะเกินไป มีเรื่องราวย่อยหลายฉากหลายตอนมากเกินไป ข้อมูลอัดแน่นจนตื้อไปหมด
แต่ก็เข้าใจเพราะปฏิบัติการแบบนี้ต้องอาศัยการร่วมมือจากหลายฝ่าย ทุกคนมีความสำคัญหมด
แม้จะน่าเบื่อบางช่วงบางตอน ก็ยังให้ 4/5 แด่เหล่าวีรชน 🎉🎉

[hb · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Winter Fortress” tells the story of the oft-dubbed heroes of Telemark. 1942, enabled by the British RAF and several secret organizations, nine Norwegian saboteurs committed the first of several destructive defense acts to limit the German production and usage of heavy water in Norway. Over the coming years, several additional attacks continued the effort, slowing the production efforts for a German atomic bomb during WWII. Neal Bascomb manages to tell this tale with engaging excitement and homage to the story’s many heroes without compromising the sanctity of the facts for authorial interjection.

[Robot · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I had heard about the improbable raid on Vemork prior to reading this book, I had no idea the sacrifices, large and small, that so many involved made. I was inspired by the spirit of Norwegians and their willingness to risk their lives, the lives of family friends and compatriots to fight for their country’s freedom. We all like to think how we would act in similar circumstances, but few could measure up to those profiled by Neal Bascomb. The history and classified pieces are woven together well with personal profiles and details that help to keep the memory of the heroes alive. Worth your time.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish this category was called excellent, because this book was excellent. I was not amazed by it.
A very detailed and personal account of various actions taken to prevent the Nazis getting their hands on heavy water. Highly recommend it!.

[Randy Reigstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book. I was amazed how strong and tough the people of Norway were. Their ability to combat the environment and the Germans military.

[Amy Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well told history about raids I had never heard about.