Product Description

In March 1943 a team of expatriate Norwegian commandos sailed from the Shetland Islands for Nazi-occupied Norway. Their mission was to organise and support the Norwegian resistance. They were betrayed. And only one man survived a terrifying ambush by Nazi soldiers. This is the incredible and gripping story of his escape. Crippled by frostbite and snow-blind, hunted by the Germans, Jan Baalsrud, the sole survivor, managed to find a tiny Arctic village. There, delirious and close to death, he found villagers willing to risk their lives to save him. We Die Alone is his incredible story - an incomparable epic of survival in the most hostile conditions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #206253 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-23
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
During World War Two, David Howarth ran a spy ring from which both this volume and his previous bestseller - The Shetland Bus - derive. A renowned and respected historian, who wrote over two dozen books, Howarth died in 1991.

Customer Reviews

Excellent read, amazing feat of survival
The author sets the scene very well and takes you into the story without delay. Four men set out to carry out sabotage operations in occupied Norway during WWII, arranged by London. An unfortunate set of circumstances leads to their discovery before they have a chance to even get going. This results in one man of Norweigan origin, on the run trying to evade capture.

Isolation, extreme temperatures, lack of food, lack of medical aid, constant real threat of capture and therefore death. This man appears to have survived on pure determination and the generosity of the people who helped "one of their own", despite risk of certain death and the death of their families should they be discovered.

A very good read

Feeling like you up against it - read this book to find out
This book makes the tales that cam out of the gulf war look tame. Stories about going 3 days walking through the deserts of Iraq and then having to do a couple of heroic things is nothing compared to the struggle faced by Jan.

Jan went to hell and back in the worse terrain the world has on offer. Not only is he the hero but he is helped by so many who risk their lives to help a man in the finals stages of life. Their actions are inspirational and truely saved him.

You wont put this book down.

Extraordinary tale of human endurance
Having operated in the region in winter myself,the story of this incredible Norwegian, who having landed on the North Nowegian coast by fishing boat from Shetland, was then to undertake a perilous journey over the mountains and fjords to safety in Sweden. Hunted by the Germans occupying his native country, the story of Jan Balstrud, as told by David Howarth, demonstrates the ability of the mind to conquer the body in appaling conditions and with little or no equipment. I could not put the book down.