Orr, Andrew The Flight of the Vikings. Daring Escapes in Small Boats from Nazi-Occupied Norway, 1940- 45

When the full might of Germany descended on neutral Norway without warning in April 1940, many brave Norwegians wanted to flee to Great Britain to join the fight against the occupation of their country. The most obvious route to freedom was to cross the cruel North Sea in small boats, in the tradition of their Viking ancestors. The brave Norwegians were fleeing the dangers of betrayal by collaborators and persecution by the Gestapo, but they were determined to return as avengers of oppression. For the first time, the stories of these remarkable escapes have been woven into a single comprehensive Viking saga, set in the social and military context of the German occupation.'Extensive research has uncovered many new boats and dramatic escapes, and at least 360 boats carrying over 4,000 refugees are known to have crossed to the Allies. The further path of the avenging fugitives is traced to the famous "Kompani Linge" commandos, the famous Shetland Bus and the other free forces. The attempts of the German secret service to smuggle in spies are revealed - and how most of them were caught and turned into double agents. Hitler dreamed of turning Norway into a semi-autonomous Aryan utopia, but he failed because of the stubborn resistance of the Norwegian people and the free Vikings who returned to wage war against him.