We Die Alone: A WWII Story of Courage and Perseverance

cathie gauthier: Parfait!

Canada on Dec 01, 2023

Alister: When you wonder what trials your day offers (or offered in retrospect), the likelihood is, it wasn't on par with story. It is a true story, although one or two patches had to be filled in as best guess - the books lets you know when, so you're being spun a yarn. It's well written, appears to be as well researched as it could be, and I've only read one other book of the period that had the same impact (Dead Man's Shoes, also recommend) as this one.

United Kingdom on Oct 27, 2023

Ronnie: Great story. A real page turner. In a nutshell, this truly highlighted the strength of the human spirit. Such stamina, dedication & resilience, not forgetting bravery. Can very highly recommend it.

United Kingdom on Sep 29, 2023

MaineGirl: I read this excellent memoir on a transcontinental flight and couldn't put it down. The night I arrived at my destination, I stayed up to the wee hours finishing it. The author David Howarth ran a spy ring during WWII called the Shetland Bus, which ran spies from the Shetland Islands into occupied Norway. This book is derived from the story of one of those spies. Jan Baalstrud was a Norwegian, who had escaped the Germans and received special forces training in England. He and a few others were sent to the Norwegian coast by fishing vessel; their mission was to infiltrate inland, hook up with native resistance groups, and support them as much as possible. Unfortunately the group is betrayed shortly after their arrival and only Jan makes it off the beach alive. The story of his escape through the Norwegian Arctic is spellbinding. He faces hunger, unbearable cold, isolation, avalanches, snow blindness, frostbite, you name it. But thanks to the bravery and generosity of some individuals he meets along the way, he survives. His story is so incredible that the author takes pains to assure the reader of the verification process he went through in checking Jan's story. Sometimes truth is...

United States on Apr 23, 2023

Marc: An epic tale of survival amidst the backdrop of a harsh Norwegian winter. It is the story of Jan Balsrud, a Norwegian ex-pat, who designs to reck havoc behind Nazi lines in occupied Norway during WWII. Trapped from the moment of his boats landing in Northern Norway amid the icy Fjords, Balsrud is set to the chase by his Nazi pursuers. Only the compassion and bravery of his fellow countrymen can keep him alive as he keeps one step ahead of Hitler's minions along the way. This is not just a story of survival, although it certainly is that, it is the tale of a great many Norwegians, who risked their life to save that of another. They don't do it because he is Norwegian, or because they know Jan personally. They rescue him because he represents the hope and will of an occupied nation, and just maybe, to feel a little in control of their own destiny once again.

Canada on Dec 15, 2013

Michael E. Farrell: This is a MOST EXCELLENT story of individual perseverance and survival, and the courageous bravery of the Norwegian citizens that risked brutal Nazi reprisals to aid their stricken countryman. This is a translation into English; some of the translation is a little rough, which is the only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5.

This book recounts the story of Jan Baalsrud, the only surviving member of a Norwegian commando team that sneaks into Norway in March 1943 that gets betrayed by the first person they contact. The account of the physical and mental efforts he has to overcome to survive rival the best action thriller novels of today - yet this is a TRUE STORY.

After his initial escape from the clutches of the Germans, Jan's main efforts are to escape to the Swedish border over the Arctic plateau, and find refuge in neutral Sweden. An expert cross country skier, he expects that he can make the journey in 2 or 3 days, but a brutal Arctic blizzard lasting 3 days hits the first day out, and Jan becomes lost and is further the victim of an avalanche. Walking through waist deep snow, he develops severe frost bite in his feet and legs, and is no longer able to walk on...

United States on Apr 08, 2012

CriticalMass: This book remains contemporary despite its WWII setting as it is about one man's struggle against all the odds to remain alive in the harsh Norwegian landscape. The foreward by Andy McNab is all the reader needs to know that this account is extraordinary, above and beyond what many humans could endure.

At times I found it hard to believe myself, such is the pain and suffering, but this account is a great tribute to human nature and the spirit of comradeship that sometimes only a war can forge.

Highly recommended. The Kindle edition it should be noted does have photographs of the places described in the book but these are all at the end. I didn't find this a problem and enjoyed setting the scene in my head whilst reading the book whilst it was nice to view them at the end. Well worth the price.

United Kingdom on Feb 01, 2011

Tom Weikert: A harrowing tale of survival and the unconquerable will of an extraordinary soldier, We Die Alone assumes its rightful place among the greatest WWII survival stories ever told. Jan Baalsrud's exploits are testament to the capacity of the human spirit to survive while facing nearly impossible odds. Baalsrud repeatedly defies death as he braves the harsh Norwegian winter while eluding capture and certain torture and execution at the hands of the Nazis occupying Norway in 1943.

This is not just a tale of one man's exceptional courage and endurance, but of the loyalty of many proud Norwegians who resist the Nazi occupation and who ultimately assist Baalsrud in his efforts to escape and evade across the brutal, frozen Norwegian tundra. While adjectives such as 'incredible', 'unbelievable', and 'amazing' are readily applied to Baalsrud's stubborn refusal to die, it is without question the devotion of these compassionate Norwegian villagers that perhaps deserves our deepest admiration. Whether to simply defy the Nazi occupiers or whether out of compassion for a remarkable countryman, these people repeatedly extend themselves, in some cases, even beyond the limits of human...

United States on Oct 05, 2007