Book reviews
*At this place you can find recommended books about Norway during ww2. All kinds of books will be presented here, and we hope you will find this place as a valuable guide for your next trip to your bookstore.  There will be more reviews added in the nearest future!
*Her vil du finne omtaler om bøker som relaterer til Norge under andre verdenskrig. Alle typer bøker vil med tiden bli presenter her, og vi håper at denne siden vil bli en guide for deg neste gang du skal til bokhandleren. Det vil komme flere omtaler i nærmeste fremtid.

*Dog Boats At War -Royal Navy D Class MTB's and MGBs 1939-45
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Six years to sunrise

*Britain & Norway in the Second World War
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*Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast
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Finnmark 1940
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De brente våre hjem
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Portretter av en fiende
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*Alarm Küste
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Inside Fortress Norway
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  "Die Festung Stavanger" - Der Atlantikwall in Norwegen 1940-45 (and today)
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  The Petsamo-Kirkenes operation: Soviet breakthrough and pursuit in the arctic, October 1944
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  Kampfe um Narvik 1940-Erlebnisse des Funkers Willy Schadock mit einer Nachrichten-Ju 52
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  9. APRIL  Nazitysklands invasjon av Norge
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  Krieg im Norden  Die kampfe in Norwegen 1940.
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Bob Pearsons list over recommended books
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Related articles:
MTB 071(Norw)
*
T/J Draug(Norw)
*
Operasjon 
"Barefoot"(Norw)

Order your ww2
books here!
TITLE: Dog Boats At War ­ Royal Navy D Class MTBs and MGBs 1939-1945
Author: Leonard C Reynolds OBE, DSC
Publisher:  Sutton Publishing in association with the Imperial War Museum
ISBN Number: 0-7509-1817-9
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Authors who were actually there in the heat of battle write often the best books about the 2nd World War. Their accounts are very personalized and give an insight into the minds and characters that carried out acts of great bravery, which is typically understated by servicemen, and women who were just ‘doing their job’. This book about the heroic deeds of Coastal Forces personnel is no exception. It describes in graphic detail the men who manned the Motor Torpedo Boats and Motor Gun Boats, their operations ­ successes, failures, and tragic losses. Although the book is about all aspects of their operations, there are two chapters devoted to Norwegian Operations. These chapters give accounts of the Royal Norwegian Navy’s work in the Fjords lurking for enemy shipping, taking their MTBs into harbour areas such as Bergen and attacking shipping, as well as their moral boosting feats of inviting local Norwegians to dine with the crew when the boats were laid up in the Inner Leads. Clandestine operations are also featured in another chapter and with details of the crew ­ including ranks, names and pictures, the bravery awards they received and the numbers and names of the enemy vessels they sunk, then this book is a must for any historian carrying out research of Norway’s participation during the war.
     Photographs are in black and white, but are clear and provide detail and support to the text. However, I would have like to have seen more photos included, but that doesn’t really spoil the overall enjoyment of the book. I have learnt a lot from the book and the men featured in it, and once started, it is exceptionally hard to put down. The price is £25.00 sterling and it is well worth that. Enjoy the read!

Bob Pearson


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Related articles:
The tragic bombing
of Holen skole 
4. October 1944
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Ubåtbyen Bergen 
(Norw)

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books here!
Title: Six Years to Sunrise
Author(s): Catherine Hoff Mount, Karen Hoff Lafnear
Publisher: Kordene Publications LTD
ISBN Number: 0-9652333-4-0
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Wartime letters reveal family's challenges: Separation, loneliness, depression and fear. This is a very interesting book wich deals with the subject women during the war. We follow a mother and her daughter that got stuck in Norway when the war started. The father was in USA, and the only connection between them was cencored letters. This is a rare opportunity to read what's going through young couples mind during wartime. The book consist of letters their daughter found in shoeboxes in the late 1990's. Small episodes that together makes a story, makes this book great reading. So many details of everyday life, showing womens struggle during the war with small rations, kids to feed and work to be done. This is a very important book telling about aspects of life we seldom get to read about. It also describes the terrible bombing of Holen Skole, as her daughter was a pupil there during the war. The book also contain black and white photos and maps from Laksevåg in Bergen, where they lived. 
I could not put this book away once I started to read it.
The price is $15 in USA, $25 in Canada + $4USD s&h
You can order the book directly from Kordene Publications LTD here.
NEWS: This book is also available in Norwegian!
*
Kurt Monsen

Related articles:

Commando opera
-tions in Norway

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books here!
Title: Britain & Norway in the Second World War
Edited by Patrick Salmon
Published 1995 by HMSO
ISBN Number: 0-11-701232-7
260 pages
Price: GBP 35
 

This work is primarily based on the proceedings of a conference organised by the British Committee for the History of the Second World War held at Oxford University in September 1991. The list of contributors is impressive and represents some of the leading authorities on the subject from both Britain and Norway.  The book consists of papers written by different authors and presented at the conference; these are in effect summaries of the major political and military events concerning the two countries and their relationship with each other before, during and after the war. There are five sections to the book as follows, From Neutrality to war 1939-40, The Anglo-Norwegian alliance, Intelligence and Resistance, Special operations and The Liberation and after. Each section ends with a summary of some of the questions and points made by participants during the conference.
  Relatively little has been written about Norway’s wartime experiences in the English language and this work provides a useful overview of all the key aspects and a basis from which to read further. On the downside the book isn’t without inaccuracies and in this reviewer’s opinion the conference could have benefited from the expertise which might have been afforded by an authority on the German side, add to that the rather high price tag of 35 pounds.

Simon Orchard


 
 


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books here!

Title: Tirpitz: Hunting the Beast
Air attacks on the German Battleship 1940-44
Author: John Sweetman
Publisher: Sutton publishing, 2000
ISBN: 0 7509 2086 6
Price: GBP 19.99 
Hardcover, 180 pages + 31 pictures.

This is the latest work to be published on the Battleship Tirpitz and as the title says it deals with the numerous air attacks launched against her over 4 years by the RAF and Fleet Air Arm. The author has done an excellent job in his researches and has dug deep into British records to give a detailed account of all the attacks attempted on her. Perhaps more importantly he has managed to dispel several myths and inaccuracies surrounding some of the attacks on the ship. One however has eluded him and will perhaps remain confusing to say the least, which is of the failure of the Luftwaffe to intercept the final raid that sunk her on 12th Nov.44.
Anyone looking for the complete history of Tirpitz will have to look elsewhere, however for those who have read other works on the ‘the lonely queen’ and want to learn more then I thoroughly recommend this book.
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Simon Orchard


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books here!
Title: Finnmark 1940
Authors: Ida and Jürgen Nystrøm
Publisher: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag A/S, 1982
ISBN 82-05-14006-5
Hardback book of photographs. In Norwegian, 104 pages.

    This book of photographs comes from pictures taken by an Austrian doctor who came to Norway in 1940 with his Gebirgsjäger unit. It records Northern Norway from Tromsø up to Kirkenes as it was between the end of the fighting of 1940 and prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. Most remarkably it includes many rare colour pictures which are truly unique. Although in Norwegian I thoroughly recommend this sadly out of print title to the non-Norwegian speaker as a valuable photographic record of an often forgotten period and area of wartime history.
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Simon Orchard


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books here!
Title: De brente våre hjem   (They burnt our homes)
Author: Nord-Troms Museum
Published by Nord-Troms Museum, 1995
ISBN 82-991454-1-4
Hardback A4 sized book of photographs. In Norwegian, 414 pages

   Another unique photographic record of the war years in the North Troms region of Norway. This work covers all aspects of the war from April 1940 to after the capitulation of 1945, from the Norwegian police troops in Sweden to the everyday life of the German coastal artillery men stationed at their often remote batteries. Another recommended book which shouldn’t present too many problems for the non-Norwegian speaker.
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Simon Orchard


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books here!

Portretter av en fiende   (Portraits of an enemy)
Author: Dag Skogheim
Published by Tiden Norsk Forlag, 1989
ISBN 82-10-03224-0
Hardback A5 sized. In Norwegian, 153 pages

   This small book is an absolute gem. It is a record of the experience of the German soldier on occupation duty in Northern Norway, a rarely touched on subject in the history of WW2. This work describes through interviews, extracts from diaries and articles published in the local German armed forces newspapers of the time the everyday struggle against boredom and the harsh environment these men and women found themselves in. It shows a very different side to the often portrayed evil nazi invader and in this respect it makes a refreshing change.
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Simon Orchard


Related articles: 
Festung Norwegen


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books here!

Alarm Küste
Author: Michael Schmeelke
Publisher: Podzun-Pallas, 1996
ISBN: 3 7909 0583 6
160 pages, German

This book looks at the German coastal defences along the ‘Atlantikwall’. Its mainly photograph based including many previously unseen pictures from private collections. The narrative focuses on selected batteries and units with a good section on Norway however the book doesn’t go into fine detail on every coastal defence position. This book is the perfect accompaniment to Bjørn Jervås’s article on Festung Norwegen and is currently available at www.amazon.de . The picture on the cover shows one of the triple turrets from the cruiser ‘Gneisenau’ still in position at Oerlandet near Trondheim.
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Simon Orchard


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Order your ww2 
books here!
Inside Fortress Norway  Bjørn West – Norwegian Guerrilla Base, 1944-1945
Author:  Thomas Nielsen
Publisher:  Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Oslo 1992
ISBN:  0-89745-245-3

As the leader of Milorg, Jens Christian Hauge, succinctly put it: ‘the men joining Milorg did so because they declined to accept that the war was over with the capitulation in 1940. Their ambition was to be good soldiers, irregular yes, but definitely part of the Norwegian forces.’ 
‘Inside Fortress Norway’, superbly written by Thomas Nielsen, describes how some of those good soldiers from the forces of Milorg were formed into a unit called Bjørn West, creating an effective resistance in the mountains of Western Norway. Their mission was to prepare for an Allied invasion and to deal with special situations as they arose – whatever they would be.
Bjørn West soldiers trained hard under gruelling, strength sapping and appalling weather and living conditions, but maintained the fight and belief that one-day Norway would be free and that they would be ready for that precious moment. Nielsen writes from the heart as one of the resistance men who thwarted the Nazis, but gratefully acknowledges the diaries of his Bjørn West comrades, which ably support his writing. The book is essential reading, and although it is not action packed from chapter to chapter, it clearly presents the events as they happened. The soul-destroying collection of allied dropped material as the soldiers hauled their precious loads up and down mountains; the couriers who tirelessly skied the snowy expanses passing messages from command to outposts and the bloody confrontations with the Germans towards the final throes of the war. 
Many names and dates are mentioned, allowing professional and amateur historians the opportunity to reference material. The book is also interspersed with many fascinating and remarkable black and white pictures, but it is unfortunate that the publishers did not use gloss paper as their favoured choice. This aside, ‘Inside Fortress Norway’ is one of the most fascinating books that I have read for a long while, perhaps one day I will be able to express my gratitude to Thomas Nielsen.

Bob Pearson


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books here!
"Die Festung Stavanger" - Der Atlantikwall in Norwegen 1940-45 (and today)
Author:  Ettrup, Ritterbach, Schellenberger
Publisher: Own publishing
ISBN: 3-00-01355-1
Three language edition, Norwegian, English and German!

A soft cover A4 sized book who immediately looked appealing to me. The book is 300 pages filled with detailed maps, pictures and clear description from the smallest kinds of bunkers to greater fortifications and important sites. All descriptions is in three languages (A very wise choice!!), interesting and very well written, hence this is a great tool for everyone, not only the "Bunker nerds from Norway" 

The Atlantikwall stretched from the russian border in the north of Norway/Finland to Spain in south and was constructed to repel any invasion from the allies in west. This book is concentrating on the area round Stavanger, but should interest all of us who have a slight interest in these things. All kind of Regelbaus(Types of bunkers used by the germans), buildings equipment etc. is listed. all in detailed schemes and pictures (From wartime and today.) detailed maps tells you where these can be found, and informative text tells you why it was placed there and their condition today.  To top it all they include a cd with heaps of high resolution pictures matching the different chapters in the book -Neat! This book actually inspire to put on your army boots and go there and have a look, as maps and everything is clearly "showing the way". That alone is a good reason to buy this book. The only downside with this book, is the softcover. I would have liked to have this little treasure in hard cover...)
Absolutely recommended from Nuav!

Btw, The three clover Ettrup/Ritterback/Schellenberger is very welcomed to write and publish a similar book about Festung Bergen, if they do so, I'll push away the others and be the first in line to get a sample!

Kurt Monsen


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books here!
The Petsamo-Kirkenes operation: Soviet breakthrough and pursuit in the arctic, October 1944
Author: Major James F. Gebhardt
Publisher: Leavenworth papers US 
ISSN 0195 3451, 1990

Interesting book on a less well known Soviet offensive in the Northern theatre of operations.
The Russians started their offensive, known as the Petsamo-Kirkenes operation, to evict the German invaders from Russian soil, and it carried them through Finland and well into Norway before it petered out.
Although the offensive accomplished the task of driving back the German XIX Mountain Corps, they fought stubborn delaying actions, and various Russian operational mistakes contributed to the fact that they could retreat without catastrophic losses (losing a huge amount of supplies, though). 
The decision had already been taken by Hitler and the OKW to withdraw to the Lyngen position (operation Nordlicht), but the Russians pre-empted this and attacked before they started their planned withdrawal.
The arctic climate and terrain influenced the combat to a large extent, and while for example combat engineers were crucial to the conduct of operations, armor played an insignificant role, in stark contrast to major offensives on other fronts.
     All the main phases of the offensive are covered, as is the planning and preparatory work.
 Naval landings and special forces ops in support of the offensive are discussed in greater detail.
The Russians´ own conclusions /lessons learned are included as well as those of the author.
     Gebhardt has intentionally relied on almost exclusively Russian sources, partly for practical reasons and partly because the book is intended to focus on the Russian aspect and conduct of the offensive. I would nevertheless have preferred to see more German sources included, especially to verify claims and losses.
But it is well written, with military insight. Its emphasis is on the operational level, while some aspects, for example special forces ops, are covered on a tactical level. It is generously illustrated, with pictures as well as numerous maps, organizational tables and copies of orders.
      Much has been written on this offensive in the Soviet Union, and it is still frequently studied in Russian military schools, whereas in the West it is comparatively little known.
This book is primarily written to study one of the few large-scale offensives carried out in the arctic in modern military history, and to highlight the special needs and problems when fighting under similar conditions. As such, it is best suited for readers with some military background or insight, although it will still be a good read for those interested in combat on the Northern front in WWII.
    I picked up my copy at the Forsvarsmuseet (Norwegian armed forces museum) in Oslo, a bargain at NOK 20! However, I have seen this at Amazon.co.uk as well, for a somewhat higher price, though!

Johan Falkenberg


*

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books here!
Kampfe um Narvik 1940-
Erlebnisse des Funkers Willy Schadock mit einer Nachrichten-Ju 52
Author: Olaf Trapp
Stedinger Verlag 2000
116 p., 164 pics.
ISBN 3-927 697-25-7

A nice little gem of a book with lots of photos, chronicling the experiences of a Luftwaffe radioman during the Narvik fighting and his return 56 years later. 
Willy Schadock was a radioman aboard a specially equipped communications Ju-52, responsible for coordinating LW traffic and attacks in the area as well as maintaining contact with higher HQ (i.e Oslo).
Tagged on the Jus sent north to reinforce Dietls hard-pressed forces in mid-April, we follow his journey from Germany via Aalborg and Oslo, before his Tante Ju along with 9 other aircraft come to grief on the frozen lake Hartvigvann north of Narvik. Establishing their comms post in Elvegardsmoen and then the city itself, they are soon forced to move to Bjørnefjell. Then back to Narvik only to be pressed towards the Swedish border yet again, this time after salvaging radios from the beached German destroyers.
Some of the contemporary photos are well known from other sources, but many are his own. They are chronologically organized, and of particular interest is the “then-and-now” style, where in parallel with the original photos, newer ones taken during his revisit almost 60 years later are shown.
The text is brief, in this book the main emphasis is on the pictures, but it nevertheless offers a fascinating first-hand account from someone participating in this famous battle.
At the end there are a few other short accounts from other people involved, Germans as well as Norwegians, to fill in and give a broader view to the story.
The Nachrichten Ju-52 was not one of those salvaged during the eighties, and still lies at the bottom of the lake. Pictures taken of the efforts to keep it afloat in 1940 as well as some taken today are included.
A nice addition to the bookshelf for anyone interested in Norwegian war history in general, and the fighting around Narvik in particular.
Recommended for non-German speakers as well, as the photos themselves tell much of the story.

Johan Falkenberg
 


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books here!
9. APRIL
Nazitysklands invasjon av Norge

Av Michael Tamelander og Niklas Zetterling
ISBN 82-430-0267-7
Norsk utgave ved Spartacus forlag 2001.
318 sider, mange kartskisser men ellers uillustrert.

Oversiktlig, veldokumentert og balansert om krigen i Norge i 1940, men med dårlig språkføring som følge av slett oversetterarbeid.
Her en er meget god bok om felttoget i Norge i 1940, skrevet av 2 svensker. (Det er jo av sine naboer man skal ha det!).
Kanskje nettopp fordi de ikke har direkte tilknytning til noen av partene, har de lykkes med å skrive et svært balansert verk.
D`herrer Tamelander og Zetterling er svært flittige forfattere av militærhistorisk litteratur, sammen eller hver for seg har de skrevet bøker om bl.a Kursk-offensiven, ”Bismarck” og ”Tirpitz”, Tsjerkassy-kjelen samt invasjonen i Normandie. Samtlige er svært godt skrevet, og anbefales på det sterkeste.
Boken begynner med det militære og politiske spillet på begge sider som la grunnlag for invasjonen i 1940, og beskriver deretter krigshandlingene i hele landet frem til kampene stilnet i juni. Relaterte sjøstrider rundt Norge dekkes også, dessuten politiske vurderinger bak kulissene etterhvert som striden skred frem.
Den avsluttes med  en oppsummering og kort vurdering av felttoget, og de enkelte aktøres styrker og svakheter trekkes klart frem.
Det kommer ingen nye,  revolusjonerende opplysninger frem her, men man blir nok en gang slått av hvor hårfin grense det var mellom fiasko og suksess i dette tyske vågestykket. Pendelen kunne meget lett ha svingt den andre veien.
Verkets styrke er den gode sammenflettingen av opplysninger fra politisk/ strategisk nivå og  ned til operasjonelle detaljer, samt det at beretninger og opplysninger fra begge sider blir brukt for å unngå ensidig og tendesiøs historiefortelling. 
Den er lettlest og godt illustrert med kartskisser.
Det største minuset er det elendige oversetterarbeidet. Språket bærer preg av å være direkte oversatt fra svensk, kanskje med overdreven bruk av PC, og har dårlig flyt. Mangelen på militærkunnskap er også tydelig. Eks. ”høykvarter” istedenfor hovedkvarter, jagerskvadron er blitt til ”jegerdivisjon”, snikskytter til ”krypskytter”, bluss til ”sporlys” slag til ”batalje”osv.
Desverre går denne svakheten igjen i flere av disse forfatternes norske utgaver, og selv kjøper jeg heller deres bøker på svensk eller engelsk! 
Kanskje ubehagelig for noen, påpeker de at også det norske folk må ta sin del av skylden for  fiaskoen i 1940. Det var lettvint å bare skylde på  militæret eller politikerne, men i et demokrati bærer også inbyggerne ansvaret for forsømmelsen av forsvaret og utenrikspolitikken. På 30-tallet fant men det mer bekvemt å satse på sosial velferd enn militær opprustning, og da man til slutt så  mørke stormskyer samle seg på himmelen var det for sent. 
”Mens Tyskland  får svi for sitt overmot og de allierte for sin organisasjonsstivhet og vinglete ledelse, er det mest av alt amatørismen, en tildels hjelpeløs dilettantisme, som begrenser den norske innsatsen under krigen i 1940”  som Hans Fredrik Dahl skriver i forordet.
Konklusjon: Sine språklige mangler til tross, skal man kjøpe kun en bok om kampene i Norge i 1940, er denne et meget bra valg. Løp og kjøp! (Eller bestill på nettet...)

Johan Falkenberg


*

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books here!
Krieg im Norden
Die kampfe in Norwegen 1940.

Author: Dirk Levsen
Mittler Verlag 2000
ISBN 3-8132-0686-6
170 p., approx. 65 pics.

A well written German-language book on the fighting in Norway in 1940.
The author Dirk Levsen is German, but lives in Vinstra, Norway, working as a teacher and journalist.
He has succeeded in writing a comparatively short, but all the more an easily readable account of operation Weserubung. Primarily, the focus is on the Norwegian and German forces, with less space being allotted to the allied contribution.
Chapters describe the German preparations and forces involved, and the state of the Norwegian armed forces and the political situation in april 1940.
To balance the plethora of works on the Narvik fighting, here the emphasis is on the ground combat in southern Norway, even though Narvik is still covered.
The book concludes with lessons learned, a thorough examination of losses as well as briefly covering the legal studies by the Norwegian government in 1945 into the 1940 debacle.
The Norwegian forces and their allies are given credit for being able to resist and delay the German onslaught, despite their outdated equipment and poor leadership.
The book is well researched and documented, and of interest is the surprisingly low number of casualties suffered by the German Heer compared to what has previously been reported in many earlier accounts. After all, the scale of the fighting in Norway was minuscule compared to what would later transpire on the Western and, especially, the Eastern fronts. There, some units would suffer greater loss in a few hours than in the whole Norwegian campaign.
The pictures are interesting, coming from Norwegian as well as German sources. A few contemporary color maps are also a nice feature.
This book would be a good read for anyone wanting a short but well written history of the Norwegian campaign.
It is not only recommended for those with German as mother tongue, but also for those with knowledge of German just past the high school level. Why not enjoy military history while you improve your language skills?
Recommended.

Johan Falkenberg

The following list is from Nuav's very good friend, Bob Pearson. We feel his list is very complete when it comes to research on ww2 history in Norway;

Bob Pearson recommended book list;
I have drawn up a list of books that I have found useful for researching on Norway, SOE, and Kompani Linge.

Some books are no longer in print. However, many online books shops are very helpful in sourcing old books, plus of course second hand books shops in the high street. The list is not exhaustive so I would be pleased to hear from others about recommended references. Where possible I have listed the publisher and the date, but please bear in mind that publishers may have changed due to reprints etc.
 

“The Navy’s Here!” – Willi Rischauer & Robert Jackson (1955) – V Gollancz Ltd – London (story of the ‘Altmark Incident’)

Hunt the Altmark – Richard Wiggan (1982) – Robert Hale Publishing

Operation Fish – Alfred Draper (1979) – Cassel Ltd – ISBN 0-304-30068-3

Set Europe Ablaze – E H Cookridge (1969) Pan Books –
ISBN 3-300-2219-9

Behind the Battle – Intelligence in the War with Germany 1939-45 – Ralph Bennett (1999) – Pimlico Books – ISBN 0-712-66521-8

Fledgling Eagles – Christopher Shores ((1991) – Grub Street – ISBN 0-948-81742-9

The Churchill War Papers – At the Admiralty Vol 1 – Martin Gilbert ((1993) – Heinemann – ISBN 0-434-29203-6

Secret War Heroes – Men of the Special Operations Executive - Marcus Binney (2005) – Hodder & Stoughton – ISBN 0-340-82909-5

A Man called Intrepid – William Stevenson (1976) Macmillian – No ISBN

The Turn of the tide – A Bryant (1957) Collins – No ISBN

The Royal Navy in World War II – Robert Jackson (1997) – Airlife Publishing – ISBN 1-853-1071-X

Hitler’s Artic War - Mann & Jorgensen (2002) – Ian Allan Publishing ISBN 0-711-02899-0

Sons Of The Vikings – R B Nyquist – Royal Norwegian Government Information Office – no date given

Fighting Norsemen – R B Nyquist – Royal Norwegian Government Information Office – no date given

The Polar Bears – Monty’s Left Flank – Patrick Delaforce (1995) – Sutton ISBN 0-750-91061-5

HMS Sheffield – The life and Times of ‘Old Shiny’ – Ronald Bassett (1988) Arms and Armour Press ISBN 0-853-68911-3

Voices in the Air 1939- 1945 – Laddie Lucas (2003) – Arrow Books ISBN 0-094-6566-3

Forgotten Voices of the Second World War – Max Arthur (2004) Imperial War Museum – ISBN 0-091-89734-3

Blockade Busters – Ralph Barker (1976 – reprint 2005) – Pen & Sword – ISBN 1-844-15282-0

The Waves Are Free – James Irvine (1988) – Shetland Publishing Company – ISBN 0-906-73610-2

The Final Curtain – James Irvine

The Fairmile ‘D’ Motor Torpedo Boat – John Lambert (2005) – Conway Martime Press – ISBN 1-844-86006-X. A superb book about the ‘Dogboat’ used by the allies during WW2, including the Norwegians.

Dog Boats at War – Royal Navy D Class MTBs & MGBs 1939-45 – Leonard C Reynolds OBE, DSC (1998) – Sutton Publishing (IWM) – ISBN 0-750-91817-9

Agents By Moonlight (The Secret History of RAF Tempsford During World War II) – Freddie Clark - 1999 – Tempus Publishing Ltd
ISBN 0-752-41691-X (SOE Squadrons)

Secret Flotillas (Clandestine Sea Lines to France & French North Africa 1940-1944) – Brooks Richards – 1996 – HMSO Publication – ISBN 0-11 630- 960-1

Sabotage & Subversion – Ian Dear 1996 – Arms & Armour Press – ISBN – 1-854-09260-X

Blockade Runners – Sweden’s lifeline in the Second World War – Lars-Axel Nilsson & Leif A Sandberg 1996 – Gullers Forlag (Sweden) – ISBN – 9-163-04890-6

Commando Attack – Gordon Holman 1942 – Hodder & Stoughton

The Navy in Action – Taffrail 1940 – Hodder & Stoughton

The Battle of the Narrow Seas (Light Coastal Forces 1939-45) – Lt Cmdr Peter Scott M.B.E., D.S.C. & Bar, R.N.V.R. 1945 - Country Life Ltd

The Campaign in Norway – T K Derry (1952) – HMSO – considered to be one of the best accounts of the Norwegian Campaign.

The Norwegian Campaign of 1940 – J L Moulton 1966 – Camelot Press – no ISBN stated

Inside The Nazi Ring (A Naval Attache in Sweden) – Henry Denham 1984 – John Murray Publishers – ISBN 0-719-54160-3

SOE Syllabus – Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War11- Secret History Files (National Archives) 2001 ISBN 1-903-36560-0

Undercover – The Men and Women of the SOE – Patrick Howarth 1980 – Routledge & Kegan Paul – ISBN 1-842-12240-1

Narvik – Donald Macintyre (1959) ISBN 0-330-02708-5

The Bedford Triangle: US Undercover Operations from England in World War Two – Martin W Bowman (1989) Sutton Publishing ISBN 0-750-93173-6. A few references to SOE, Op Gunnerside and Area Houses.

Gubbins & SOE – Peter Wilkinson & Joan Bright Astley (1993) Leo Cooper Publishing – ISBN 0-850-52556-X

S.O.E. The Special Operations Executive 1940-46 – MRD Foot (1984) BBC Publication – ISBN 0-749-30378-6

Norway the Commandos Dieppe – Chris Buckley (1952) HMSO – ISBN 0-117-72194-8

Norway 1940 – Bernard Ash (1964) Cassel – No ISBN

A Biologist On The Run – Sven Somme (1992) No ISBN or stated publisher. This book is currently being rewritten by Ellie Targett.

In Peace and War: The Story of HMS Glasgow 1937-1958 – G D Oliver

Norway 1940 – Francois Kersaudy (1990) Collins - ISBN 0-002-15546-X

Norway 1940 – The Forgotten Fiasco – Joseph Kynoch (2002) Airlife – ISBN – 1-840-37380-6

The Naked Soldiers – Joseph Kynoch (1995) Charnwood Publications ISBN – 0-953-10391-9

Haakon King of Norway – Maurice Michael (1958) Allen & Unwin

We die Alone – David Howarth (1955) Collins No ISBN but believed to be in reprint.

The Bitter Years (The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway April 1940 – May 1945) – Richard Petrow (1974) Hodder & Stoughton – ISBN 0-340-19651-3

The Mountains Wait – Theodor Broch (Former Mayor of Narvik) (1943) Michael Joseph

The Secret History of SOE: Special Operations Executive 1940-1945 – William Mackenzie (2000) St Ermin’s Press – ISBN 1-903-60811-2 (This book is an absolute ‘must have’ and will give a very detailed background to SOE)

Norway Invaded – James Tevnan & Terence Horsley (1940) Withy Grove Press Ltd. Journalist account of the invasion of April 1940.

SOE In Scandinavia – Charles Cruickshank (1986) Oxford University Press – ISBN 0-192-15883-X (This is also another essential book for the study of Norwegian SOE)

Inside Fortress Norway – Bjorn West – Norwegian Guerrilla Base 1944 – 1945 – Thomas Nielsen (1992 & 2000) Gyldendfal Norsk Forlag – ISBN 0-897-45245-3. Detailing the exploits of Nielsen’s time with the Bjorn West group.

I Saw it Happen in Norway – Carl J Hambro (1941) Appleton-Century.

Skis Against The Atom – Knut Haukelid (1954, 1973 & 1989) Org. William Kimber now published by North American Heritage Press – ISBN 0-942-32307-6. A brilliant account of Operation Gunnerside. Essential reading.

The Second World War – A Guide to Documents in the Public Records Office – John D Cantwell (1998) – ISBN 1-873-16260-X (A good starting point for works of reference from the PRO)

SOE Operations in Scandinavia – PRO (1998) – ISBN 1-873-16215-4 (another ‘must have’ booklet that will list every Scandinavian SOE Operation including reference numbers and dates)

Peter Moen’s Diary – no date given, but publisher is Faber & Faber. Diary written in 1944: Gestapo prison 19 Mollergaten, Oslo.

Inside SOE – The Story of Special Operations in Western Europe 1940-45 – E H Cookridge (1966) Arthur Barker Ltd. Very useful reference book with sections on Norway.

The Shetland Bus – David Howarth (1957) Thomas Nelson & Sons. Believed to be in reprint. Thought provoking account of what brave Norwegian crews achieved in the face of overwhelming odds.

Pimpernel Gold – How Norway Foiled the Nazis - Dorothy Baden Powell (1978) Robert Hale – ISBN 0-709-16748-2

Operation Jupiter – SOE’s Secret War in Norway - Dorothy Baden Powell (1982) Robert Hale - ISBN 0-709-19367-X

Assault in Norway – The True Story of the Telemark Raid - Thomas Gallager - 1975 Purnell Books

Norway 1940-45 The Resistance Movement – Olav Riste & Berit Nokleby – 1970 Tanum Norli – ISBN 8-251-80164-8

Norway and the Second World War – Andenaes, Risre & Skodvin, 5th Ed 1996. ISBN 8-203-22163-7

Ray Mears - The Real Heroes of Telemark – Ray Mears – 2003 Hodder & Stoughton – ISBN 0-340-83015-8. A well researched book superbly put together. The book follows the excellent television program on the same subject.

Commando – Peter Young, 1969, Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-23916-3

Secret Agent – Britain’s Wartime Secret Service – David Stafford – 2000 & 2002 BBC Worldwide – ISBN 0-563-48811-5

Report From # 24 – Gunnar Sonsteby – 1965 Lyle Stuart & 1999 Barricade Books – ISBN 1-569-80141-X (Gunnar Sonsteby is very highly regarded and respected figure in Norway)

Little Norway” in pictures – RNAF in Canada – no published date, author or ISBN (Excellent pictures)

Underwater Saboteur – Max Manus – 1954 William Kimber. Max Manus is one of Norway’s best known saboteurs. Along with his friend, Gregers Gram, who later lost his life to a trap laid by the Germans, they destroyed significant amounts of shipping.

Norwegian Patrol – Gron Edwards – 1985 Airlife Publishing – ISBN 0-906-39353-1 Book about a 233 Squadron pilot (Hudsons) on anti-shipping strikes, including searching for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.

Salt Water Thief – E O Hauge – 1958 Duckworth. A gripping tale about Odd Starheim and fellow resistors who stole ships under the noses of the Germans.

Sweet is War – Malcolm Munthe – 1955 – Duckworth

From Artic Snow To dust Of Normandy – Patrick Dalzel-Job – 1991 – Alan Sutton Publishing – ISBN 0-862-99842-5. A superb book detailing the exploits of Dalzel-Job and his work with Ian Fleming’s (creator of James Bond) Intelligence Commando 30 AU. Patrick Dalzel-Job is the holder of the Ridderkors (Knight’s Cross) of St Olav personally awarded by King Haakon for saving the civilians of Narvik from horrendous German bombing.

Shetland Bus Faces and Places 60 Years on – Trygve Sorvaag – 2003 –
The Shetland Times Ltd – ISBN 1-898-85288-X

Secret Agent’s Handbook of Special Devices – Introduction by
Mark Seaman – Crown Copyright 2000 – Public Record Office

SOE the scientific secrets – 2003 - Boyce & Everett – Sutton Publishing

Hitler’s Espionage Machine – Christer Jorgensen – 2004 – Spellmount Ltd – ISBN: 1-862-27244-1 (interesting account of the actiivities of the Abwehr etc)

With Britain in Mortal Danger – Britain’s most Secret Army – Edited by John Warwicker – 2002 – Cerberus Publishing – ISBN: 1-841-45112-6 (excellent account of the Auxillary units in the UK, plus some background to MI(R), John Holland and Colin Gubbins)

The following publications are certainly worth obtaining. Published by HMSO Books, they are, however, generally viewed as propaganda material:

Combined Operations – 1940-1942

Coastal Command
His Majesty’s Submarines

There’s Freedom in the Air – Official story of the allied air forces from the occupied countries.

Before We Go Back – Norway’s Fight since April 1940

Fleet Air Arm – The Admiralty account of Naval Air operations

Bomber Command

The Royal Marines – The Admiralty account of their achievement 1939 – 1943

MAGAZINES:

After The Battle – Telemark – Operation Freshman – Issue 45
After The Battle – The Shetland Isles – Issue 67
After The Battle – Sinking of the Blûcher – Issue 101
After The Battle – The Raid on Vaagso – Issue 109
After The Battle – The Norwegian Campaign – Issue 126

The above magazines can be ordered via their website:
www.afterthebattle.com

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