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

From the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile, an epic adventure and spy story about the greatest act of sabotage in all of World War II. It's 1942 and the Nazis are racing to be the first to build a weapon unlike any known before. They have the physicists, they have the uranium, and now all their plans depend on amassing a single ingredient: heavy water, which is produced in Norway's Vemork, the lone plant in all the world that makes this rare substance. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers push production into overdrive. For the Allies, the plant must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on Earth? Based on a trove of top secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skies, perilous survival in the wild, sacrifice for one's country, Gestapo manhunts, soul-crushing setbacks, and a last-minute operation that would end any chance Hitler could obtain the atomic bomb--and alter the course of the war Documents The Allied Raid Against Occupied Norway's Vemork Hydroelectric Plant, The World's Only Supplier Of An Essential Ingredient Needed By The Nazis To Build An Atomic Bomb, Citing The Teamwork Of British Special Ops, A Brilliant Scientist And Refugee Norwegian Commandos That Foiled Hitler's Nuclear Ambitions,--novelist. It's 1942 And The Nazis Are Racing To Be The First To Build A Weapon Unlike Any Known Before. They Have The Physicists, They Have The Uranium, And Now All Their Plans Depend On Amassing A Single Ingredient: Heavy Water, Which Is Produced In Norway's Vemork, The Lone Plant In All The World That Makes This Rare Substance. Under Threat Of Death, Vemork's Engineers Push Production Into Overdrive. For The Allies, The Plant Must Be Destroyed. But How Would They Reach The Castle Fortress Set On A Precipitous Gorge In One Of The Coldest, Most Inhospitable Places On Earth? Enter Leif Tronstad. A Brilliant Norwegian Scientist Who Narrowly Escaped His Country To Bring Word To The Allies Of The Plant's Importance--and How To Infiltrate It. Together With The British Special Operations Executive (the Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare), Tronstad Recruits A Disparate Band Of Patriots And Plans A Missing That Many Believe Impossible. Based On A Trove Of Top Secret Documents And Never-before-seen Diaries And Letters Of The Saboteurs, This Is An Arresting Chronicle Of A Brilliant Scientist, A Band Of Spies On Skies, Perilous Survival In The Wild, Sacrifice For One's Country, Gestapo Manhunts, Soul-crushing Setbacks, And A Last-minute Operation That Would End Any Chance Hitler Could Obtain The Atomic Bomb.--dust Jacket. The Water -- The Professor -- Bonzo -- The Dam-keeper's Son -- The Open Road -- The Commando Order -- Make A Good Job Of It -- Keen As Mustard -- An Uncertain Fate -- The Lost -- The Instructor -- Those Louts Won't Catch Us -- Rules Of The Hunter -- The Lonely, Dark War -- The Storm -- Best-laid Plans -- The Climb -- Sabotage -- The Most Splendid Coup -- The Hunt -- The Phantoms Of The Vidda -- A National Sport -- The Target List -- The Cowboy Run -- Nothing Without Sacrifice -- Five Kilos Of Fish -- The Man With The Violin -- A 10:45 A.m. Alarm -- Victory. Neal Bascomb. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [325]-365) And Index. "Riveting and poignant . . . The Winter Fortress metamorphoses from engrossing history into a smashing thriller . . . Mr. Bascomb's research and, especially, his storytelling skills are first-rate."? The Wall Street Journal "Weaving together his typically intense research and a riveting narrative, Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is a spellbinding piece of historical writing." ? Martin Dugard, author of Into Africa and co-author of the Killing series In 1942, the Nazis were racing to complete the first atomic bomb. All they needed was a single, incredibly rare ingredient: heavy water, which was produced solely at Norway's Vemork plant. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers pushed production into overdrive. If the Allies could not destroy the plant, they feared the Nazis would soon be in possession of the most dangerous weapon the world had ever seen. But how would the Allied forces reach the castle fortress, set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on earth? Based on a trove of top-secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, Gestapo manhunts, and a last-minute operation that would alter the course of the war. "A taut and peerlessly told adventure story full of thrills, derring-do and heart-stopping tension." ? Seattle Times "Told with both historical and scientific accuracy . . . this book has rocketed into my pantheon of the top suspense-filled stories about [World War II], along with The 900 Days and The Colditz Story ." ? Ethan Siegel, Forbes From the award-winning and best-selling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile 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 Its 1942 and the Nazis are racing to build an atomic bomb. They have the physicists. They have the will. What they dont 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 worlds 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 Hitlers 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. It's 1942 and the Nazis are racing to be the first to build a weapon unlike any known before. They have the physicists, they have the uranium, and now all their plans depend on amassing a single ingredient: heavy water, which is produced in Norway's Vemork, the lone plant in all the world that makes this rare substance. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers push production into overdrive. For the Allies, the plant must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on Earth? Enter Leif Tronsta, a brilliant Norwegian scientist who narrowly escaped his country to bring word to the Allies of the plant's importance -- and how to infiltrate it. Together with the British Special Operations Executive ("the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"), Tronstad recruits a disparate band of patriots and plans a mission that many believe impossible. Based on a trove of top secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, this is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, sacrifice for one's country, Gestapo manhunts, soul-crushing setbacks, and a last-minute operation that would end any chance Hitler could obtain the atomic bomb. --Dust jacket From the internationally acclaimed, best-selling author of Hunting Eichmann and The Perfect Mile, a World War II spy adventure set in Norway that draws on top-secret documents and memoirs of the saboteurs. In 1942, the Nazis were racing to complete the first atomic bomb. All they needed was a single, incredibly rare ingredient: heavy water, which was produced solely at Norway’s Vemork plant. Under threat of death, Vemork’s engineers pushed production into overdrive. If the Allies could not destroy the plant, they feared the Nazis would soon be in possession of the most dangerous weapon the world had ever seen. But how would the Allied forces reach the castle fortress, set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on earth? Based on a trove of top-secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, Gestapo manhunts, and a last-minute operation that would alter the course of the war. “Riveting and poignant . . . The Winter Fortress metamorphoses from engrossing history into a smashing thriller . . . Mr. Bascomb’s research and, especially, his storytelling skills are first-rate.”—Wall Street Journal It's 1942 and the Nazis are racing to be the first to build a weapon unlike any known before. They have the physicists, they have the uranium, and now all their plans depend on amassing a single ingredient: heavy water, which is produced in Norway's Vemork, the lone plant in all the world that makes this rare substance. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers push production into overdrive. For the Allies, the plant must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on Earth? Enter Leif Tronstad, a brilliant Norwegian scientist who narrowly escaped his country to bring word to the Allies of the plant's importance -- and how to infiltrate it. Together with the British Special Operations Executive ("the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"), Tronstad recruits a disparate band of patriots and plans a mission that many believe impossible. Based on a trove of top secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs It's 1942 and the Nazis are racing to be the first to build a weapon unlike any known before. They have the physicists, they have the uranium, and now all their plans depend on amassing a single ingredient: heavy water, which is produced in Norway's Vemork, the lone plant in all the world that makes this rare substance. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers push production into overdrive. For the Allies, the plant must be destroyed. But how would they reach the castle fortress set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on Earth? Based on a trove of top secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, "The Winter Fortress" is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skies, perilous survival in the wild, sacrifice for one's country, Gestapo manhunts, soul-crushing setbacks, and a last-minute operation that would end any chance Hitler could obtain the atomic bomb and alter the course of the war Attack on Vemork Copyright Dedication Maps List of Participants Epigraph Prologue Part I The Water The Professor Bonzo The Dam-Keeper’s Son Open Road Part II Commando Order Make a Good Job Keen as Mustard An Uncertain Fate The Lost Part III The Instructor Photos Those Louts Won’t Catch Us Rules of the Hunter The Lonely, Dark War The Storm Best-Laid Plans The Climb Sabotage Part IV The Most Splendid Coup The Hunt Phantoms of the Vidda A National Sport Target List Cowboy Run Part V Nothing Without Sacrifice Five Kilos of Fish The Man with the Violin A 10:45 Alarm Victory Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index Read More from Neal Bascomb About the Author The water The professor Bonzo The dam-keeper's son The open road The commando order Make a good job of it Keen as mustard An uncertain fate The lost The lost Those louts won't catch us Rules of the hunter The lonelydark war The storm Best laid plans The climb Sabotage The most splendid coup The hunt The phantoms of the Vidda A national sport The target list The cowboy run Nothing without sacrifice Five kilos of fish The man with the violin A 10:45 a.m. alarm Victory. xix, 378 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of facsimilies : 24 cm