We Die Alone: A WWII Epic Of Escape And Endurance Paperback – September 30, 2016

This is a really excellent book about a group of Norwegian commandos who were infiltrated into Nazi-occupied Norway in WW2. The book is great reading as a true adventure story, and it would also be of some interest to soldiers and special forces who must work in hostile, cold environments. It can certainly be said that the hero of this story, Jan Baalsrud, achieved one of the great escapes of the second world war. But it might be more true to say that he really won an epic battle of survival against the forces of nature.Before going further ... let me thank previous reviewers who added their thoughts here on Amazon.com. If you really want to understand the story, you need to buy one of the older hard-cover versions of this book. These were printed back in the 1950's. These old versions have important maps on the inside covers, and the maps help considerably in understanding the background of what happened. Fortunately, the older hard copies can be found fairly readily by searching the used copies of the book. It's a shame that the recent paperback versions did not reproduce the maps.The subject of this story, Mr. Baalsrud, tried to infiltrate Norway with a small team of well-trained commandos. Unfortunately, the whole plan backfired when an incredible foul-up occurred with a local contact who was supposed to help the team (I won't spoil the surprise - read the story). After that, Mr. Baalsrud became very dependent upon his personal energy and resourcefulness, combined with the sympathy of Norwegian partisans, as he struggled to avoid capture in enemy-occupied territory. Ultimately, through mistakes of judgment about weather, he was plunged into a terrible struggle against the elements. It is actually hard to believe that he survived what happened to him - I can't imagine how anyone could be entombed in a frozen wasteland and get through the experience. So this really is an epic story of Man vs. Nature.Overall, I was very impressed by the spirit of the Norwegian partisans in WW2. Frankly, I had little knowledge of what took place in Norway under the Nazi's, and this book explains a lot about the exemplary people who lived in that country. The patriotic Norwegians made a mighty effort to save their own man, and by a miracle they managed to succeed. But only at great cost. So the background material about Norway was all very interesting and made for a great story.Overall, this is one of the finest escape stories from the WW2 era. But mostly - it is the true tale of an epic struggle between a man and the hostile forces of nature in the "white north" of Scandinavia.

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 his own. Jan is now totally dependent on the assistance of the Norwegian citizens helping him.For the next 2 months, every attempt to get Jan to Sweden fails; at one point, he is left in a "snow grave" for 2 weeks waiting for the next group of Norwegians to find and assist him. Germans and another blizzard had delayed them from the original link up.Eventually, 2 Lapp herders are persuaded to take Jan to Sweden, where Jan recovers from his injuries and makes his way back to England to rejoin the war effort.There are at least 4 incidents where anyone with just an ounce less of perseverance would have given up and just died; that Jan was able to survive through all of this and return to the war, is what makes this story so remarkable.