Many years ago now I had an English teacher who during a parent-teacher evening said, ‘well mark doesn’t like me and I don’t like mark’, as such he didn’t offer much in the way of help when it came to learning. As such my parents asked my next door neighbour to tutor me in English. He managed to find books that really inspired me to read, the type of swashbuckling adventure every school boy loves.
One of these books was ‘We Die Alone‘, written by a war historian, telling the story of one Norwegian Soldier who had attempted to make his way into Norway, by way of the Shetland Islands on a fishing boat, to training up locals in sabotage, and tasked to take out an airfield the following spring to free up the passage to St Petersburg and the Russian front.
The mission goes wrong almost instantly, and the story follows Jan’s attempt to escape and evade the occupying German forces, across mountains and Fjord’s. What your left with is a mix of Bravo Two Zero meets Touching the Void. The back story tells of a extremely kind and caring local communities who risk everything to get Jan to Sweden.
I really can’t recommend this book highly enough, if I had the money I would love to make a film retracing Jan’s epic adventure. Telling his stories alongside my own attempt to follow it.
I am loath to tell you anymore, just incase you go and read it.