Jan baalsrud family

Did jan baalsrud ever marry
Jan baalsrud 12th man
Jan baalsrud route map

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17. Reindeer

“I’ll go see the Lapps. They’re our best chance.”

After having it on my list for years, I finally read a David Howarth’s We Die Alone, about a Norwegian commando, Jan Baalsrud, who escaped from the Nazis and by walking, rowing, skiing, and finally by sleigh, made it across the far north Norway, in the Arctic, to finally make it to safety in Sweden. Wikipedia puts it succinctly;

This mission, Operation Martin, was compromised when Baalsrud and his fellow soldiers, seeking a trusted Resistance contact, accidentally made contact with an unaligned civilian shopkeeper, with the same name as their contact, who betrayed them to the Germans.

To set the scene, take a look at this map, from a recent expedition retracing Jan’s exact route:

https://gjeldnes.com/in-the-footstep-of-jan-baalsrud/

Early in his journey, he makes a mistake by trying to charge through a town and outrunning the Germans on skis instead of taking his time and waiting for the all-clear. In doing so, he gets lost in a snowstorm, and nearly dies in an avalanche. He survives, but suffer

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Jan Bålsrud is the man that never gave up

Reality is sometimes even more dramatic than authors and film-makers can imagine. The story of Jan Baalsrud’s escape through occupied Northern Norway in the spring of 1943 has something of the improbable about it. The new film about the drama, The 12th Man, is generating considerable interest in the story, so we sought out the locations where it all happened.

At the end of March 1943, Jan Baalsrud and 11 other intelligence officers from Kompani Linge and crew were sailing to Troms on the MS Bratholm to organise teams of saboteurs in occupied Norway. The boat was discovered; three of them were shot and eight arrested and later executed in Tromsø. Only Jan Baalsrud, the 12th man, managed to get away, escaping across Nord-Troms from 30 March to 1 June. With the help of many locals, he managed to reach Sweden, but not entirely intact, as he was forced to amputate most of his toes because of frostbite he developed while in a snow cave.

You can visit the locations from the films

The story is recounted in David Howarth’s book

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Escaping the Nazis: Jan Baalsrud's Story (Paperback)

By Betsy Rathburn, Taylor Yotter (Illustrator), Gerardo Sandoval (Inked or Colored by)

$8.99
Currently unavailable from publisher and distributor

Description

In 1943, Jan Baalsrud traversed the icy mountains and fjords of Nazi-occupied Norway. The journey was fraught with danger, but Baalsrud received plenty of help along the way. This graphic nonfiction title traces his treacherous voyage, including his interactions with the Nazis, his battle with the elements, and his journey to safety. Actual quotes bring history to the page, a map shows off Baalsrud's route, and a timeline helps readers trace his path to survival.