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- Hometown talk on Saturday as ‘Fire and Ice’ takes a break for Christmas
- Horror of Karl Arp cargo ship journey for 1,800 refugees remembered as ‘Fire and Ice’ US tour winds up in Washington
- Tears still being shed for Guri the horse; refugees sing as they sail past their burning homes, the pain still felt today
- On first night of US-Norway book tour tales of Finnmark kids, ammunition and Gestapo men begging for mercy
- ‘Fire and Ice’ US speaking tour takes shape with New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC talks
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Category Archives: Hammerfest
Stories from seventy years ago make the news again – and some of them have never been told
There is a wealth of fantastically atmospheric material coming out of northern Norway at the moment in time for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the north by the Red Army. The town of Kirkenes was bombed repeatedly from … Continue reading
Scorched earth history ‘Fire and Ice’ is ready for publication
This Scorched Earth Stories blog has been quiet for a while because my book – ‘Fire and Ice: The Nazis’ Scorched Earth Campaign in Norway’ – about the wartime destruction of northern Norway by the Nazis has been in production. … Continue reading
‘Fire and Ice’ goes to print, out in October 2014
My account of the Nazi scorched earth burning of Finnmark and Nord-Troms will be available from October 2014, published by The History Press. It will be called ‘Fire and Ice: the Nazis’ scorched earth campaign in Norway’ and will be … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, coastal guns, Finnmark, Finnmarken, German submarines, Germany, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Honningsvag, Hopseidet, Housing, Hurtigrute, Nazi, Norway, prisoners of war, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, traumatic story, Uncategorized, Wideroe airlines
Tagged andersgrotta, Finnmark, history, history press, hunt, Hurtigruten, Kirkenes, kirkenes scorched earth nazi 1944 tromso, Norway Oslo Kirkenes Hammerfest Wideroe Radisson Blu Rica Nazi scorched earth Daiga Kamerade, polar bear, Rica, snow, snow hotel, vincent, vincent hunt
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Oslo’s solid stone reveals what Finnmark lost in the scorched earth flames: its history
I have reached the Norwegian capital, Oslo, which signifies the end of my research trip gathering interviews about the destruction and devastation caused by the scorched earth withdrawal of the German Army from northern Norway in 1944. From October 1944 … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, coastal guns, Finnmark, Finnmarken, German submarines, Germany, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Honningsvag, Hopseidet, Housing, Hurtigrute, Nazi, Norway, prisoners of war, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, traumatic story, Uncategorized, Wideroe airlines
Tagged 1940s, 20th century, 20th century history, arctic, arctic circle, bombing, eastern norway, Finnmark, Finnmark reindeer hammerfest kirkenes honningsvag nordkapp norway scorched earth, German, German Army, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, kirkenes scorched earth nazi norway 1944 tromso Vince Hunt, scorched earth, Wideroe Airlines
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Still crying for her mother and father: 70 years and Hopseidet remains raw
The wind is gusting gale force and whips the door of my borrowed old Mitsubishi Galant out of my hands as I get out to greet the man who will translate my next encounter, Alf Helge Jensen, deputy editor and … Continue reading
Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, Finnmark, Finnmarken, German submarines, Germany, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Hopseidet, Norway, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, traumatic story, Wideroe airlines
Tagged arctic, cover up, Finnmark, German, German Army, Hitler, Hopseidet, Kirkenes, Mitsubishi Galant, Norway, norwegian military, Red Army, wartime executions
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Berries and borrowed cars feels so far from the days of scorched earth
The tiny fishing village of Mehamn clings to the Arctic coast of Norway east of Hammerfest. It’s a place for the hardy, subject to gale force blasts and driving rain in summer and unimaginably low temperatures due to wind chill … Continue reading
Posted in Arctic Circle, coastal guns, Finnmark, Germany, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Hopseidet, Norway, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, Uncategorized, Wideroe airlines
Tagged 20th century history, arctic, coastal battery, Finnmark, Gamvik, German, Hammerfest, Hopseidet, Hurtigruten, Mehamn, Norway, scorched earth, Second World War, Wideroe Airlines
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Once a burnt town, now Hammerfest’s a boom town
I guess it was the story of Hammerfest being burned to the ground that sparked my initial interest in writing ‘Scorched Earth Stories’, my book about the destruction of the north of Norway by the retreating German Army in 1944. … Continue reading
Posted in Arctic Circle, Finnmark, Germany, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Housing, Norway, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, Uncategorized
Tagged 1940s, 20th century, arctic, arctic circle, bombing, Brothers Grimm, eastern norway, Finnmark reindeer hammerfest kirkenes honningsvag nordkapp norway scorched earth, German Army, history, housing, Kirkenes, kirkenes scorched earth nazi norway 1944 tromso Vince Hunt, London, midnight sun, post war, Reconstruction, Red Army, scorched earth, traumatic story
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Scorched Earth Stories 