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Recent Posts
- 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: Hitler
Scorched earth update: Bugøynes – the village that escaped the Nazi flames
The number of towns that escaped the flames of the scorched earth retreat by the Nazis from Norway in 1994 can be counted on the fingers of – probably – one hand. The most famous of those places is the … Continue reading
True scale of scorched earth evacuation effort emerges with hotel manager Hansen key man
One of the incredible stories told in my book ‘Fire and Ice’ about the scorched earth burning and evacuation of northern Norway in 1944 is of the flood of refugees descending on the city of Tromso. Some forgotten details of … Continue reading
Posted in evacuation, Hitler, Nazi, Norway, tromso
Tagged evacuation, Nazi, Norway, Quisling, Soviet Union
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The story of the secret love child from the tunnel… there were eleven babies, not ten, but the last one was German.
It’s one of the most famous stories in Norwegian wartime history: the ten babies born in the tunnels of an iron ore mine where 3,000 people sought refuge from the fighting as the Red Army liberated the town from the … Continue reading
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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Scorched Earth Stories 