Tag Archives: Hammerfest

Gas boom town Hammerfest lay in scorched earth ashes 70 years ago

Posted on January 7, 2015 by scorchedearthvh

Seventy years ago in February 1945 the modern gas boom town of Hammerfest in the Norwegian Arctic was reduced to ashes by Nazi troops carrying out a scorched earth retreat in the face of a huge Red Army offensive. The … Continue reading →

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Scorched earth 70th anniversary is marked with exhibitions and talks in Norway’s north

Posted on October 19, 2014 by scorchedearthvh

A series of exhibitions and talks are talking place in northern Norway this week in the run-up to the 70th anniversary of the scorched earth destruction of Finnmark. And many of the people whose stories are told in my book … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, Finnmark, Finnmarken, German submarines, Hitler, Honningsvag, Hopseidet, Housing, Nazi, Norway, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Oslo’s solid stone reveals what Finnmark lost in the scorched earth flames: its history

Posted on September 2, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Berries and borrowed cars feels so far from the days of scorched earth

Posted on August 24, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lingering traces of war on a walk round Kirkenes

Posted on August 20, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

Wherever you go in Kirkenes the war isn’t very far away, even though seven decades have passed. My hotel, the Rica Arctic, sits on one side of a bleak town square lined with featureless 1950s era block-built shops. Walking 100 … Continue reading →

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In praise of the mothers of Kirkenes

Posted on August 19, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

In the centre of the town square in Kirkenes in north-eastern Norway is a beautiful statue of a woman holding a child in her arms. This is ‘the mother’s monument’ and it’s a tribute to the part played by the … Continue reading →

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It’s a family affair on the flight to Oslo

Posted on August 10, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

The last 24 hours I’ve been looking over every day of my itinerary to Norway to check that it works. It’s amazing what you can do online. There’s a ferry that I’m going to get once I’ve hired a car … Continue reading →

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