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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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Tag Archives: Kirkenes
The youths who pushed the Nazis out of Norway
On a similar theme to the previous post, another member of the circle of enthusiasts sharing stories about the war in northern Norway has posted some pictures of the Red Army soldiers preparing for their offensive against the Nazis. Maybe … Continue reading
Posted in Arctic Circle, nazi germany, Norway, Soviet Union, World War Two
Tagged 20th century, Jarfjord 20th century history Soviet Union Nazi Arctic Pasvik river Kirkenes Death camp scorched earth, Kirkenes, kirkenes scorched earth nazi 1944 tromso, military operation, Nazi Germany, Norway, petsamo, Red Army
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SCORCHED EARTH UPDATE: Tireless efforts by reporter and historian put names and faces to Northern Front veterans
The war in the far north of Norway was 70 years ago now, but modern methods are helping identify the men and women who found themselves caught up in it. What’s possible now in a period of almost universal computer … 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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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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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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In praise of the mothers of Kirkenes
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
Scorched earth stories from Kirkenes
Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny in Kirkenes, 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle, four miles west from the Russian border. I opened the curtains of my room at the Rica Arctic Hotel in the centre of town to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged 1940s, history, Hitler, Hurtigrute, Kirkenes, Nazi, Norway, Red Army, Soviet Union
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Scorched Earth Stories 