Tag Archives: scorched earth

Horror of Karl Arp cargo ship journey for 1,800 refugees remembered as ‘Fire and Ice’ US tour winds up in Washington

Posted on November 23, 2015 by scorchedearthvh

The final stop in my ‘Fire and Ice’ tour of Norwegian America was just outside Washington DC, in the town of Fairfax, Virginia, where the local branch of the Sons of Norway group are based. They have their headquarters in … Continue reading →

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‘Fire and Ice’ interview most viewed on Roz’s writer’s blog just weeks before US publication

Posted on January 27, 2015 by scorchedearthvh

The importance of social media to writers and readers is now well-established in today’s rapidly changing world and I’m delighted to say my account of the scorched earth destruction of Norway during the war ‘Fire and Ice’ is currently riding … Continue reading →

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Scorched earth update: Bugøynes – the village that escaped the Nazi flames

Posted on November 18, 2014 by scorchedearthvh

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 →

Posted in 20th century history, Arctic Circle, Finnmark, Germany, Hitler, military history, Norway, Scorched Earth | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SCORCHED EARTH UPDATE: Tireless efforts by reporter and historian put names and faces to Northern Front veterans

Posted on October 30, 2014 by scorchedearthvh

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 →

Posted in 20th century history, Finnmark, military history, Norway, prisoners of war, social media, Soviet Union, World War Two | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scorched earth update: Priceless pictures emerge showing German soldiers receiving the order to burn Finnmark

Posted on October 28, 2014 by scorchedearthvh

The 70th anniversary of the liberation of the north of Norway has quite rightly been dominating the media in the region for the past few weeks. Some really amazing stories have come to light along with some excellent pictures taken … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, Fire and Ice, Hammerfest, history, Hitler, Honningsvag, kirkenes, Nazi, prisoners of war, scorched earth stories, Second World War, Soviet Union | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My scorched earth history ‘Fire and Ice’ is published tomorrow (October 6th)

Posted on October 5, 2014 by scorchedearthvh

The waiting is over…. My book about the scorched earth destruction of northern Norway by the Nazis in 1944 will be published tomorrow (Monday October 6th). ‘Fire and Ice – the Nazis’ scorched earth campaign in Norway’ will be available … Continue reading →

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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

Dark secrets and death camps: in the footsteps of the doomed at the Lyngen Line

Posted on August 29, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

I woke up to rain and dark clouds on my second day in the Lyngen Alps, a beautiful if brooding region of mountains and fjords where busloads of tourists flock each year to see the Northern Lights. That sense of … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, coastal guns, Finnmark, Germany, Hitler, Nazi, Norway, prisoners of war, Scorched Earth, Second World War, Soviet Union, traumatic story | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coastal bunker in ‘Paradise Lost’ reveals dark chapter of Soviet PoWs in Nazi-held Norway

Posted on August 28, 2013 by scorchedearthvh

If I had 100 Norwegian kroner (about £10) for every wartime bunker I’ve been to in the past fortnight, I would be a rich man. If nothing else, I am struck by the immense project to militarise Norway that went … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Century, Arctic Circle, coastal guns, Finnmark, Germany, history, Hitler, Norway, Second World War, Soviet Union, traumatic story, Uncategorized, Wideroe airlines | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a 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