Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is an in-depth look at the British-Norwegian operations to cripple the Norwegian heavy water plant in the midst of World War II.
First, a little science. Heavy water is one of the necessary ingredients for the production of an atomic bomb. In the early days of World War II, before the Manhattan Project and Little Boy and Fat Man and Hiroshima, scientists were fairly certain of this, but hadn't yet put the pieces together, on either side of the Atlantic. As the war progressed and the Allies became more confident of the nuclear recipe, the necessity of destroying Norway's Vemork plant, the only plant that produced the heavy water the Nazis needed.
Bascomb provides a bit of the science background early and then delves into the top secret operations devised by the British and Norwegians to sabotage the plant. These operations are fascinating the way Operation Mincemeat was fascinating: it's incredible to think that someone came up with such multi-faceted, ingenious, hard plans. And that they worked!
Admittedly, I previously knew next to nothing about Norway's role in World War II, and so this book also served as a bit of a primer for me in that sense. Ultimately, though, one can't help but be struck by the indomitable spirit of those who were determined to resist and the ability of the human body to adapt and survive. (The will to survive: feasting on reindeer parts for months on end while skiing a dozen miles a day charging and recharging massive batteries in the hope of making contact with London with a makeshift radio. In the midst of blizzards dumping four feet of snow and producing ferocious winds capable of sailing you off the roof.)
Five stars.
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