A new book out this month reveals previously unknown exciting stories of escape to Scotland from Nazi-occupied Norway during WW2.  

The Flight of the Vikings Daring Escapes In Small Boats From Nazi-Occupied Norway 1940-45 is written by Scottish bestselling author Andrew Orr. 

The book tells how Norwegians responded to the invasion, the bitter fighting and occupation of their neutral country. They did as their Viking ancestors did, scrambled into small boats and took to the North Sea crossing to Scotland to join free forces.  Over 4000 came in over 360 boats.

They were determined to return to Norway as avengers of Nazi oppression. Most of the boats were small inshore fishing vessels, but some were very small – a 15ft boat rowed for over 200 miles by one man and a 16ft two-man sealskin kayak. 

The book is set in the context of the brutal occupation to find out what drove the young Norwegians to risk betrayal, interception and capture whilst taking on a cruel sea. Self- selected by their courage these escapers became the backbone of the legendary Norwegian Special Forces-  the famous Shetland Bus and Kompani Linge commandos.

After sixteen years of research Andrew Orr reflected:

‘As I discovered more and more about these amazing escapes the more compelled I became to tell their stories.  I had an obligation to the young Norwegians and their families to tell the full saga of these 19^th century Vikings’.