Oluf Reed Olsen (1918–1966)

An interesting book I inherited from my father-in-law. The story of a member of the Norwegian resistance during the Germany occupation of the country in WWII. Published in 1952, it made for interesting reading. Parts were fast paced. Written in a somewhat folksy tone (probably resulting from its Norwegian translation). I enjoyed this book as it shed light on a segment of the war not realized by many history buffs. After 'channeling' portions of the war thru the author, I was slightly disappointed in the end. I wish the author would have mentioned more about how the war and the German occupation ended.

Not as fast paced as some books, it was still worth the read.… (meer)

Imagine jumping into 30 mile an hour winds from a Halifax bomber only to have your parachute catch on the aircraft resulting in you being buffet against the plane. After being knocked unconscious a couple of times, you find you are falling towards the trees, lakes & snow covered mountains at a rate faster than usual plus you notice your foot is pointed at 90 degrees to the rest of your leg.
This is only the start of Olsen's problems. Once on the ground, he must hide all evidence of his landing such as removing the parachute from the top of a fir tree. But first he must snap his dislocated knee back into place which he accomplishes by jamming it in the v-shaped notch in a tree and twisting in back in place. He follows this trial by walking for several days on that knee with 80 lbs of gear on his back. Superman? No, but his story of the time he spent in Norway playing cat & mouse with the German Army & Gestapo reads like fiction. An amazing story about an amazing man.… (meer)