Customer Reviews

Assault In Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program

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While teaching chemistry this year, I came across the word deuterium, which stands for what is called 'heavy water.' I was browsing around looking for more information on the difference between regular hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium, for my class...as I have found that the more history given in chemistry classes, the more the students are likely to remember technical information if they understand what it was used for.

During WWII there was a perceived race between the Allies and Germany to be the first to come up with an atomic bomb. The Allies were right to be worried because most of the work on nuclear energy had been done in Germany prior to the war, by people like Einstein and Fermi. These men were quickly moved out of Germany, and into Britain and the U.S., as their minds were worth their weight in gold.

One of the ways to cause a nuclear reaction is to use heavy water. Hydrogen under normal conditions has a proton and an electron, but no neutron within its nucleus. In order to start a nuclear reaction, a nucleus has to bombard uranium or plutonium, and regular water cannot supply that neutron. Deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen that has a neutron in its nucleus, and so can start a reaction.

The Germans did not have access to heavy water, and this was part of the reason that they invaded Norway early, as Norway had an outstanding heavy water facility. Those involved in the production of the atomic bomb in this country were very concerned that the Nazis were about 2 years ahead of us in creating a bomb. This threat was enough to be of importance to Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt and winston Churchill, and to General Groves who was the military arm of the Los Alamos group creating the bomb in the U.S. Groves made it clear that the Norsk Hydra plant needed to be taken out of commission immediately.

Both British and Norwegian loyalists were involved in this joint effort. Luckily the men who created the Norsk plant were in England and could give detailed instruction to the men who were to sabotage the plant. the first attempt at gliding British into Norway ended in disaster, when the gliders crashed, and those who survived the crash were murdered by the
Germans. The second attempt, made up of all Norwegians, was more successful, and they not only blew up important parts of the plant, but made it home to Britain in safety.

Unfortunately, the Germans were able to get the plant up and running sooner than expected, and were sending heavy water to Germany for safekeeping. This meant that another sabotage needed to be planned, one that would sink the barrels of heavy water in the deep part of a fjord. and this time the lives of innocent Norwegians were lost as they could not take the chance of alerting civilians and having the Germans suspect something.

I wish the book had explained more about the chemistry of the heavy water, but the book was an enjoyable historical read, as so much of the information came first hand from those Norwegians involved. I found enough information on the Internet to explain the process using heavy water, and it is still used today in Canada.

The Norwegians should be proud of the part they played in defeating the Germans...as someone of Norwegian ancestry, I am proud of what they sacrificed.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education

The world might be very different if the Nazi war machine had developed the atom bomb before their defeat in WW II. They were working on it at the same time the "Manhattan Project" was under way in Chicago and later in New Mexico. A critical part of the German effort to develop "the bomb" was located in occupied Norway where the Nazi's were manufacturing "heavy water". This is the story of the allies first hindered, then derailed that effort.

It is a cliffhanging [literally] good yarn full of danger, loyalty, courage and improvisation in the face of disaster. It has one of the best chase scenes I've encountered anywhere. It also shows the contribution of the people of Norway to the allied effort to defeat Hitler's Germany. It was good a number of years ago when I first read it and it is just as good now. I'm glad to see it back in print.

Thomas Gallagher was an old family friend, so in some respects my review of his works may be slightly biased. In fact, in the years before he died, he was a mentor to me in my own writing. Unfortunately, he passed on before he could see that I dedicated my first novel to him.

In terms of his books, PADDY'S LAMENT and ASSAULT IN NORWAY are among his best. Mr. Gallagher always had a talent for taking an obscure event in history and showing its importance in such a way that the final product reads like a novel. I first read both of the above works in 1990, while still in college, and I remember marvelling at how crisp every one of his sentences was. He achieved elegance through hard work, and both of these works are testament to it.

What a fantastic story! Some years ago my brother was in Norway on a tour & met one of the men who participated in this raid. They struck up a conversation & the gentleman told David his story & presented him with a tattered old copy of the book. I was fortunate enough to read it & learn about the tough Norwegian resistance fighters and their amazing strength & courage. Unfortunately, the book expired of natural causes.

How wonderful that this terrific book is back in print. This story should be preserved so that future generations can know what sacrifices were made to purchase their freedom. It should be required reading for all high school students.

This book describes the true, heroic, and absolutely amazing efforts of a small team of commandos in one of the most exciting events of WW II. What these brave men suffered through and eventually pulled off is beyond belief. If you enjoy action in the vein of the movie "Where Eagles Dare", military stories in the style of Bravo Two Zero, or if you simply enjoy history, this will be the most important book in your library. Trust me, you've never read anything like this before.

Almost unknown outside of Norway, a handful of Norwegian resistance fighters probably saved the the world from Nazi domination. The Nazi atomic weapons program needed heavy water from a mountain-protected Norwegian heavy water plant. Bombing the plant would have been difficult especially considering the vicinity of the town in the same mountain crevice. But the Nazis had to be stopped. British commandoes were promised to help the Norwegians but the commandoe raid failed in their attempt to reach the Norwegian guerrillas. If the world was to be saved, it was in the hands of 9 men.

The guerrilla plan and execution was brilliant and successful. But there was a complication and they would need a second raid to stop the Nazis. Again they produced results and this time even more incredible.

It is an incredible story of our incredible debt to these brave Norwegians who hardly understood the importance of their mission until long after it was over.

This is the first time I've felt compelled to write an Amazon review. I'm a high school teacher and I happened to pull "Assault in Norway" off of a shelf in the school library while my class was being lectured by the librarians. Who knew an act of casual boredom would lead to such an enthralling literary experience? Tom Gallagher's writing is excellent, and it takes effort to remind yourself that you aren't reading a spy novel but about a true-life event. Also importantly, this book brings to life, more than any movie or video game or text book ever has, the urgency and importance in fighting World War II and fighting against the Nazis. If you've ever taken for granted the idea of ordinary men doing extraordinary things, you never will again after reading about the extraordinary things the men who attempted to sabotage the Vemork plant and the Nazi atomic effort had to do. I have now realized for the first time that in the case of this war, the rhetoric and hyperbole is true. This was a war fought against evil men trying to take over the world, and it called for all good men to do what was right, and to do what in ordinary times they would never imagine doing, and to do so with the quiet desperation of men willing to sacrifice everything short of their humanity to achieve their goal... I salute these men and what they did, and all those who laid down their lives and identities in order to keep the world a place safe for freedom and individuality. You know these men... they are your fathers and your brothers and uncles and friends and neighbors, and they are willing to do what is asked of them for honor and country. I ask myself, could I do what they have done? Given a real threat against a real enemy, I hope I would have been able to, and I thank those whose lives are chronicled in this book for doing their part to ensure that, at least against this particular enemy, I won't have to.
I may have gotten a little carried away here, but you must read this book. The dangers and threats of World War II are ones that we must never forget, and the actions of men like these are the ones that we must always honor.

This is one of the most interesting stories in World War 2 history. The attempt by British Special Forces to destroy the Nazi nuclear reactor was a tremendous effort. Using Norwegian skiers who blended into the local background and destroyed the nuclear hard water reactor the mission was a success. This story also includes their dramatic escape and the second attempt at destroying a boat of hard water. This story is one that needs to be told and I highly recommend to everyone. Very well written and reads like a novel.

You will not be sorry about reading this book. IT IS AWESOME. It blew my mind. I had a hard time putting it down. It is a story of survival, sabotage, behind the lines activity, and war. I am keeping my copy to read again.

Thomas Gallagher was an old family friend, so in some respects my review of his works may be slightly biased. In fact, in the years before he died, he was a mentor to me in my own writing. Unfortunately, he passed on before he could see that I dedicated my first novel to him.

In terms of his books, PADDY'S LAMENT and ASSAULT IN NORWAY are among his best. Mr. Gallagher always had a talent for taking an obscure event in history and showing its importance in such a way that the final product reads like a novel. I first read both of the above works in 1990, while still in college, and I remember marvelling at how crisp every one of his sentences was. He achieved elegance through hard work, and both of these works are testament to it.