The Shetland Bus: A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival, and Adventure

Dark winters provided the perfect cover for missions to occupied Norway during WWII, and the closest base was from Britain's most northerly group of islands, Shetland. Most Norwegians knew about the 'Shetland Bus', which did not go overland but across the North Sea, taking supplies and saboteurs into the fjords under the noses of the Germans, and taking refugees to safety on the return journey- journeys in small fishing boats which covered thousands of miles, testing the skills of the Norwegian seaman, all volunteers, who risked their lives in storms, fog and darkness to make the crossing.

David Howarth was a junior naval officer who helped to set up and operate the base and as such didn't actually take part in any of the missions. show more Instead this book compiles the successes and failures, the courage, skill and adventurous spirit of the men that actually risked their lives operating the Shetland Bus which included an attempt to sink the Tirpitz. As Howarth himself admits whether or not the whole episode can be judged as a success is open to some conjecture but what it certainly did was tie up an awful lot of German forces that could have been used in other theatres, so much so that there was over 284,000 German troops still stationed in Norway on the eve of the fall of Berlin.

Most people would have heard about the French Resistance groups but little is written about similar groups in other occupied countries and this books goes a little way to redress the balance. As such it makes for an interesting read if a little dry. show less

David Howarth was a Lieutenant-Commander in the British Royal Navy, who was given the responsibility of organizing a group of Norwegian seamen to run underground supplies and people on fishing boats to and from Lunna Island off the Shetland Coast to Norway. Howarth makes clear from the beginning that he, himself, did not participate in any of the heroics. He simply has compiled from the records this historic account. His honesty and modesty is very refreshing.
Among their famous missions was the ill-fated Jan Baalsrud attempt to blow up a Nazi boat.

I persuaded my local library to buy a copy of this book after a trip to Norway. Our guide, Inger, recommended this book . I read it and enjoyed it. Our cruise started and ended in Bergen, Norway, base of the boats in the book

This is a worthwhile book on a very little known episode of World War II, with tales of Norwegian heroes who moved back and forth across enemy lines. Also known as the /Shetland Bus/.