Secret Alliances: Special Operations and Intelligence in Norway 1940–1945 – The British Perspective

Europe, 1940. Nazi forces sweep across the continent, with a British invasion likely only weeks away. Never before has a resistance movement been so crucial to the war effort. In this comprehensive appraisal of Anglo-Norwegian cooperation in the Second World War, Tony Insall reveals some of the most striking successes of the Norwegian resistance, particularly the reports produced by the heroic SIS agents living in the country’s desolate wilderness. Their coast-watching intelligence highlighted the movements of the German fleet and led to counter-strikes that sank many enemy ships – most notably the Tirpitz in November 1944. Delving deep into the archives, Insall also shows how SIS and SOE’s effective cooperation with their Norwegian counterparts produced some of the most remarkable achievements of the war. This fully updated edition draws on a wealth of new source material, revealing previously unknown stories of fraught sea crossings, a disastrous British-Norwegian operation, covert dealings with the Russians and much more.