Rating: 
Summary: Insiring!
Review: "We Die Alone" is the stirring story of the escape and evasion of Jan Baalsrud, a commando inserted into Nazi-occupied Norway in World War 2. This reviewer finished WDA in one sitting this past Christmas night. The resolution, which is not revealed here, will be readily obvious yet this does not lessen reader interest one iota. WDA is not spellbinding but the undercurrent of suspense stays constantly with the reader. The stark facts tell their own story. The setting is bare bones and sparse-perhaps in keeping with the bitter Norway cold. "Cold" is a key word in describing WDA because Mr. Baalsrud spends lots of time outdoors in it! At one point he is all but buried alive in snow, as a desperate Norwegian Resistance has nowhere else to conceal him from pursuing Germans. No review of WDA would be complete without giving homage to the fierce Resistance, which tied down some 280,000
German troops. Military history fans seeking a fresh angle on WW2 and especially those who enjoy tales that deal with positive thinking, refusal to quit, and dedication to duty should enjoy WDA. Mr. Baalsrud had more of those qualities than any 10 of us will ever demonstrate. Unhappily, WDA possesses one huge weakness-no MAP! This is a common failing in all too many military stories but is inexcusable here. Geography is critical in Baalsrud's eastward flight to neutral Sweden. The inability to follow it without a map, or at least a World Atlas at hand, was frustrating. This is shameless insensitivity on the publisher's part and justifies subtracting a star from the above rating. By all means, read WDA but have a good map of Norway handy when you do.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the Psychology of Survival
Review: 'We Die Alone' was written by David Howarth in the mid-1950s, drawing on his Second World War experience of running espionage operations sent into German occupied Europe. The book recounts the experience of Norwegian Jan Baalsrud, the sole survivor from an abortive attempt to land a commando team on the coast of northern Norway. Baalsrud made his way across Norway in the depths of winter, eventually to find safety in neutral Sweden. The heart of the book is about Baalsrud's amazing capacity to endure extreme hardship, frostbite, and long weeks of isolation in Norway's unbelievably harsh northern plateau region. Ultimately his survival rested on the willingness of the Norwegian people to feed and find him shelter even through the penalty for harbouring a spy was certain death should the German occupiers find out.After the war David Howarth built a successful career for himself as a popular historian. For this book his admirably clear writing style has been paired down to match the absolute simplicity of Norway's stark winter environment. The writing is unadorned and spare. It perfectly suits the context, describing in a matter-of-fact way Baalsrud's incredible survival story. Here is a man who amputated nine of his own toes to prevent the spread of gangrene as he lay alone for three weeks in a shallow snow cave waiting for his rescuers to organise an escape to Sweden. Reading about such events naturally leads to a sense of puzzlement about how Baalsrud survived hardships that would have killed most people put into a similar situation. David Howarth makes no direct attempt to explain this puzzle, but does explore his subject's psychology. It was as if Baalsrud simply could not conceive of giving up. Even well beyond the point when his Norwegian helpers imagined that he must have died from exposure, Baalsrud doggedly focussed on staying alive hour by hour until, close to death, nomadic Laplanders took him by reindeer-drawn sledge to safety. 'We die alone' has been through many printings. The absence of a map spoils my 2000 edition from the UK publishers, Cannongate. But readers can follow Baalsrud's journey with any large scale map of Northern Scandinavia.
Rating: 
Summary: March, 1943
Review: 12 men set out in a boat from the Shetland Islands. They are expatriate Norwegians, on a mission to organize, train and supply the Norwegian Resistance against the Nazis. But, they were betrayed, and everything goes horribly wrong. Only one man survives, and it is up to him to complete the mission. He is helped along the way by villagers, who will be shot if they are caught helping him. It's a story of heroism and adventure, and very hard to put down once started. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Wonder of the human will!
Review: A riveting book that i could not put down before the last page.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: An amazing story which should should leave any reader with a new respect of what man can overcome when his will to survive is unquestioned.
Rating:
Summary: We Die Alone
Review: An extraordinary story of courage and determination. One of the great survival stories of World War II. Well written with precise details about this heroic effort to escape capture. Howarth used first hand information obtained through his military service. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: He makes Superman look wimpy
Review: As if being chased by German soldiers in WWII wasnt bad enough, Norwegian freedom fighter Jan Baalsrud somehow managed to escape and endure the harsh, frigid weather of northern Norway. A fascinating story of one man's courage and will to live no matter what and of those who risked their own lives to help him.
Rating:
Summary: a survival classic
Review: first read this incredible tale of one man's refusal to die alone forty years ago--have been recommending to people ever since. jan baalsrud--a norwegian patriot during wwII--captured my imagination in the page's of david howarth's riveting book, and his story of survival under the relentless pursuit of the nazi's, is maybe the best to come out of that war. page after page, the twists and turns, the chance meetings and narrow escapes, the unrelenting suspense...a book you simply can't put down. and written well enough that it doesn't matter if you're a seventh grader, as i was four decades ago, or a senior citizen, as i'm rapidly becoming. its just a great read. you'll never forget jan baalsrud..guaranteed.
Rating:
Summary: Never Give Up
Review: For most of my reading I tend toward things of non-fiction, believing that the real is more fantastic than anything imagined. This was surely the case in this account of survival in the wastelands of Northern Norway during WW.II. Like others who've read this report by David Howarth, I was caught up in the drama of people going out of their way, and at high risk, to save a man from the German forces. And not only their determination but the ongoing faith and hope of Jan Baalsrud as he faced the dire possibilities of death. It is difficult to imagine the pain when Jan had to cut off his own toes with a rusty knife as he languished in a snow cave. It is a grand story of courage set against the impossibilities posed by mountain peaks,blinding snow storms, wild animals and an enemy ready to shoot anyone. Like Churchill said: "Never give up."
Rating:
Summary: WE DIE ALONE
Review: GREAT BOOK A MUST FOR EVERYONE
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