Rating: 
Summary: paperback edition omission
Review: My paperback copy did not contain a map. The Table of Contents lists the map as appearing on the "endpaper", which apparantly was not incorporated into the paperback edition. Things were a little confusing without one, but it was possible to deduce approximately the distances involved and directions taken. Overall, this was a minor detraction from an otherwise excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: You'll be hard pressed to find a better survival story
Review: Not at all a book about WWII combat action, We Die Alone is a gripping account of a Norwegian commandos race for the Swedish border agoinst the Nazis and some horrificlly overwhelming odds. This one is a fast-paced page turner, as time after time it might seem as though the escape is complete and then the story throws another twist that truly turns this story of escape into an unforgettable epic. Anyone who enjoys survival or adventure or even war reading will likely cherish this story that tells a true story of all three of those subjects. It also proves to be a superb discussion of the Nazi occupation and ruling of Norway, an area of WWII that is often forgotten but was in reality a key area for the Germans and one the British truly paid for losing. I can't say anything truly negative about this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible true WWII survival tale, rippingly told.
Review: One winter, in the midst of WWII, a crew of expatriate Norwegians attempted to land a cargo of guerilla supplies on Nazi-occupied Norway's far-northern coast. This book tells the story of the incredible privation endured by one of those men, Jan Balsruud, his hardihood and survival, and the risks and sacrifices undertaken on his behalf by the men and women who help him evade capture.I first read _We_Die_Alone_ some thirty years ago, in the first paperback edition, and I know that certain of its scenes and events will stay with me so long as I live. Howarth recounts the story simply, and lets the facts provide the drama. Strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A good escape story
Review: QUICK REVIEW: Not one of the best escape stories, but still a good one. The writing is good and descriptive, and is only occasionally confusing. Overall this is a really good story with believable events. Worth reading. FULL REVIEW: The escape story does not actually begin until about the third chapter but the story of a planned sabotage keeps your attention until then. Once he escapes off on his own it is not long before he runs into people who help him out. The escape story is made somewhat less amazing because of this, only because he does not survive with his own planning and strength. The story relies on the help of others throughout the whole escape. But what he endures and gets away with and what people do to sneak him to safety is what makes this a good story. There is constant action and continual tension of whether he will get caught, all of which makes it worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Physical and Emotional Endurance in WWII
Review: Second only to Slavomir Rawicz's The Long Walk in the annals of WWII escape stories I've read, the story of Jan Baalsrud's amazing escape after a failed commando insertion into occupied Norway is more a tale of endurance than one of derring-do. Penned by a former British spymaster, the book is a clear, if somewhat simply written, account of how Baalsrud was sheltered for weeks by various patriotic Norwegians who did their best to keep him out of German hands. An expatriate Norwegian, Baalsrud and his fellow commandos were attempting to establish a resistance cell in northern Norway that would disrupt the operations of a major German airfield nearby. Betrayed, the commandos were ambushed by German soldiers, with only Baalsrud escaping. The bulk of the book described how over the next several weeks, regular citizens in remote villages attempted to keep him alive while arranging for him to get to Sweden. This was greatly hampered by the frostbite that made walking or skiing impossible for him. It's an excellent glimpse into the mundane details of how regular people did their best to resist the Germans with the knowledge that they and their families would be killed if their plotting was uncovered. Ultimately though, the book is a tribute to Baalsrud's incredible physical and emotional endurance-he was buried alive for days under snow, left by himself for days at a time unable to move and in excruciating pain, and had to contemplate self-surgery-all while knowing that his discovery could mean the deaths of many innocent people. Think you're tough? Read this and think again! It would have been nice if the publisher had included a map.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Books I've Ever Read
Review: The adventures in this book are simply mind boggling and unbelievable. I fell in love with Jan and cried and laughed and kept saying, "NO WAY!" all through it. I generally read fiction but I found this book much more exciting than most fiction I've read, as well as much more emotional. This book is a classic and I have made my entire family and some of my friends read it!
Rating:
Summary: the great escape
Review: the book "WE DIE ALONE" was the best I had read during the late 50's. it was for a book report during my high school career. during that period in my life social events were mor fun than reading. but I had a difficut time putting this book down, so i could get some sleep. the book that I read was the first published edition, copyrighted 1955 by Ace books. my book has a map of the area, something the newer ones don't have. one of the reviewers down graded this story because his book did not supply him with a map. the story, four men survive the demolition of a boat they were on when it was destroyed by the Germans. one of them getting help from local citizens, travels up and over the mountains, gets caught in a sever snow storm. he places himself next to a huge rock and is buried alive but keeps pushing the snow away. then during the next many days he survives an incredible amount of pain and suffering. a true story.
Rating:
Summary: An Epic Survival Story
Review: The book I was reading from was published in 1950. When I opened the old hard back cover and started to read I did not know what to expect and after turning the first page I could not put it down. This story will grip you to the very end. It is an unblieveable story of courage and survival that only the most determined could survive.
Rating:
Summary: a classic survival tale
Review: The excellent Common Reader catalogue has been recommending this book forever in their catalogue and I can see why -- once you start, you can't put it down. Much like the other great survival tale, The Long Walk (which was probably even a notch above this one for sheer duration of suffering over multiple terrains with even worse odds of survival), this book follows the inredible suffering of a Norwegian hero who set sail from England on a Nazi raid in the northernmost regions of Norway. As usual, the Norwegians come out looking like real heroes -- just as they resisted Nazi occupation and didn't lie down to the treat of Hitler, so too many ordinary Norwegians risked their own lives and those of their families to save the young protagonist from sure death. A terrific read from start to finish!
Rating:
Summary: a classic survival tale
Review: The excellent Common Reader catalogue has been recommending this book forever in their catalogue and I can see why -- once you start, you can't put it down. Much like the other great survival tale, The Long Walk (which was probably even a notch above this one for sheer duration of suffering over multiple terrains with even worse odds of survival), this book follows the inredible suffering of a Norwegian hero who set sail from England on a Nazi raid in the northernmost regions of Norway. As usual, the Norwegians come out looking like real heroes -- just as they resisted Nazi occupation and didn't lie down to the treat of Hitler, so too many ordinary Norwegians risked their own lives and those of their families to save the young protagonist from sure death. A terrific read from start to finish!
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