Defiant Courage Audiobook By Astrid Karlson Scott, Tore Haug cover art

Defiant Courage

A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance

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Defiant Courage

By: Astrid Karlson Scott, Tore Haug
Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
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In late March of 1943, four commandos arrive in northern Norway with a mission of establishing a base for sabotage operations. Before they can unload their cutter, they are betrayed, as a German Schnell boat arrives and turns the quiet fjord into a battle zone. Only one man, Jan Baalsrud, surrvives the attack. This is the story of his perilous journey to freedom.

Wounded, the dauntless soldier swims icy fjord waters, climbs snow-laden granite peaks, endures violent snowstorms and is hurled off a mountain by an avalanche. Fleeing the Gestapo and battling the harsh Arctic cold, Jan suffers snowblindness and frostbite. Though he possesses raw courage and an iron will, they are not enough to deliver him all the way to neutral Sweden and safety.

The people of northern Norway's Troms district step forward to assist Jan. Selflessly defying Nazi dictates, more than 60 people risk their lives to help the fugitive commando.

©2010 Astrid Karlsen Scott and Dr. Tore Haug (P)2012 Audible, Inc. 21st Century Americas Europe Military Modern United States Wars & Conflicts World War II Scandinavia War

Editorial reviews

Some listeners might already be familiar with this amazing true story of survival during World War II. But even armed with the general knowledge of Jan Baalsrud’s escape from the Nazis into Arctic Norway after a failed sabotage operation, nothing compares to listening to this incredible tale as it unfolds moment by moment.

Peter Altshuler performs the diligently researched Defiant Courage with a keen ear not only for Norwegian names but also for texturizing and adding life to a story. Not that the story needs much embellishment. At one point in his escape, Baalsrud had been buried under an avalanche, had amputated nine of his toes, and was snow blind. His unlikely survival remains one of the great stories of World War II.
Inspiring Survival Story • Remarkable Courage • Excellent Narration • Compelling Historical Account • Vivid Descriptions
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Got this book after I watched the movie. Could start reading by myself, so I decided to hear the audio. The narrator was incredible, he made me feel every page he read. I absolutely love the book more than the movie because of him.

Amazon book with an espectacular narrator

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What a powerful story of courage... so thoroughly researched and artfully crafted. I had a difficult time putting it down. For days I lived and dreamed the story I had listened to. Captivating.

Gripping story of courage and love

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I liked this true story of another aspect of WW2.
Felt frozen most of the time from author's descriptions of snow and wind!

Epic war story

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The tone of this book reminded me of 1950s America, before Nam and endless scandals stole our innocence.

The subject matter is first rate. The heroic soldier certainly inspired me not to whine about my little physical problems. I’ve been recommending this one to everyone I know who uses Audible.

Excellent, old-school story

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A well read and very interesting story. Amazing courage from all involved in Jan’s escape.

Great untold story.

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insane stuff happened in this situation during world War 2 incredible story telling that will leave you wanting more

what a great story

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This is a great story and Audible has done another outstanding job with the audio version of this book.

The Courage of a Community to Rescue One Man

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This is an excellent tale of one man’s incredibly dangerous mission to Norway during WWII and the unspeakable pain, fear, and loneliness he endured while evading the Gestapo who were searching for him.

The book also describes in detail how so many ordinary Norwegian men, women, and even young adults and children who aided and comforted him despite the knowledge that they would be killed if it was ever discovered that they had helped him.

The narrator does a wonderful job with this book. He is very easy to listen to and does a good job pronouncing many Norwegian and German words.

Finally, the Netflix movie “The 12th Man” is based on this epic tale.

The 12th Man

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I love this story. It’s different than the movie that has the title the 12th man. I am Norwegian, and whenever I feel like I am failing, don’t have the omph to get up and do something I listen to this, or watch the movie. It is one of the most amazing stories of perseverance ever. I am so grateful to know of this story, and to be able to share it to friends.

Norwegian’s

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I could not put this book down it was so captivating and had me on the edge of my seat throughout. So glad you offered it and hope that other people listen to it and learn a little bit more history about World War II, Norway, Germany, and the goodness of people. It’s also an encouragement to push on no matter how severe the pain or difficulties!

A “page turner”

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