Under cover of darkness, 11 men on skis slipped into Nazi-occupied Norway with a singular, critical mission.
By sunrise, they aimed to cripple Hitler’s atomic dreams, all without firing a single shot. 💣
Their target was the heavily fortified Vemork hydroelectric plant in Rjukan, the world’s only site producing a key ingredient for a nuclear bomb: heavy water.
A previous British attempt to destroy the plant, Operation Freshman, had ended in disaster in 1942, with all men lost.
This time, the British Special Operations Executive put their faith in 11 highly-trained Norwegian commandos who knew the terrain. 🇳🇴
On the night of February 27, 1943, the team began Operation Gunnerside.
Instead of attempting a direct assault on the heavily guarded bridge, they used intelligence from a local spy to take a much harder route.
They descended a treacherous, icy gorge, crossed a frozen river, and climbed a 500-foot cliff on the other side to reach the plant’s perimeter, completely avoiding the main guards. ❄️
Using blueprints provided by their insider, they found their way through the complex to the heavy water production chambers.
They placed explosive charges on the containers and lit extremely short fuses to ensure the mission was a success before they were caught.
In a moment of human fallibility amidst the incredible tension, one commando dropped his eyeglasses inside the plant and had to frantically search for them in the dark before they could escape.
The team successfully detonated the charges, destroying over 500 kg of heavy water and the vital production cells.
They slipped away into the mountains as German forces scrambled in confusion, skiing hundreds of miles to safety in neutral Sweden.
Operation Gunnerside is remembered as one of the most successful acts of sabotage in World War II, significantly delaying the Nazi regime’s ability to develop an atomic weapon.
