The Shetland Bus

The occupation of Western Europe & Scandinavia in the spring of 1940 crippled Britain's ability to gather intelligence information. After the Germans invaded Norway, many Norwegians knew that small boats were constantly sailing from the Shetland Islands to land weapons, supplies, & agents, & to rescue refugees. In THE SHETLAND BUS, David Howarth, who was second in command of the Shetland base, recounts the hundreds of trips made by fishing boats in the dark of Arctic winter to resist the Nazi onslaught. For the Norwegians who remained in Norway, The Shetland Bus fortified them both physically & spiritually. Nothing but war would have made seamen attempt such dangerous journeys. Some were two thousand miles in length & lasted three weeks in boats from fifty to seventy five feet, which sailed alone. Fishing boats crossing the North Sea were sometimes attacked & sunk in minutes, hundreds of miles from a friendly ship or shore. Their crews had no hope of being saved. But to "take the Shetland bus" meant escape when capture became the only other option. Of the 300 Norwegians who were enlisted in this special service, 57 were killed in action. THE SHETLAND BUS is the true-life account of storms, attacks, danger, & the heroic efforts of brave men.