The Rescue

This is the story about the massive rescue operation that was initiated in the winter of 1945 in order to rescue as many Danish and Norwegian prisoners out of the Armageddon of war in Germany. The book tells the story of Count Folke Bernadotte and his fight for the prisoners’ lives and health. Behind Hitler’s back, in order to save himself after the end of the war, Heinrich Himmler gave permission to release Danish and Norwegian prisoners out of German prisons and concentration camps. And in sharp contrast to the diplomatic negotiations taking place in elegant surroundings, we also meet some of the prisoners that were to die in the camps – by starvation, execution or simply by working themselves to death – in order to erase the evidence of how they had been treated.

One of those who were rescued was the author himself. However, the main focus of this book is not his personal experience, but the story of the thousands of others.

First published: 1998, Aschehoug Non-Fiction

Kristian Ottosen: Biography and bibliography