The North Book

Ice-covered Svalbard became a part of German territory at the beginning of WWII. What the Germans really did there has remained a mystery. In fact, the Allies had tracked the abnormal density of German warships in the Far North, but they connected that traffic with their own convoy activity. The British had their chance to open up the secrecy in 1943. Then a Catalina flying boat flew over the Spitsbergen. To the great surprise of the pilots they met a big fleet of German warships heading to the inner waters of Svalbard. The pilots reported the heavy battleships Tirpitz and Scharnhorst with at least ten destroyer-class ships there. For what purpose was that fleet there? The Admiralty, however, was tightly focused on the convoys. Inner Svalbard appeared a useless objective. So, officially, the pilots' report wasn't registered and the further investigation was rocked by anti-aircraft fire. In this techno-thriller, author Martti Nissinen takes us on an extraordinary voyage and guides the reader into the guarded wartime mystery of the North. Well-researched war history and professional knowledge of the physical details and personal experience of the Svalbard regions support the narration.