Operation Gunnerside

What if Hitler had built the atomic bomb first?

In the frozen mountains of occupied Norway, a small band of soldiers carried out a mission so precise, so desperately needed, and so shrouded in secrecy that the world would not fully understand its consequences for decades. They crossed a gorge the enemy believed was impassable, crawled through a cable intake in the dark, and placed explosive charges on equipment that stood between Adolf Hitler and the most destructive weapon ever conceived.

This is not a story about armies. It is a story about nine men, a two-minute fuse, and the night they quietly saved the world.

Operation Gunnerside reveals the full, extraordinary true account of the Allied mission to sabotage Nazi Germany's nuclear program, from Einstein's warning letter to Roosevelt, to the heroic Norwegian saboteurs who survived impossible conditions to strike the one target that mattered most.

Few people know that Germany came closer to an atomic bomb than history is comfortable admitting. Fewer still know the names of the men who stopped it.

Inside these pages, you will discover the secret science behind heavy water and why one Norwegian factory held the fate of the war, the harrowing months the advance party survived alone on Europe's wildest mountain plateau, the glider disaster that killed brave men and nearly ended the mission before it began, and the final act on a frozen lake where innocent lives were weighed against the survival of millions.

This is military history at its most human, most urgent, and most unforgettable.

Perfect for readers of World War II history, untold wartime stories, and the science behind the nuclear race.

The mission lasted one night. Its impact lasted forever.