What was Telemark?

On February 27, 1942, nine saboteurs scaled a cliff in the middle of the night to blow up a Nazi-controlled heavy water plant in Norway. Hollywood turned the story of the attack into The Heroes of Telemark, a sappy action-movie-on-skis starring Kirk Douglas. The true story is both more complicated—and more compelling.

What type of aircraft was being utilized by British commandos en route to Norway?

It was the first British airborne operation conducted using Airspeed Horsa gliders, and its target was the Vemork Norsk Hydro chemical plant in Telemark, Norway which produced heavy water for Nazi Germany.

What is heavy water ww2?

To Norwegian Resistance fighters during World War II, heavy water was a mysterious substance considered so perilous that they were willing, under orders from the Special Operations Executive in London, to sacrifice the lives of their countrymen in order to keep it out of Nazi hands.

Did the US give Norway a battleship?

HNoMS King Haakon VII was a Royal Norwegian Navy escort ship during World War II, named after King Haakon VII of Norway. She was gifted to the RNoN by the United States on 16 September 1942, in the presence of President Franklin D.

What happened in the Battle of Telemark?

In German occupied Norway during 1942, a group of Norwegian Resistance fighters joined by an initially reluctant Professor of Physics from Oslo University, attempt to destroy a German Heavy Water plant in Telemark, which is vital to the Third Reich’s development of Atomic weapons.

What were the Telemark operations in World War II?

The real mission code-names for the Telemark operations in World War II were Operation Freshman, Operation Grouse, and Operation Gunnerside. The raid was originally scheduled for October 1942, but was not conducted until February 1943. Operation Grouse established an advance team of four Norwegians above the hydro plant at the Hardanger Plateau.

What is the rating of the movie Telemark?

The film has a 67% rating in Rotten Tomatoes, based on six reviews. Ray Mears made a documentary called The Real Heroes of Telemark. Despite mainly sticking to the factual evidence, some scenes in the documentary, like the film, were partly dramatised, focusing more on the survival skills involved in the operation.

Is the heroes of Telemark a true story?

The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from Skis Against the Atom, the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid.