Another Man’s Shoes Sven Sømme with an Introduction by Ellie Sømme 1 © Ellie Targett 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The right of Ellie Targett to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978-0-9549137-3-1 Published by Polperro Heritage Press Clifton-upon-Teme Worcestershire WR6 6EN United Kingdom
[email protected] Cover design by Steve Bowgen Printed in Great Britain by Orphans Press Leominster HR6 8JT 2 Foreword Another Man’s Shoes vividly captures the atmosphere of life in occupied Norway during WW2. Lovers of nature and the free outdoors life, Norwegians were never going to be willingly oppressed. In this moving account of the courage, determination and self-sacrifice exhibited by the Norwegian resistance movement, I found a timely reminder of how important it remains to oppose tyranny and dictatorship. Ray Mears 3 CONTENTS Introduction 9 Sven’s Story 23 Chapter 1 Occupation 25 Chapter 2 Things Begin To Happen 35 Chapter 3 The Victorious Wehrmacht 45 Chapter 4 The Germans Take Over 59 Chapter 5 We Start Afresh 73 Chapter 6 An Illegal Newspaper 77 Chapter 7 A Friend Pays A Visit 87 Chapter 8 Secret Work 94 Chapter 9 Thin Ice 103 Chapter 10 The Crack 119 Chapter 11 Events Unfold 130 Chapter 12 Under Arrest 137 Chapter 13 The Escape 158 Chapter 14 Across The Mountains 172 Chapter 15 More Mountains 186 Chapter 16 Respite 212 Chapter 17 Onwards To Sweden 234 Epilogue 261 Iacob’s Story 269 4 Introduction The wave of emotion hit me and for a moment I held back.