The Sledge Patrol

A WWII Epic of Escape, Survival, and Victory

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War II

• Author: David Howarth
• ISBN: 9780762798148
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Publication: June 25, 2008
• Imprint: Lyons Press
• Language: English

In 1943, a group of brave Danish and Norwegian hunters carried out one of the most dramatic operations of World War II. Using dogsleds to patrol a stark 500-mile stretch of the Greenland coast, their wartime mission was to guard against Nazi interlopers—an unlikely scenario given the cruel climate. But one day, a footprint was spotted on desolate Sabine Island, along with other obvious signs of the enemy. Not expecting to find the trouble they did, the three Sledge Patrol members escaped to the nearest hunting hut only to have the Germans pursue them on foot. In the dead of the Arctic night, the men escaped capture at the last instant and, without their coats or sled dogs, walked fifty-six miles to get back to base.