A tragic initial attempt involving British paratroopers in gliders. Most of the men were killed in crashes or captured and executed by the Gestapo.
Led by nine Norwegian commandos trained in Britain, this mission is the centerpiece of the "Heroes" legend. The team skied across the treacherous Hardangervidda plateau in brutal winter conditions, scaled a 600-foot gorge, and infiltrated the plant to blow up the electrolysis chambers. The Heroes of Telemark
The bravery of these men is credited with significantly delaying—or even preventing—Germany's ability to produce an atomic weapon. Their exploits have been immortalized in several major works: A tragic initial attempt involving British paratroopers in
In the early 1940s, the German nuclear energy project was focused on developing a nuclear reactor and, ultimately, an atomic bomb. To do this, they required (deuterium oxide) as a neutron moderator. At the time, the only industrial-scale producer of heavy water in the world was the Vemork hydroelectric plant in Telemark, Norway. The team skied across the treacherous Hardangervidda plateau