The Winter Fortress

More than 70 years after the end of World War II, the stories of the brave men and women who answered their country’s call and risked their lives in defense of freedom are still being told. In a new book, The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb, best-selling author Neal Bascomb shares an enthralling new tale of patriotism, bravery and daring.

The author of New York Times best-selling books “The Perfect Mile” and “Hunting Eichmann,” Bascomb tells the captivating story of the successful sabotage of the Nazi atomic-bomb program by specially trained commandos.

The Winter Fortress takes readers back to 1942, when most of Europe was in the grip of the Third Reich, and the Nazis were racing to build a nuclear weapon. Essential to their plans was an ingredient called “heavy water.” Unfortunately, the Nazis gained access to Norway’s Vemork hydroelectric plant, a massive industrial complex that was the world’s sole supplier of heavy water.

The Winter Fortress is a riveting account of the real-life operation to prevent Germany from acquiring nuclear capabilities. Utilizing little more than parachutes, submachine guns and the aid of British special operations, 11 courageous Norwegian commandos sought to strike a fatal blow at the heart of the Nazi search for the bomb and preserve Allied efforts to win the war in the process.

Alongside The Winter Fortress, Bascomb has also authored Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler’s Atomic Bomb, a young-adult nonfiction companion edition that recounts the same story for younger readers, illuminating the values of courage and patriotism, and a commitment to high ideals that are a
necessary part of any moral foundation, in a story that is sure to keep the pages turning.

Drawing from exhaustive research and never-before- seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress and Sabotage provide a compulsively readable narrative about a group of young men who endured soul-crushing setbacks, the might of the German army, and a cold, harsh environment in a valiant attempt to save the world from destruction.

Paramount Pictures has acquired film rights to Sabotage, and has signed on Michael Bay to produce and potentially direct the film adaptation of the novel. The film will be released at an as-yet unannounced date.

About the Author

Neal Bascomb is the national award-winning and New York Times best-selling author of “Hunting Eichmann,” “The Perfect Mile,” “Higher,” “Nazi Hunters” and “Red Mutiny.” A former international journalist, he is a widely recognized speaker on the subject of World War II and has appeared in a number of documentaries. He lives in Seattle.

To learn more about Neal Bascomb, his biography and previously published books, or to see photographs, visit http://nealbascomb.com/.

About The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb and Sabotage Hardcover

384 pages

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (May 3, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0544368053

ISBN-13: 978-0544368057

About Sabotage: The Mission to Destroy Hitler's Atomic Bomb (young adult edition)

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine (Scholastic Books), May 31, 2016

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0545732433

ISBN-13: 978-0545732437