1 00:00:24,079 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: So close, so close, it is as if we are 2 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: in gliders, which will make sense in a few minutes. 3 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: We are so close to an anniversary episode today. This 4 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: episode is publishing on February twenty six, twenty nineteen, but 5 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 1: two days from now, if you're listening to this, the 6 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: day it comes out, we will hit the anniversary of 7 00:00:50,479 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: something called Operation gunner Side. I know you love a 8 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: good operation, Ben, I mean, who doesn't write this will 9 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: be the seventies six anniversary of Operation Gunner Side. And uh, 10 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: if you're wondering, hey, guys, what the heck is Operation 11 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: gunner Side, we're glad to tell you, of course, with 12 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: the help of our constant super producer, Casey Pegrum and 13 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: truest friend and confidante. The Golden Girls song is playing 14 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: in my head. I love that song is really good. 15 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: It's so good. It's only the This has nothing to 16 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: do with today's episode, and I'll keep the banter short. 17 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: But did you ever listen to the full version? Did 18 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: either of you guys ever listened to the full version 19 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: of the Golden Girls song? Is it just called thank 20 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: You for Being a Friend? I can't I can't remember, 21 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: but it's it's not as good. The best part is 22 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: the TV theme and if you had a party and 23 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: invited everyone, you know, it's my part. I like the end. 24 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: The card attached would say and everybody comes in, thank 25 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: you for being a you know, I say to you, 26 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: thank you for being a Ben, thank you, thank you. 27 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: You know what you're uh, You're no slouch at being 28 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: a knoll and Casey Pegram you were my favorite Casey. Well, 29 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: thank you, Ben. Okay, I didn't know if you were 30 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: going to respond to that. That's a casey on the case. There, 31 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: that's a casey on the case. That's a very nice 32 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: casey on the case. Do you know who else was 33 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: being good at what they were who else? Nazis? Nazis? Yeah, Nazis. Okay, 34 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,080 Speaker 1: let me let me caveat that a little bit. But 35 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: they were, they were being successful at what they were doing. 36 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying. Yeah, So our story today takes 37 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: place in the nineteen forties in World War Two and 38 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: the rush to build the first nuclear weapon. And this 39 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: is something that I didn't know, that I didn't learn 40 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: until I was looking into the story with you, Ben, 41 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: is that the Germans were kind of had a head 42 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: start on the Manhattan Project, and it was actually because 43 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: of progress the Germans were making towards developing a nuclear 44 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: bomb that we got involved started doing our own version 45 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: right right, So, as early nuclear research, just nuclear research 46 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,800 Speaker 1: is beginning in the United States, Germany is already moving 47 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 1: forward with its own energy research and atomic bomb program, 48 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: which was called Lanvine, which translates to the Uranium Club, 49 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: and that was founded as a secret program in April 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: of nine nine, which was just shortly after Otto Han 51 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: and Fritz Strassmann, who are to German scientists, accidentally discovered 52 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: nuclear fission, giving the Germans quite an advantage over the 53 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: United States. Right. This was December ninety eight, over Christmas 54 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,960 Speaker 1: vacation when these physicists made this discovery, and it's one 55 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: of those world changing events where people in the know, 56 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: people who monitor this sort of stuff, can naturally begin 57 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: going down similar directions in terms of innovation. The Uranium 58 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: Club was led by a is thisist named Kurt Diepner, 59 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: and he had built a think tank of the top 60 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: eggheads in Germany, including Verna Heisenberg. The Americans were working 61 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: on this too, the Germans had a different program, so 62 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: they're they're trying to accomplish the same thing they want 63 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:21,480 Speaker 1: to build, ultimately an atomic weapon. But one of the 64 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,719 Speaker 1: differences that they had was their use of what they 65 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: called a moderator. And a moderator is a component of 66 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,920 Speaker 1: a nuclear reactor. So nuclear actors usually have a couple 67 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: of things in common. They have a fuel source, control rods, 68 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 1: a moderator, coolant, and an encasement yea, and a nuclear 69 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: bomb similar to nuclear reactor is creating is thriving on 70 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: the same explosive energy, only it's just released out into 71 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: the world, as opposed to harnessed into like electric electricity 72 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: or power exactly exactly. So, a moderator is a substance 73 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: that's essentially used to slowed down the fission process, making 74 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: it more controllable or at least more efficient, right spot on. 75 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: So here's one of the big differences. In the US, 76 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: scientists are using graphite as a moderator. They're using these 77 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: graphite blocks, and they don't have cooler, they don't have radiation, 78 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: they don't have heat shielding. They're still figuring this out. Germany, 79 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:29,719 Speaker 1: on the other hand, is using something called heavy water. 80 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: What what's it? What's heavy water? Aside from an awesome name, 81 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: for something. It's incredible, uh, and I did not know 82 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,840 Speaker 1: what it was. UM. And heavy water is water that 83 00:05:39,920 --> 00:05:44,080 Speaker 1: has um a an atomic or molecular rather weight of 84 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: twenty rather than eight, and that's in a m U 85 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: or atomic mass units UM. To the layman or anyone, 86 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 1: really heavy water would taste the same as regular water. 87 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: It would feel same on your body. You could swim 88 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: in it, just the same as you could any other 89 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:09,240 Speaker 1: kind of regular water. But it occurs incredibly rarely in nature, right, UM. 90 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: I think it's something along the lines according to the 91 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:16,239 Speaker 1: Smithsonian magazine, UM, it is incredibly rare in nature happening. 92 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: Something along the lines of one in a billion llcules 93 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: of water that occur naturally would be considered heavy. UM. 94 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: One giveaway that you're dealing with heavy water would be 95 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: that ice cubes made out of it would sink rather 96 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:34,280 Speaker 1: than float because they're a little heavier. Right right. It's 97 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: it's not a clever title, right, there's trying to be euphemistic. 98 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: The water is heavy, you know, it's super descriptive. It's true, UM, 99 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:46,839 Speaker 1: But this is the substance that the Nazis decided to 100 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: use as that what was the word been moderate? As 101 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: that moderator for splitting of the atom and slowing down 102 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: that reaction in a way that would allow them to 103 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: harness it more effectively. Um Graphite, as we know, super common, 104 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: easy to I'm buy, It's in all kinds of stuff. 105 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:05,080 Speaker 1: Heavy water, on the other hand, you gotta make it, 106 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: and in order to make it for this research that 107 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: they were doing, the Germans had a pretty massive facility 108 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: where they did just that. Right. Oh and quick note 109 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 1: on heavy water. It has a larger than normal amount 110 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: of a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, which is also known 111 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: as heavy hydrogen. So it all works out. They've got 112 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: a theme, and they also have a plant where they 113 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:38,239 Speaker 1: create this stuff, a place called their Mark, and their 114 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: mork was created in like more door. It sounds like 115 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,040 Speaker 1: a very sounds like a very evil you know, sour 116 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: man Hitler esque name. Really does. Did you ever see 117 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: that Mitchell and Webb sketch where they say, are we 118 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: the batties? Of course because the skull has particular villains, right, 119 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: but they're confused about where they fit into the story. 120 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: I feel like you were going to say something that 121 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 1: pertained to our episode, though, so I don't I don't 122 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: want to roll over. All I was gonna know, you're 123 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: not at all been. All I was gonna say is 124 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 1: they got this place by invading another place. But they 125 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: actually acquired this um, this very sinister sounding plant. Uh. 126 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,480 Speaker 1: It's called the vim Or Chemical Plant, and it was 127 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: in Telemark County UM in Norway, which was occupied by 128 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: the Nazis at this point in World War two, and 129 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: it became a very important strategic uh stronghold for them. 130 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,160 Speaker 1: It was built like a fortress, and they were able 131 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: to use the fact that it was a chemical plant 132 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:41,559 Speaker 1: to help aid their research and to produce this heavy water. Absolutely, 133 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: this plant was already producing heavy water through the thirties. 134 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: By January nine, it had produced more than a hundred 135 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: grahams of this substance. But after the Germans sees the plant, 136 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: they forced the workers to increase the production of heavy 137 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:01,280 Speaker 1: water because they needed this moderate See. I did not 138 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: know that bad. I didn't know that they were already 139 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,199 Speaker 1: making it there, because it's sort of a weird thing 140 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: to make, Like it's it's like, why, what what other 141 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: purpose does it serve? Chemically or in some kind of 142 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: industrial manufacturing process? You know, maybe maybe the Norwegians just 143 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: had a pet peeve about ice cubes that float. Maybe 144 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: they thought they were insolent. That seems very expensive. That's true. 145 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: That's a good point. Maybe that's what smart water is. 146 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 1: And maybe maybe they also added like extra electrolytes and 147 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:32,079 Speaker 1: and all that. Yeah, yeah, well plants grave it's true. Um, 148 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: So here's the thing. This is the lynchpin in the 149 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: Nazis plan to develop this weapon. And they're pretty far 150 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: along in their research and this stuff that they have 151 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: to have a pretty sizeable manufacturing chemical plant to produce. 152 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: They need it to make the weapon that they will 153 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: it won't do without it, right right, And British intelligence 154 00:09:56,040 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: learns about this through some connections to the plant and 155 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:05,559 Speaker 1: some connections to Norwegian domestic resistance parties. So they hear 156 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: that the Germans want to increase the production during the 157 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: summer of nineteen forty one, and they get this via 158 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: message from the Norwegian underground. There's a guy who obtains 159 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: this for the British named leaf Tron Stud and he 160 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: anonymously corresponds with the British forces, you know, to preserve 161 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: his identity, and they begin to hatch a plan. The 162 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:38,040 Speaker 1: British say, well, let's engage in some some good old sabotage. 163 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 1: Sabotage itself has a very interesting etymology. What is it? 164 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,400 Speaker 1: So sabotage comes from uh French? I believe casey? Is 165 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 1: that correct? Like sabotaire? Yeah? Yeah, that's okay. So this 166 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: is interesting. I don't know if you had heard the 167 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,559 Speaker 1: etymology of sabotage were Casey. I feel like you probably have. No, 168 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:07,079 Speaker 1: nothing's coming to mind right now. So it meant it's 169 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: always meant deliberately and maliciously destroying property. Right. The apparent 170 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 1: story I can't verify here is that the modern meaning 171 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: derives from strikers who allegedly had this tactic of throwing 172 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: shoes into machinery. But this is apparently not the you 173 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: know again, this is just a fun story about it. 174 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,520 Speaker 1: We don't know exactly where it comes from, but it 175 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: is related to the word shoe allegedly, so like throwing 176 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,120 Speaker 1: your shoe into like the gears of a machine or 177 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: something like that. That's very you know what makes me 178 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:40,839 Speaker 1: think of like the whole like throwing a monkey wrench 179 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: into the works. Yeah, yeah, exactly, because it causes the 180 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,440 Speaker 1: gears to grind to a halt. So they wanted to 181 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: They wanted to engage in some good old fashioned sabotage, 182 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: and they had a secret unit that was accomplished at 183 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: this called the Special Operations Executive or sometimes called the 184 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Is that like the League of 185 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: Extraordinary Gentlemen. Yeah? Yeah, They trained people to conduct covert 186 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: sabotage missions. I love the idea of that as being ungentlemanly. 187 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: It's not like coming right to your face and doing 188 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 1: us doing it like under cover of night, creeping around 189 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: dirty Pool, old Man, dirty Pool, dirty Pool. They had 190 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: a Norwegian branch of the Special Operations Executive and they 191 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: recruited various Norwegians who have fled to England after Germany 192 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: invaded their country in nine and they had this crazy 193 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 1: training regiment in Scotland. They had to train under cover 194 00:12:45,679 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: of night to climb mountains, ford rivers, camp outdoors for weeks. 195 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:54,280 Speaker 1: These these guys are being made into rangers almost you know. Yeah, 196 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,079 Speaker 1: but they're rangers with a very particular skill set, their 197 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: ski rangers. Yes, yes, tell us a little more about that. Well, 198 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: I will let me you know what. In fact, I'm 199 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: gonna I'm gonna do it better better than tell you. 200 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do a reading for you from a book 201 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: titled The Winter Fortress. The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's 202 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,760 Speaker 1: Atomic Bomb by Neil Bascomb. Missile Missile paint the pictures 203 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,479 Speaker 1: to tell you exactly what these guys did. Nazi occupied 204 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:25,280 Speaker 1: Norway in a staggered line, the nine saboteurs cut across 205 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,800 Speaker 1: the mountain slope. Instinct more than the dim light of 206 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: the moon guided the young men. They threaded through the 207 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: stands of pine and traversed down the sharp, uneven terrain, 208 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,680 Speaker 1: much of it poked with empty hollows and thick drifts 209 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: of snow. Dressed in white camouflage suits over their British 210 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:47,439 Speaker 1: Army uniforms, the men looked like phantoms haunting the woods. 211 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: They moved as quietly as ghosts. The silence broke only 212 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,400 Speaker 1: by the swoosh of their skis and the occasional slap 213 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:58,400 Speaker 1: of a pole against an unseen branch. The warm, steady 214 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: wind that blew through the vest Fjord valley dampened even 215 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: these sounds. It was the same wind that would, eventually, 216 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 1: they hoped, blow their tracks away. So yeah, they did 217 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: super badass downhill skiing. Uh. In order to stealthily approach 218 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: this facility, because you see, there had actually been two 219 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 1: previous attempts, failed attempts to do exactly what these guys 220 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: were setting out to do on their skis. One of 221 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: them was called Operation Grouse, and then one was called 222 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:31,240 Speaker 1: Operation Freshman, in which forty two British Allied soldiers died 223 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: um in a botched mission where they were going to 224 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: UM kind of gain entry to the facility using gliders 225 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: that had been deployed from UM planes, right, so they 226 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: had a little bit of internal tension. Bombing the plant 227 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: was the preferred tactic of the American military, but Transta 228 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: was opposed to this because if the bombs hit the 229 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: liquid ammonious storage tanks, the civilian population nearby would be 230 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:03,240 Speaker 1: at risk. And secondly, bombing might not even destroy the 231 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: heavy water facilities because they were in the basement of 232 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 1: the plant under layers and layers of concrete. So they 233 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: had to actually send people in. First. They sent in Grouse, 234 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: which was a small scout team. They parachuted from a plane, 235 00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: They landed in the area, and they started literally sneaking around. 236 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: After they had been there for a month in November, 237 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: Operation Freshmen launched these thirty nine British air troops carried 238 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,520 Speaker 1: by two military gliders. The idea is that they would 239 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: land near the plant using the information provided by the 240 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: scouting group Grouse, and then they would attack. But the 241 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: weather was terrible, they had communication issues. One of the 242 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: gliders crashed into a mountain, the other crash landed way 243 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: off course. Everyone that was in the glider that hit 244 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,600 Speaker 1: the mountain died in the crash. Some of the soldiers 245 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: in the second glider died in their crashed the worm 246 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: was off target. The others were caught executed by the Gestapo. Additionally, 247 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: German forces found a map that identified Vermorc as a 248 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: British target, but there was still some hope. The Germans 249 00:16:12,160 --> 00:16:14,680 Speaker 1: were not able to find and capture the group known 250 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:19,080 Speaker 1: as Grouse. They had remained in the wilderness, living off 251 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:24,119 Speaker 1: the land, hunting reindeer to survive and they were renamed Swallow. 252 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: Three months pass and the Swallow group gets word from 253 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: Britain that there are six more Norwegians who are going 254 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: to be sent to take out this plant in something 255 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: called Operation gunner Side. This was a small group of 256 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 1: Norwegian commandos from the Norwegian branch of the s o E. 257 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: They were gonna parachute straight to the target zone instead 258 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: of using a glider. They were going to meet up 259 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: with the Swallows and then together they were going to 260 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:56,560 Speaker 1: raid the Vermot plants. So they jumped from a plane 261 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: while it's snowing in February eighteen forty three. They dressed 262 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 1: in British uniforms under their snowsuits because they thought, you know, 263 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: if we get caught, we're almost certainly going to be 264 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: tortured and then die. But we would like them to 265 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:17,199 Speaker 1: blame the British instead of the Norwegian resistance, so that 266 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: the Germans won't kill Norwegian civilians. They survived by the 267 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,439 Speaker 1: way uh They landed miles away from where they were 268 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,920 Speaker 1: supposed to be. They traveled for five days and then 269 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 1: they connected with their friends Grouse now named Swallow, and 270 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 1: then they began their raid on February. That's right, Ben 271 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,239 Speaker 1: So Gunner side. The Gunner Side group UM decided that 272 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,960 Speaker 1: there were three ways to access the plan. They knew 273 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:46,679 Speaker 1: they had to rely on stealth. One of them was 274 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 1: to come down from the mountains which overlooked the plant, 275 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: but that was covered in mine fields. And then they 276 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: also had to cross a incredibly fortified and heavily guarded 277 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 1: suspension bridge, and then they had to get to the 278 00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:02,040 Speaker 1: bottom where there was a gorge that led to a 279 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,879 Speaker 1: railway line that they could follow alongside of UM to 280 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,640 Speaker 1: get to an area that was a lot less heavily police. Yeah, 281 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:15,600 Speaker 1: and they broke through a fence. You can see an 282 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:20,080 Speaker 1: interview about this with a guy named Newt Heikelid in 283 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: the New York Times. Uh. They broke through a fence 284 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: and then they divided their group into a five man 285 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:30,879 Speaker 1: cover squad a four man explosives group. The explosives guys 286 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,199 Speaker 1: wanted to enter the plant through a side door, but 287 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:36,880 Speaker 1: the door was locked, and they tried to find aside 288 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:42,520 Speaker 1: access tunnel. Uh. But they started getting divided, call it 289 00:18:42,600 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 1: the fog of war. Once they got in, they started 290 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: placing explosive charges next the heavy water production cells, and 291 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:56,360 Speaker 1: they had to UM. They had to improvise a little bit. 292 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,239 Speaker 1: The explosives were supposed to have minute fuses, but they 293 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: cut them to make them thirty second fuses, so they 294 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 1: had thirty seconds to run away, I know. And so 295 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:13,360 Speaker 1: after they have successfully destroyed the heavy water facility, they 296 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: flee and they say, hey, guys, bonus points, Let's try 297 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: to get out of here alive. So they hop back 298 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: on the skis and they ski toward town. They reach 299 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: a mountain plateau and they split up. They travel more 300 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:31,640 Speaker 1: than two hundred miles the four man explosive team on 301 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: skis to Sweden, Neutral Neutral, Neutral Sweden, land of modern 302 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: furniture and meatballs and neutrality and the chocolate. Many many 303 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:45,840 Speaker 1: things are good about Sweden. But those are the things 304 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:47,920 Speaker 1: that come to mind for me. Um. But here's the thing. 305 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: They did not fire a single shot. They were able 306 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: to capitalize on the chaos that those explosions created and 307 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,640 Speaker 1: high tail it out of there on their skis, get 308 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: his neutral Sweden, and then ultimately get back to get 309 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: back home alive. And these were men who were going 310 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: into the situation fully aware that they might not make 311 00:20:08,359 --> 00:20:10,159 Speaker 1: it out out alive. As you can tell, this is 312 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: a pretty intrepid mission. Doesn't really fall under a ridiculous 313 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: for me as much as it does totally badass. Maybe 314 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 1: the idea of of stealth spy types on skis is 315 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: a little funny, but man, what what what bravery these 316 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: these guys exhibited, and to to have it go so well, 317 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,440 Speaker 1: it's so rare. How long does it take to ski 318 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: two hundred miles? I don't know, I don't know. Yeah, 319 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,640 Speaker 1: I want the Proclaimers to do a version of their 320 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:49,360 Speaker 1: song about this. So Operation Gunners Side was initially a success. 321 00:20:49,359 --> 00:20:53,359 Speaker 1: It did caused German forces to lose five ms of 322 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,280 Speaker 1: heavy water and it knocked the plan out of action 323 00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: for a few months. Unfortunately, by May of ninette, the 324 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: facilities were rebuilt and they were back in the heavy 325 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: water game. I see a message board here on J 326 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: two ski dot com where someone talks about completing a 327 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: ski marathon at a hundred and thirty kilometers in two days. 328 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,600 Speaker 1: That's faster than walking. Yeah, but that's about That's about it. 329 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:20,480 Speaker 1: Kilometer is more than a mile, so this will probably 330 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: take like maybe four days. Yeah, that's about on base 331 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: because a hundred forty kilometers is about eighty seven miles. 332 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: There's also a lot depends on the terrain, and I 333 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,240 Speaker 1: gotta wonder if they had them maybe hoof it occasionally, 334 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: if it is if the yeah, or if it was 335 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,639 Speaker 1: literally a two hundred mile completely downhill route to sweet 336 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:41,399 Speaker 1: It's just a bunny slope, nothing to it. Um so 337 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,879 Speaker 1: pretty cool. Huh, And we hope that you enjoyed the 338 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: story of Operation Gunners Side. If you don't know how 339 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,120 Speaker 1: to ski yet, I mean, hey, it's never too late 340 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: to pick up a new skill set. But before we go, 341 00:21:57,520 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 1: I I have some breaking news. I've been told that 342 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,840 Speaker 1: we have an update on our etymology conversation. Is that correct, Casey? 343 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,160 Speaker 1: That is correct? So I did look into the etymology 344 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: of saboteur or sabotage, and it does seem to derive 345 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 1: from the word the French word sabo for a wooden 346 00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: shoe or a clog. So see that that would cause 347 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: some damage out absolutely, yeah, that would that would grind 348 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,919 Speaker 1: the gears or what have you. Literally, hey, so it 349 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: looks like Casey on the Case the segment we never 350 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: closed it out last time, so let's close it now, 351 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: Casey on the Case. And I do want to point 352 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: out to when we talk about how intrepid these uh, 353 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: these guys were. They all were equipped with um, you know, 354 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:45,639 Speaker 1: weapons and survival gear, but they had to travel lightly 355 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: because they did not have any vehicle support outside of 356 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 1: themselves and their their legs and their skis. They also 357 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,480 Speaker 1: had sanide pills on them and so they couldn't be 358 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: taken alive. I mean, you know, we've all been in 359 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: that kind of situation at some point, and it's just 360 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: like the boy Scouts say, you have to be prepared 361 00:23:03,440 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: or excuse me. I think it's just the Scouts now, 362 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: isn't it. Yeah, that's right, that's right, that's right. We 363 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,640 Speaker 1: hope that you have enjoyed this episode, and we would, 364 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,719 Speaker 1: of course, as always, like to thank our superproducer, Casey. 365 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: You know, I always want to give you a nickname, 366 00:23:18,880 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 1: and I always stopped myself. Do you want to be 367 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,760 Speaker 1: the saboteur? Oh? I like that idea. Yeah, I'm into it. 368 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: I support that wholeheartedly. So we'd like to take our superproducer, 369 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,479 Speaker 1: Casey the sabot a pegrum. I would like to thank 370 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, who composed our theme. We'd like to thank Gabe, 371 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:35,639 Speaker 1: our research associate. Man. I'd like to thank you for 372 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 1: being a friend traveling down that road, whether on skis 373 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 1: or on foot, uh, and possibly back again, unless it's 374 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: uphill and you're expected to do it on skis, that's 375 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: not gonna work. I love playing that song. My cats 376 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 1: are so sick of me playing that. It's a good 377 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:50,560 Speaker 1: show too. It really holds up very forward thinking. It 378 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,439 Speaker 1: does surprisingly watching it when I was very young with 379 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,120 Speaker 1: my grandmother, I enjoyed it, but I think I didn't 380 00:23:56,200 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: get most of the jokes. So now it's blanches Ah dirty, dirty, 381 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:05,800 Speaker 1: dirty personality, but lovable and hey, maybe that's the way 382 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:09,760 Speaker 1: you think of us. If so, let us know, or 383 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:12,520 Speaker 1: if not, you could just write to us. We are 384 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: on Instagram, We're on Facebook, we are on Twitter. You 385 00:24:15,359 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: can meet our favorite part of the show, your fellow 386 00:24:17,840 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: listeners on our Facebook page, Ridiculous Historians. You hit me 387 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:25,159 Speaker 1: personally on Instagram at Embryonic Insider, where I post you know, 388 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: cat pictures and the like, and then Ben, I believe 389 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:30,919 Speaker 1: you're on there as well. The rumors are true. You 390 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:36,399 Speaker 1: can see my various misadventures that involve, frankly, all kinds 391 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: of weird stuff, from from travel to mysterious investigations, um 392 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,479 Speaker 1: to god. I don't know there was a time when 393 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: I was going through a lot of puppet pictures. Either way, 394 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: that's at ben Boland. And of course, if you want 395 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,159 Speaker 1: to check out our weird t shirts based on puns 396 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,320 Speaker 1: and catchphrases that we are cartoonishly enamored of visit us 397 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: at our store on rich Aculous History Show dot com 398 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: the te Public Store um and join us next time 399 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:06,440 Speaker 1: and we'll talk about some other stuff. But I haven't 400 00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:08,359 Speaker 1: quite gotten that far ahead yet, but we'll get there. 401 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:09,240 Speaker 1: We'll see the