Escape from Archangel: An American Merchant Seaman at War

In the Hands of Strangers

In the Hands of Strangers On April 9, 1940, Germany invaded the neutral countries of Denmark and Norway. The Germans did not want their navy to be bottled up again in the North Seaas in World WarI, and occupation of the two Scandinavian countries gave them free access to the Atlantic. Little Denmark could do nothing but submit, but the Norwegians resisted. Most of the Norwegian merchant fleet, the largest in the North Atlantic, was at sea when the attack came. Hearing the news they reported to England and thereafter made themselves an invaluable part of the Allied supply effort. At home, loyal Norwegians, including remnants of the army which had managed to escape into the mountains, formed Resistance organizations. It was into the hands of the Norwegian Resistance that the Lapps had placed Jac Smith. Elation filled Jac. This must be Norway! he thought. The Lapps have brought me out of Russia! Then gradually he sobered down. This new guide was -133- nothing like the Lapps—cautious and wary of the Germans, but comfortable with each other and the shared danger. This stranger was intense, suspicious, and all business. All of the Norwegianswould be the same. Onlylater would Smith realize that though he himself was in danger, he was danger for those who helped him. Their lives depended upon his being what they accepted him to be—an ally, an enemy to Germany.Suppose he turned out to be an imposter, sent to infiltratetheir organization and betray them? Standing there on the slope, the two men eyed each other carefully. They tried to communicate with words. Nogo. Sign language would have to do. Finally, the newcomer beckoned Jac to follow him. As he strode along behind his Scandinavian guide, Jac began to sense that there was great danger. This guide, like the Lapps, seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to detecting Germans. It was a good thing—there were lots of them. But here, there were no reindeer to hide under. Were they to be confronted by a patrol, the jig would be up. In every German-occupied country all citizens were issued identification papers. Anyone caught without papers was immediately taken prisoner and interrogated, no exceptions. Identification papers clearly stated an individual'sdistrict and occupation, which, in the case of many of the Resistance guides or couriers, was often listed as woodsman or trapper, occupations that allowed a man to travel in the fields and forest. But no man was allowed outside an area not considered part of his normal daily routine. For this reason Jac would be handed oflf, one district to another. Of course, he knew none of this at the time. He didn't even -/34- know the date or where he was or how far he had yet to travel. He had one choice: follow his new guide. It was daylight. The guide was very cautious, using every terrain feature, every stand of trees to conceal himself and Jac. When they had to move across open ground, they moved fast. Then they would stop, listen, search the surrounding area for any sign of movement. When the guide was satisfied that it was safe, they would move again. Not one word had been spoken between them since they began. Then Jac slipped and fell into a snow drift and laughed out loud as he had done many times with the Lapps. With lightning speed, the guide clamped his hand over Jac's mouth. Jac looked up at him. The expression on the guide's face made it clear that nothing on this journey would be funny. Jac nodded his understanding, and silently cursed himself for being lax and foolish. Cold reality replaced his earlier elation: Unlike the Lapps, who were expected to be found in the wilderness and had no reason to conceal their presence, his guide would have no excuse if confronted by the authorities. Jac would not have to be reminded again. From then on, he moved with deliberate care to make no unnecessary sound, and only hand signals were used between the two men. In the cold still air the sound of ahuman voice, the breaking of a twig, the falling of a loose rock could carry a great distance. If a curious patrol investigated such sounds, they would very likely find those who made them. Late in the afternoon they stopped in a small hollow in...