October 10, 1944
When we were awakened Nilsen explained that Kjell and he would be leaving us now and that Haldor and his friend Jacob would be directing us for the next few hours. Before leaving we thanked Nilsen and Kjell for all they had done for us as well as our hosts for their kind hospitality. I am sure they would breathe a sigh of relief after our departure, because if they had of been caught harbouring us they would have been imprisoned at the very least. Jacob left the farmhouse before us in order to scout the area and verify that the coast was clear, as well as to see if the boat which they expected was in view. Around ten in the morning we left with Haldor who warned us to be very cautious, keep close together and say nothing. We would be travelling in daylight and the risks would be greater due to the large number of Germans in the area.
German activity, as it related to our crash landing, was now centred in the Lønningdal area and detailed news of their movements were continually being relayed to Nilsen by his men who were scattered about the area. The main road to Os was just a short distance from the route that we had to take and German patrols were covering this road in large numbers. Nilsen's men had cut the German telephone communications as well as blocking the road south by toppling several large boulders across it.
After walking through the woods for about a mile and a half we spotted Jacob waving to us from a boathouse. Hurrying over we climbed aboard a fair sized fishing boat and were greeted by Lars the owner of the boat who had volunteered to transport us on the next leg of our dangerous journey. We again had to resort to sign language as Lars, as well as Haldor, could not speak English.
It was a bright, sunny day as Lars piloted his old fishing boat named "Snogg" out into the fjord and headed south towards the island of Ospoy. The fjord was quite calm and we passed several German submarines and naval vessels. When close to them we would wave at the crews on deck and they waved back without realizing who we were [A].
German activity, as it related to our crash landing, was now centred in the Lønningdal area and detailed news of their movements were continually being relayed to Nilsen by his men who were scattered about the area. The main road to Os was just a short distance from the route that we had to take and German patrols were covering this road in large numbers. Nilsen's men had cut the German telephone communications as well as blocking the road south by toppling several large boulders across it.
After walking through the woods for about a mile and a half we spotted Jacob waving to us from a boathouse. Hurrying over we climbed aboard a fair sized fishing boat and were greeted by Lars the owner of the boat who had volunteered to transport us on the next leg of our dangerous journey. We again had to resort to sign language as Lars, as well as Haldor, could not speak English.
It was a bright, sunny day as Lars piloted his old fishing boat named "Snogg" out into the fjord and headed south towards the island of Ospoy. The fjord was quite calm and we passed several German submarines and naval vessels. When close to them we would wave at the crews on deck and they waved back without realizing who we were [A].