Flight and Rescue from Norway During the Holocaust

This book fills a lacuna in the English-language literature dealing with Norway and the Holocaust by focusing on how Norwegian Jews, and those who facilitated their rescue, remembered the experience of their departure and passage across hostile territory to sanctuary in Sweden.

After Norway was invaded by the German occupiers in April 1940, the small size of the Norwegian Jewish community meant that they were largely left alone, with few antisemitic measures introduced. They were little prepared for the fight or flight that would become necessary for their survival in the autumn of 1942. Bartrop examines the complicated situation in Norway before and during the war, where rescuers had to deal with internal enemies as well as the occupying regime, and considers the refugee policies of Sweden, which until mid-1942 offered only lukewarm assistance to Norway’s Jews. The book also showcases the heroic actions of specific rescuers who facilitated and carried out the border crossings of those in need of sanctuary.

Highlighting how individuals and organizations worked to enhance life at a time when civilization was being tested at its most extreme, this timely volume will be of interest to students and scholars of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Paul R. Bartrop is Professor Emeritus of History at Florida Gulf Coast University and Honorary Principal Fellow in History at the University of Melbourne. His published works include The Routledge History of the First World War (2025) and The Routledge History of the Second World War (2022).