The Road to Mallnitz

Yesterday we did the long flight and layover from Edinburgh to Tromso. Fabulous scenes over the bare rock terrain where central Norway buts up against Sweden. 

Today I was out early to look for the Mallnitz death camp that I researched at the National Archives.

I did find the site eventually with the documents I had. I t was way up the Kitdalen (near Hatteng if you are interested). I followed my nose up a long dirt road, had to return to Hatteng to sort out a low pressure tyre, and then did it again. Wire guys for the Norwegian power supply were doing amazing things with JCBs way up in the mountains.

Eventually after a long slog on foot I came to a sign and more arctic circle scrub of birch, rowan and willow. Then I spotted the old stove that is the only remain of the camp, sunk in a hollow that the Russian POWs had had to scoop out in the freezing Norwegian winter. 

It was an incredibly isolated place where the retreating Nazis took slave labour Russian POWs to be left to starve to death after every ounce of their bodies had been used up building a redoubt against Russian pursuit through Norway in the winter of 1944-5. (More here on my website from after last year's visit.)

Above the site were NATO bunkers dug into the hill in the 1970s again with the fear of Russian invasion through Norway. 

The Norwegian country is amazing in its autumn colours and smells. 

The photo is of the Kitadalen heading towards to end of the valley and the long road up the Nordalen.