Border patrols were usually stationed some distance apart and it was not too dangerous to cross. In the early war years, the German soldiers seldom came to Kåfjorddalen Valley. This changed after the Germans confiscated the document case in the battle of Toftefjord and learned that sabotage work was planned against them. Almost immediately, they increased and strengthened their border patrols. After that time the fugitives had to be extremely cautious.
Furthest up in Kåfjorddalen Valley at the lowermost part of Ankerlia Mountain, the Germans had confiscated a small hut owned by the Bjørn brothers, left from the copper mining days. They stationed guards there to keep a lookout for refugees. The forested mountainside was steep, but the trees shielded fugitives and guides climbing the mountain near the hut.
The elongated valley begins at the Kåfjord and stretches eight miles inland. At its narrowest point it is only 450 feet across, but spreads out to about 1000 feet at the widest place. Nearly perpendicular mountains reaching heights of 2700 feet enclose the valley, except to the west where it skirts the fjord.
Winter begins when the first snow falls early in November. The snow stays until April, sometimes May. The heavy downwind from the mountains plays havoc with the snow and forges huge piles several feet high. Torleif Lyngstad says in his book, “Kåfjord – mennesker, administrasjon og politikk” that “nature is a master the people of Kåfjord have always accepted.”
In 1943 only a few hundred people resided in the valley. The nearest store was three-and-a-half-miles away, Leif and Rolf Bjørn’s in Birtavärre.
Birtavärre: Hjalmar and the Bjørn brothers had learned of Jan Baalsrud soon after his arrival in Furuflaten. Messages had been exchanged between established contacts. The Bjørn brothers asked Hjalmar to assist them in securing Sami reindeer transport for the soldier when the time was right.
Some nomadic Samis make Kautokeino their winter home. Their reindeer roam the nearby plateaus. Kautokeino is located in Finnmark County, which borders the Troms District in Northern Norway. In the spring, the Kautokeino Samis move their reindeer to the coast.
The area where the Samis and their reindeer herds roamed is known as Lapland, a vast territory that included the extreme north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula of the Soviet Union. Lapland has no borders and the Sami are free to follow their reindeer herds. The area of Lapland is commonly regarded as the area within the Polar Arctic Circle. The higher, Alpine types mountains in northern Norway and Sweden are known as the tundra, with marshes, moors, dwarfed birch trees and rich pastureland which feeds the huge reindeer herds.
Birtavärre, Wednesday May 5, 1943: Hjalmar and the Bjørn brothers held exhaustive discussions on possible solutions on how to best help Jan. They considered bringing him to Kåfjorddalen by boat, but decided it was too chancy. Hjalmar hit on another idea.
“I’ll ski over the mountains to find out exactly where they keep him hidden. Then we’ll take the next step.”
The Bjørn brothers agreed.
Across a narrow country path, a short distance from Hjalmar’s home, stood a small red-painted cottage. The cottage stood at the foot of a 2100-foot mountain. John Olav Ballovarre, Hjalmar’s faithful helper, lived here with his parents and eight siblings. With his new assignment, Hjalmar headed straight for John Olav’s home to ask for his assistance.
John Olav and Hjalmar set off to the mountains that very day for Manndalen, thirteen miles west of Kåfjorddalen. They carried their skis on their shoulders up steep Ankerlia Mountain. When they reached the uplands, they put the skis on and set out across the plateau.
One thing the Sami and others in the North Country enjoy is their coffee. It is said that the Samis do not measure journeys in miles but rather in the number of coffee breaks required. Hence, when these two men reached Moskugaise Mountain up on the plateau they had their first coffee, Rika, a coffee substitute made from grains, and the only thing available during the war.
Rolf Bjørn
From Moskugaise, they took the path toward the uppermost part of Manndalen. A roughly sketched map of the place where Jan was hidden had been given them.
Nearing Olmmaivaggi, a sudden blinding snowstorm overpowered them. The thick snow made it impossible to see even their ski tips.
“We had best turn back. Maybe we’ll make it back to the hut in Moskugaise,” John Olav yelled above the howling wind.
After the copper mines closed down in 1919, outdoor lovers had maintained a small hovel from material left after the copper-mining days. Hunters and fishermen alike stopped there for coffee breaks when they came to the uplands.
“Let’s do it. We won’t find Baalsrud in this soup.”
They turned and, with the help of the compass, made their way back to the hut.
The storm increased and nearly lifted the hut off its foundation.
“We can’t stay, Hjalmar. Let’s try again when the weather clears.”
“I agree. It’s a terrible night. Let’s try to get back down into the valley.”
Safely home, the storm stopped abruptly. Hjalmar was exhausted and hungry after the challenging outing. He grabbed a quick bite, changed into dry clothes and set out for the Bjørn brothers in Birtavärre. Deeply disturbed over his report of the unsuccessful trip, the brothers promised to contact him further.
Shortly after Hjalmar’s arrival home, two attractive girls from Lyngen visited. Some time earlier he had met them and a young quisling on the ferry from Tromsø. (Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian Nazi party leader and traitor during WWII. He was executed in 1945. His name is used a label for a person who betrays his or her country by aiding an invading enemy.) Suspicious of Hjalmar’s involvement with fugitives and hoping to trap him, the young quisling sent the girls as decoys. The girls told Hjalmar the young man had been called up to the Eastern Front and had asked them to come and see him. “Would he be able to help get the young man to Sweden?”
Uneasy, Hjalmar sensed something seriously wrong. “I’m only a fisherman. I work in the mines,” he said. “All those who knew the mountains have escaped already.”
“Can’t you do anything for him?”
“I don’t know what. Let’s hope the war ends soon and your friend can return home.”
Birtavärre
Three Samis in traditional costume. Nils Siri is in the center.
AT CROSS PURPOSES
MANNDALEN, THURSDAY, May 6, 1943: Peder, Nils and Olaf, the Manndalen men, had descended from Avzevaggi the day before Nigo returned from Sweden. Nigo hadn’t received a promise of help because the Sami felt the risk was too great at this time. Realizing there would be no Sami transport, they sent an immediate message to the Bjørn brothers in Birtavärre. “Jan is seriously ill, can you help with reindeer transport, now?” The Bjørn brothers forwarded the pressing communication to Hjalmar.
“Please arrange for reindeer transport – post haste!”
By chance, while in Birtavärre, Hjalmar had run into his Sami friend, Nils Juuso, who had just come from Sweden. He relayed that the Siri brothers were camped near Jierta some 35 miles east in the direction of the Reisafjell Mountains. The brothers, who were from Kautokeino, were on the move with their reindeer herd. Hjalmar knew these Sami brothers well. Per and Nils Siri were dependable, honorable men about his own age. He expected they would help him with reindeer transport. At this point, Hjalmar had no idea that Nigo had been to Sweden attempting to get help.
The Bjørn brothers told Hjalmar that Jan was on a ski-sled in Olmmaivaggi.
Manndalen stretches in a southeasterly direction from the country settlement up into the wilderness, which divides into three more side valleys. Jan was not in any of these valleys but on his sled out in the open in Avzevaggi at the highest point of the four side valleys on the opposite side of the Manndalen Valley, in the southwest.
A terrible misunderstanding had taken place.
Hjalmar willingly accepted the assignment to find reindeer transport for Jan. He only asked that the Manndalen men meet him a
t the place and time they had agreed to, the night between May 9 and 10. Hjalmar skied nearly 90 miles round trip in his search for the Siri brothers’ camp, close to Kautokeino. If they were able to come, the Samis needed time to gather their reindeer.
“Tell the Manndalen men not to leave the place in case I am delayed. I am on my way.”
Before Hjalmar left, he and the Bjørn brothers discussed the need to compensate the Samis fairly for transporting Jan to Sweden – and for risking their lives. They decided that 3000 kroner ($400) was a fair price. Rolf and Leif Bjørn provided the money.
Hjalmar brought with him two of his neighbors, Mons-Peder Gundersen and Einar Løvli, both active in the resistance, as he set out to find the Sami.
The Arctic spring with its light evenings was fast approaching. Soon there would be no darkness at all. Hjalmar was equipped with a rough outline of a map showing where Jan lay hidden. The men carried their skis up through the rugged woodland until they drew above the tree line. From there they continued upland until they reached the plateau. They set out toward Jierta and the Reisafjell Mountains. The snow was crusty, enabling them to move quickly.
By Carajavre, they took their first break in an old turf-hunting hut. Within minutes, fire burned in the old granite pit and they heated the ever-present Rika. Thick slices of homemade rye bread spread with churned butter disappeared quickly.
Satisfied after their break and meal, the men continued their journey. Several hours later, they passed Jierta. But they found neither tracks nor traces of the Sami or their reindeer. Not until they neared Miehtavarri did they see the first lavvo, Sami tent. Yelping dogs greeted them and stayed with them until they reached the tent opening.
Inside, Magnus, the oldest of the Siri brothers, sat close by a coal-black steaming kettle of coffee.
Magnus greeted them. “Boris, boris!” Welcome, welcome!
His brothers Per and Nils Siri sat on birch branches and shaggy goatskins further back in the tent. They arose and greeted them eagerly.
This time they were served real coffee smuggled in from Sweden and delicious Swedish bread. Out came dried reindeer meat. Wielding his sharp hunting knife, Magnus cut the meat into thin slices. After many hours on the plateau, the food tasted fantastic and the men’s ferocious appetites were satisfied. It felt good to be among the brothers.
“What brings you to us?” Nils queried.
“I am looking for reindeer transport for a very ill Norwegian soldier hidden in the mountains. He is hunted by the Germans and needs to get to Sweden,” Hjalmar explained.
The brothers offered to help without hesitation. Because of his unmarried status, Nils was designated to be the driver. Fatigued after their eight hours in the upland, Hjalmar and his friends slept for five hours while Nils and Per gathered three strong reindeer bucks.
Nils and Hjalmar readied the reindeer bucks and packed the pulks with plenty of cured meat, bread and coffee. Pulks are canoe-shaped sleds built from birch wood, set on runners and lined with reindeer skin. They headed for Manndalen to pick up Jan.
With only a moderate mountain breeze and decent snow conditions, they made good time. Nils drove the reindeer further west and closer to the Finnish border than Hjalmar and his friends had come.
By Sumajavrre stood a newly restored cottage the border police used. Hjalmar knew the four police stationed there. They were true jøssinger, Norwegian patriots during WWII. The resistance workers still detoured, not wishing to take unnecessary chances on their top-secret mission.
In spite of good weather conditions, riding in a reindeer sled was strenuous. At Smuolkojavret they took a break. Food and coffee always seemed more delicious out on the plateau, especially after an arduous trip. From their resting place, Olmmaivaggi, the side valley where they believed Jan was hidden, was only eight miles away.
Birtavärre, May 9, 1943: While Hjalmar and Nils were in the mountains, the Bjørn brothers, not aware that Nigo had been in Sweden seeking help, sent a message to the Manndalen men: “Reindeer transport from Kautokeino will arrive this coming night. Meet them on the plateau and show them the way to the soldier.”
Jan still was at Avzevaggi on the west side of Manndalen Valley. Hjalmar and Nils Siri were on their way to Olmmaivaggi, on the east side of the valley.
MANNDALEN, MAY 9, 1943: The Manndalen men were happy to receive the message of the upcoming reindeer transport.
That evening, Peder Isaksen and Peder Pedersen were on their way up to Avzevaggi Plateau to meet with the reindeer transport from Kautokeino. As it was Sunday evening, the two bachelors met people along the road enjoying a stroll.
“Where are you young men going so late on a Sunday night?”
“We are just meeting some young ladies up in the valley.”
They all laughed together and there were no more questions.
FOLLOWING SEVERAL hours of strenuous climbing they reached Jan. This time the men noticed an emotional change in him. Jan had always been warm and friendly, even in his most difficult moments, but now he seemed to have lost hope.
“I heard church bells chime again. This time they seemed far away,” Jan muttered.
They were at a loss for what to tell him, but they tried to cheer him up. They had brought hot coffee and soup in thermoses, but it wasn’t enough to warm his spirits.
“We are on the way up to the plateau to meet the Sami. They’ll bring you to Sweden, Jan.”
Jan’s ashen face, hollow cheeks and overgrown black beard frightened them. He had lost weight since they saw him last. His lifeless large blue-gray eyes, framed by thick black eyebrows, manifested his torment all too clearly.
“Will it really happen this time?” A slight hope brushed across Jan’s face.
“Yes, Jan. Before long you will be in safety in Sweden. You will get the medical care you need.”
Thanks,” he whispered, forcing a slight upturn of his lips.
“We’re going up to the plateau to meet them and before too many hours we will be back.”
Filled with misgivings, the men left Jan, but felt calm knowing the Sami transport would join them on the way down.
IN THE mountains, Evening, May 9, 1943: Hjalmar and Nils continued to make good time, and arrived early at the agreed upon place. They set the tent up. Coffee in hand made the long wait more pleasant. The kerosene stove was produced and the coffee pot filled with snow. Nils had brought a leather pouch with more of the good Swedish coffee.
Nils’ good-natured remarks made him a jovial fellow to be around. Though his mother tongue was Sami, he communicated well in broken Norwegian. When he relaxed, he liked to joik, a Sami monotone chant that tells the story of a person or past event.
The reindeer were tied to stakes near bare spots in the snow where there was plenty of silver gray lichen, reindeer moss, for them to eat.
Reindeer bucks scrape away snow with their antlers to find food during the winter. After the older bucks shed their antlers they use their hooves to paw away the snow to get to the lichen if the snow is not too deep. The obtain water by eating snow.
Time dragged on and the Manndalen men did not come. Hjalmar and Nils grew uneasy. They could not understand the delay. At last they began their own search for Jan. For hours they searched in ever-widening circles. The plateau with the scattered boulders stretched out pure white for miles. They found no tracks. No sign of life.
They searched all the way down to the tree line, but to no avail. Repeatedly they studied the rough drawing. They believed they were in the right place. The reindeer were getting restless; the two men moved the animals to better pasture. Worn down from long hours of skiing and intense searching, the men finally went to sleep on the reindeer pelts in the tent.
In the early morning hours of May 10, they started exploring anew. No matter where they skied, or how much they called out, there were no answers. Not a trace of a human being.
“What’s the use? They’re not in this area,” Hjalmar said toward evening.
“We need m
ore information.”
“Nils, will you wait here while I make a run back to Birtavärre to contact the Bjørn brothers? They can contact the Manndalen men and find the cause.” Hjalmar was downcast.
“What are you thinking of Hjalmar? That’s a 26-mile round trip. It doesn’t make any sense to wait way out here on the plateau. How could I explain a reindeer transport out here should the German patrols show? It’s best I return to my camping ground.”
Hjalmar understood his friend. They had hunted and waited for nearly forty-eight hours without success.
“I see your point. We’ll try again once I’ve found the exact location?”
“Jaja, ja. I’ll work with you.”
Past midnight, Hjalmar helped Nils hitch up the reindeer. He paid him the previously agreed upon salary, and they parted. Saddened and exhausted, Hjalmar watched his friend disappear in among the mountain boulders. What had gone wrong? Attaching his own skis, he started on the long way home.
LATE EVENING, May 9, 1943: After leaving Jan, the Manndalen men climbed up to the Avzevaggi Plateau and went another three miles south to where they understood they were to meet the Sami.
The Samis had not arrived yet when Peder and Peder reached the tableland. Chill night winds blew and the men flapped their arms back and forth to keep warm. They continually scanned the landscape. No one was near. And they saw no one coming from afar. They dared not think the worst; as a result they just waited – and searched.
They could not have known that in a side valley two other men spent desperate hours searching also. Their hope rose every time they came around boulders, up bumps, around knolls, or down in dips, only to fall again. They tried to find the man they wanted to get to Sweden.
The 12th Man Page 26