The Heavy Water War

During the course of the Second World War, the Allies mounted a series of attempts to prevent Germany from manufacturing heavy water by utilising hydroelectric plants in occupied Norway. These efforts comprised a mix of bomber and commando raids. The overall aim was stop Nazi Germany building a nuclear bomb. In fact, Hitler was never as close as the Allies thought, but the idea that his regime could construct and deploy a device was the ultimate Domesday scenario, one that would have tilted the balance in favour of the Nazis. The mere threat might have been sufficient to force a negotiated peace with the perceived reality of a Nazi bomb hanging over the world like a nuclear-powered sword of Damocles.Production, and therefore Allied aims, centred on the Vemork Power Station standing by the Rjukan Waterfall at Telemark. A series of daring raids, Operations Grouse, Freshman and Gunnerside, neutralised the plant¿s capacity. In Operation Freshman, every single glider-borne paratrooper was e