In Vemork, Norway Norsk Hydro built a plant capable of making heavy water ( D2O ) in 1936. In 1940 Nazi Germany invaded Norway. Hitler then ordered increased production of heavy water.


The Heavy Water Plant Was Famous During World War 2. It Is Now A Museum And Tells Of All The Historic And Heroic Acts. It Is Located In Beautiful Surroundings

Hitler and his scientists thought that heavy water would help make the ultimate weapon, an A-bomb. When "the allies"(people from all over Europe that did what ever they could against Hitler) learned of this they immediately had to stop the heavy water production. If Hitler got the bomb, he might use it to occupy the world.

As Germany’s most likely target for an A-bomb, England had to help the Norwegian allies to destroy the heavy water plant. Three operations were carried out.:

The first was to drop some Norwegian saboteurs by parachute on to the Hardanger plateau ,a huge plateau by the heavy water plant. This was a successful operation, the Norwegians were to camp on the plateau and devise a plane to penetrate the plant while they wait for reinforcements.

The second operation was for British gliders to land on the plateau and join the 5 Norwegians who lived in an abandoned cabin . This operation was a complete failure. The planes crashed in the mountains, and the survivors were rounded up and shot by the Nazis.

The third operation was to land 6 more Norwegians on the Hardanger plateau and all of the Norwegians go into the plant and bomb it. They succeded.

Unfortunately the plant was up and running after only six monthes.

After this the Americans bombed it by air with over 700 bombs. Sadly more then 600 missed but the damage was enough to get the Germans to want to transport the remaining heavy water to Germany. When the Germans were transporting the heavy water over lake Tinnsjø the allies bombed and sunk the ferry and with it the heavy water and innocent passengers.

It later turned out that Hitler and his scientists were no where close to making an A-bomb as people thought. The Americans won the atomic race and dropped the first A-bomb on Japan.