Sample
  • We Die Alone

  • A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance
  • By: David Howarth
  • Narrated by: Stuart Langton
  • Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,004 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

We Die Alone

By: David Howarth
Narrated by: Stuart Langton
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

One of the most enthralling true adventure stories ever written, We Die Alone, set in Nazi-occupied Norway in 1943, is an epic tale of survival against staggering odds.

It begins with an ambushed commando raid that leaves all but one of the expatriate resistance fighters dead or captured. Though wounded, Jan Baalsrud, the sole survivor, takes off on a courageous, incredible trek into the wilds of the Lyngen Alps, while the Nazis pursue him relentlessly. He suffers frostbite, snowblindness, and a terrible fall in an avalanche. At last, delirious and near death, he chances on to a cabin, where the first in a series of remarkably brave and clever men and women come to his aid. These "ordinary heroes" will eventually get the crippled Baalsrud to safety and freedom, and the amazing story of how they do it will fill listeners with wonder at the capability of the human spirit.

©1955 David Howarth (P)2001 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"Awe-inspiring....Stuart Langton's narration is an apt fit. His delivery is as spare as the text and every bit as intriguing. His voice has a force of delivery that makes this exciting and unbelievable tale one that the listener will want to hear in one sitting." ( AudioFile)
"Almost unbelievable. We Die Alone is a spine chiller. It may well become a legend." ( Boston Post)
"One of the most remarkable survival stories ever written." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about We Die Alone

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    658
  • 4 Stars
    251
  • 3 Stars
    77
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    538
  • 4 Stars
    237
  • 3 Stars
    81
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    640
  • 4 Stars
    177
  • 3 Stars
    51
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible

Inspiring, delightful, I laughed, I cheered, A thoroughly enjoyable book
I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys heroic stories.


Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great Story

Wow! How much can one man endure? Find out by reading this story. I love survival stories and have read many, including Unbroken (which I loved). The absolute solitude that Jan endured in this book is more than I think I could. A modern rewrite and performance of this story would bring it up a star I think.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

amazing story

An incredible story of endurance under conditions most people would never survive. I wasn't familiar with it but it certainly amazed me.m

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievable

While the narration might be odd to some people I’m sure, this story is wonderful. It is the stuff of Hollywood scripts that get reflected for being so clearly fabricated. But it isn’t. Listen to this one to go on an adventure that shows human kindness and determination unlike anything else.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Compelling story sensitively told

This is an amazing story of one man's will to live being ultimately rewarded. The author's family- friendly presentation manages to convey the awful realities of war and the thrill of escape without profanity or lurid detail. Highly recommended!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of those great stories you rarely hear - read

I just finished Unbroken, an exceptional audio book. We Die Alone was a fitting sequel. Despite my own life's challenges, I am amazed by the resilience and inner drive-strength of some people beyond anything anyone can dream up. And sadly, they make me think of how pathetic some people are, hearing them whine about a 10 minute wait or that their dinner bread is not warm enough, all the while never giving a thought about those who risk their lives and minds for others and their countries. At times I had some challenges figuring out the landscape of the book, even having spent much time in Scandinavia and having been to the fjords, but no matter, Google Earth helped me out :-)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

incredible

A truly heroic story. I found that I didn't want to shut my player off until the story was finished; so that's what I did. It is good to remind ourselves of the courage people can show in trying times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible journey of survival

Incredible Journey of one man surviving World War II in the fjords of Norway with the help of two villages and lats and reindeer! wow! it is amazing I recommend you read this. better yet listen to it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story

Yeah, there are a few things (the way the author describes the “Lapps” and women) that remind you instantly that this is a book that was written when such descriptions would not have been seen as racist and misogynistic—and that are, frankly, a little stomach churning to read. But the story itself is incredible. My mother was born during the war in the islands close to Bergen and her young childhood was filled with the stories of the defiance and heroism of her family and the people of the island as they resisted the occupation in whatever ways they could. This story really captures the willingness that so many had to sacrifice and take great risks on behalf of others.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Read first time in 1990 and was thrilled to find it on Audible. Enjoyed this 2nd read even more since the narrator pronounced the Scandinavian names and places correctly (which I couldn't do reading the book in 1990). The story is still unbelievably incredible with the human spirit's endurance tested far beyond what we would think are its farthest limits and the excess of generosity of humans to risk all to save even when reality screams hopelessness. Wow! What a read!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!