The 12th Man

One might wish for better. After all, we are now well into the 21^st century.

Yet, depressingly, an assortment of wannabe dictators and their surrounding flunkies makes certain the world today lurches from crisis to crisis.

Indeed, consider their deadly and toxic mix of arrogance, cruelty, extremism, and deceit. Add in avarice, stupidity, and vengeance on a grand scale. These sickening traits, which promote war, division, and suppression, tear apart countries all across the globe.

Still, amidst the deepening gloom, amidst a search by millions for even flickering light at the end of long, dark tunnels, let us remain optimistic. Constantly seek examples of joy, hope, and inspiration. Highlight and celebrate courage, daring, and skill. Salute grit, pride, and teamwork.

In this regard, I recall the 2026 Winter Olympics. Even allowing for the event’s myriad imperfections, a majestic opening ceremony calls for peace and unity. In time honoured tradition, renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli thrills with a stunning rendition of the aria Nessun Dorma. The mountains of Milano-Cortina echo in triumph, promise countless magical moments. The music, like the sport soon to follow, set to bring the world together.

Much of the ensuing two weeks is jubilant and exhilarating. So many spectacular performances. None more so than those provided by a dominant cross country skier. Competitive, dogged, and single mindedly determined, Johannes Klaebo becomes not only the unquestioned star of the Games but also the most decorated Winter Olympics athlete of all time.

Nonetheless, despite his strength, superb performances and ongoing brilliance, it is the deeds of fellow Norwegians that resonate even more deeply with me.

Once again, in my mind, I range back in time.

World War II, destined to be the deadliest conflict in history, enters a fourth traumatic year. Even if events in North Africa, the Pacific, and the Soviet Union turn slowly against the Axis forces, Western Europe and Scandinavia remain firmly under the heel of the Nazi Germany jackboot.

It is late March. 1943.

A dozen Norwegian commandos return from overseas to a country deep in the throes of harsh German occupation. They embark on a tricky mission to connect with and reorganize local resistance units in the north. Facing dangerously long odds, they are also tasked with destroying an air control tower at Bardufoss, a small town near the confluence of the Barduelva and Malselva rivers. Its military base, used by Luftwaffe fighters, bombers and reconnaissance planes, operates against the Murmansk convoys.

Everything goes horribly wrong. A civilian shopkeeper, not the intended contact, reports them to a local police officer, who in turn notifies the Germans.

Much worse follows. The next morning, a German vessel attacks. The commandos’ fishing boat, loaded to the brim with the high level explosives necessary to destroy the air tower, is trapped.

In desperation, the Norwegians scuttle the boat via a time delay fuse. Then flee in small dinghies or attempt to swim ashore in the icy Arctic waters.

Unsurprisingly, the frantic escape attempts prove unsuccessful. One commando is gunned down. Ten are captured, then tortured by the Gestapo. Then executed.

A lone saboteur manages to evade capture. Chilled to the bone, missing a sea boot, he somehow reaches land. Once there, using his pistol, he kills a German officer. Then disappears into the snow covered landscape.

What follows defies belief. It remains an unfathomable tale of survival. A simply astonishing example of bravery, resilience, joint efforts, and the will to stay alive.

Over ten harrowing weeks, in a desperate attempt to avoid German patrols, the commando battles storms, sub zero temperatures, and frozen feet. Buried up to the neck, entombed in the snow for several days, he manages somehow to extricate himself. Only to then find himself abandoned, in perishing cold, suffering from snow blindness, under the open skies.

Word of his critical situation eventually spreads among the local population. Teams of villagers come to his aid, providing whatever food and clothing they can afford. Fishermen ferry him across fiords; locals drag and carry him up and across harsh mountainous terrain. Yet, finally, they are forced to leave him, strapped to a stretcher on a high plateau.

There, he waits the better part of three weeks. Poor weather and increased German surveillance hamper rescue efforts by the Norwegian resistance.

Near death from starvation, he eventually finds refuge in a cave and then a battered wooden hut. Emaciated and alone, with only homemade alcohol as anaesthetic, he uses a knife to amputate nine of his frostbitten toes to stop the spread of gangrene.

Finally, with his physical condition deteriorating even more dramatically due to hypothermia and lack of food, he is collected and transported to the Norway-Finland border. From there by sled to a border post in neutral Sweden. From there, by Red Cross seaplane, to hospital in the town of Boden.

Incredibly, having danced with death in unimaginably dark circumstances for almost three months, he immediately plans to rejoin Norwegian patriots in the continuing fight against the Nazis. After a long struggle learning to walk without his toes, he duly returns to his native land. Undaunted, he continues to train and support members of the resistance movement until the end of German occupation in the spring of 1945.

Humble to the end, for the remainder of his life he remembers the critical role ordinary Norwegians play in his survival.

Nor, most of all, does he ever forget the untimely and painful deaths of his eleven fellow commandos. To honour them, he never gives up, no matter how bleak or terrifying the circumstances. His endurance, heroism, and refusal to succumb, a triumph of the human spirit.

He is Jan Baalsrud.

The 12^th man.

He leaves us much to consider as our current world edges ever closer to the abyss.

Editor’s notes:

Baalsrud wins numerous post war awards, including Norway’s St. Olav’s medal, while also being appointed honorary member of the Order of the British Empire.

An annual remembrance march, in memory of the bravery shown by Baalsrud and those who assisted him, takes place in Norway every July 25. Participants recreate his escape route over nine days.

Baalsrud’s incredible story has been documented in several books and two films.

One of the films, produced in 2017 and available on Netflix, is fittingly titled Den 12. Mann. The 12th Man.

In purely sporting parlance, The 12th Man often refers to a team's supporters. The term is based on the atmosphere and effect a set of fans can have on a game. Perhaps the best example comes from the current NFL champion Seattle Seahawks, a team that has retired jersey number 12 in honour of its passionate supporters.

Baalsrud would have approved.