10 Legendary Manhunts

Norwegian Jan Baalsrud found himself in Britain in 1941 due to the Nazi occupation of his homeland.

In 1943 Baalsrud, three other commandos, and a small boat crew of eight embarked on a mission to go back to Norway, bugger up things for the Germans, and establish a Norwegian resistance movement.

The mission failed almost as soon as it began: when they mistook a civilian for their contact, the civilian turned them in and the Nazis were on their trail from that point.

The boat they were using to transport explosives was attacked by a German vessel.

They made their escape in a small boat that was promptly sunk. All the members of the mission were captured except Jan Baalsrud. During the hunt for a frostbitten Baalsrud he killed a Gestapo officer, operated on his own leg with a pocket knife and cut off several of his own toes.

He evaded capture for over two months in terrible condition; due to help from several people who put their lives at risk to assist Baalsrud, he was able to get to Sweden and eventually back to Britain, where he would help train commandos preparing to take back Norway.