How the secret 'Shetland Bus' helped Norway during WW2

The innocent-looking fishing boats delivered valuable cargo and special agents to coves and fishing ports.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveHow the 'Shetland Bus' helped Norway resist Nazi Germany1 day agoShareSaveKevin JacksonBBC Scotland NewsReporting fromBergen, NorwayShareSaveThe Scalloway MuseumSome of the 'Shetland Gang' crew pictured at the pier in Scalloway in 1944It sounds like it could be the plot of a spy novel, but the 'Shetland Bus' was a real undercover operation carried out to help the resistance in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War Two.

In the depths of winter and under the cover of darkness, convoys of small fishing boats left the safety of Scotland's most northerly islands to deliver valuable cargo and special agents to coves and fishing ports 200 miles away along the coast of Norway.

On the perilous return journeys, refugees fleeing the occupation were hidden in the hold of the fishing boats, as they sought sanctuary in the British Isles.

To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, six of the historic ships that formed part of the Shetland Bus convoys will set sail again from Bergen in Norway to replicate the journey back to Shetland.

They plan to arrive in Lerwick on Tuesday in time for the VE Day commemorations.