Invictus Endeavour Ops Gunnerside, complete!

A team of ten wounded injured or sick service personnel and veterans from five nations recently returned from Norway after embarking on an Invictus Games Foundation funded expedition recreating a second world war military operation as part of their recovery. The team trained for, then recreated, Operation Gunnerside, (made famous by the 1965 film ‘Heroes of Telemark), tracing the route taken by special forces operatives eighty years ago in February 1943 to sabotage the Hydrogen Plant near Rjukan. The group spent 8 days together, supported by Tribal Tracks and funded as part of the Invictus: Endeavour programme.

Annelies Homma took part in the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 and has been on her recovery journey since her discharge from the Dutch military in 2016. She enjoys her new career as a fitness instructor.

“My hands are chapped from the cold, my nails are breaking off one by one. But what an experience this was! After only 3 days of training, as a team we managed to survive 2 extreme cold days and nights on the Hardangervidda, skiing from hut to hut, and complete the last challenge of this very special expedition: the ‘attack route’.

It was amazing! Everything about this ‘endeavour’ was great! We started as 10 different individuals, we finished as a team. I got to know 9 great guys and experience this very special trip with them.

I realize that as a team we have only done and endured a fraction of what the men from Grouse and Gunnerside have done. Even today we cannot have enough awe, respect and appreciation for what those men did. Endured. For all of us.”

Invictus: Endeavours is a grants-based programme beyond the Invictus Games whereby international expeditions usually involving multiple nations are funded to support members of the community undertaking adventurous challenges. Participants are selected from the We Are Invictus platform which is open to all wounded, injured or sick service personnel and veterans.

To donate to the Invictus Games Foundation, and help with providing more opportunities to the community, head here.