The Counterfeit Traitor

There’s no way out for American-raised Swede Eric Erickson. Either he becomes an Allied spy, or he faces a trumped-up charge of Nazi collaboration. “How does one get to be so cold-blooded?” Erickson snaps at the English agent blackmailing him. “Watching German planes bomb London helps enormously,” is the reply. William Holden portrays Erickson in this taut thriller that progresses from subterfuge to discovery and finally to breathless escape. The story, based on Alexander Klein’s book, is true. And the use of European locations where the actual events transpired adds to the film’s authenticity. From start to finish, The Counterfeit Traitor provides suspense and moral choices that can only come from real life.

Recipe for adventure: one female black lab, four to five feet of snow with more falling, a good shoeshoe hike in and out, knife and axe testing while setting up a survival shelter, and snowy firemaking in a remote area high in the Rocky Mountains. Taking place again in the “Nutnfancy Knife Clinic” (hey we haven’t been here in awhile), the solitude we achieve in this winter wonderland is breath taking. But the work sure wasn’t! Making a survival camp a reality in these conditions takes a lot work (hard to appreciate really until you do it!). Allie and I simulate a stuck-out survival situation in these harsh conditions and set up a survival campsite (using the portable Coghlans® brand orange plastic tube tent). This scenario was realistic and provided good gear testing opportunities. As I’ve done before, I show a lot of the work necessary to find and process standing deadwood into useable dry firewood with sharp edges that ignite more readily. We fall several dead trees in the process with the Cold Steel Trail Boss axe, Norse Tomahawk (very good performance for weight), and Sawvivor backpack saw and split a few other blades too (like the Dow Coated 3400A Ontario RAT-7 knife shown!). Some may say thinner wood could be used to build a fire but usually it is rain and moisture soaked therefore is an ureliable fire STARTING source. Once your fire is hot and self-sustaining then these unprepared wood sources can be used. Be careful with these bladed tools as they can very …
Video Rating: 4 / 5