German occupation of Guernsey

norbert yeah · Feb 7, 2007

timshatz said:
It's amazing the Germans didn't shoot the kids when they found them guilty. Sounds like the occupation of the Islands wasn't as heavy handed as it was on the mainland. Am I guessing wrong on this?

That's where the nail is hit squarely on the head, and why the British media are so angled towards the Collaboration thing. I think it smarts abit with them, because if the Germans had made it across the Channel in 1940, there would have been elements of British society willing to help the axis aims.

My Great Uncle was a local historian and wrote the Occupation diary which is a definitive account of life in Jersey during those years, I can remember him saying one day, that there was a very fine line between collaboration and cohabitation.

Is the guy digging a hole in the road to restore water to a number of local households, but in the meantime restoring the supply to a house occupied by German troops a collaborator ?????

comiso90 · Feb 7, 2007

norbert yeah said:
To be honest the Germans would not have left the Channel Islands to their own devices they were too close to mainland Europe, and could have been used by the allies as a jumping off point for raids etc…. However when the Germans occupied the islands, the allies weren't in too much of a hurry to get them back, because it tied up 30-40,000 German troops that could have been used elsewhere.

Plus as was mentioned earlier, the high concentration of people would have made for extensive collateral damage and civilian deaths. Once taken, the allies would be faced with the same problem... now the place has to be garrisoned and fortfied. Too bad they couldn't have temporarily transferd ownership of the islands to the Swiss for the duration of the War.

Thanks for all the insight norbert... keep it coming if u can!

norbert yeah · Feb 8, 2007

My fathers only other act of defiance was early in the occupation, he and a mate were cycling through the centre of St Helier when they came across a German Soldier, walking casually along with a local girl on his arm (Usually referred to as a JerryBag), his mate spotted a tomato (That dates it to early occupation as they were rare later on) in the gutter, picked it up and hurled it at the Woman. Unfortunately he wasn't a good shot, missed the woman and hit the German squarely in the nape of the neck.

Both dad and his mate took to their bikes, but as quickly as they could peddle the German seemed to be gaining, that is until they came to a split in the road and they were able to go in different directions, loosing the German in the process.

House searches were quite common, however my father only recalled one occasion when his home was visited, sometime after the Normandy landings when food was getting scarce, a German soldier came through the back garden and stole a couple of slices of bread from the kitchen table and disappeared.

bigZ · Feb 8, 2007

There is a book on life under occupation in the Channel Islands(unfortunately can't remmember the title). In it the author mentioned how he as a civilian was taken to see the Katyn Wood massacre by the Germans. He also states that the British POW's present treated him with mistrust.

norbert yeah · Feb 8, 2007

Can't say I have read that one, the majority of these books don't reveal anything new about the occupation and in general cover ground already turned over.

Sinels Occupation diary gives a day to day account of the occupation in Jersey, as does Falles for Guernsey.

The After the Battle book on the Occupations is also a good reference and typical of the series gives a then and now, however it was written several years ago and many of the scenes have changed, and in most cases not for the best.

If visiting the islands I would recommend the Guernsey occupation museum, it is well run and packed full of interesting artifacts, including many weapons and also the remains of several aircraft from both sides.

In Jersey there are a few museums, the War Tunnels under went a face lift a couple of years ago, they employed some marketing people and in my view, because of this, it has lost a lot of its realism.

The other small museum is to the west on the north end of the Five Mile Road at St Ouen, it's a private venture opened during the summer months.

Many of the bunkers are now reopened and run on a volunteer basis by the Channel Island Occupation Society. If anyone does venture this way this year, drop me a PM or email and I will happily (If I have time) take you off the beaten track to some of the hidden sites and memorials.

comiso90 · Apr 18, 2008

I though i'd open this back up in case any of the newer people have anything to add.. or learn

.

Haztoys · Apr 18, 2008

Once more .."something I never knew about"... Thanks

Njaco · Apr 20, 2008

I believe in the beginning of the movie "The Eagle Has Landed" there are some scenes shot in Guernsey.

from "The Battle of Britain" Time/Life:

"It was a Sunday morning at the end of June 1940, when the first armed German arrived on Guernsey, one of a group of tiny British islands set down in the English Channel just off the French coast. Landing a plane on Guernsey's grassy airfield, the German drew his pistol and alighted. Suddenly 3 British planes buzzed by overhead. The interloper nervously scrambled back to his aircraft, dropping the revolver, and took off. Later that day, however, another German plane touched down and this time 3 men got out. One carefullt retrieved the gun; another announced to an unruffled policeman that they intended to take over the island."

"Thus began Hitler's occupation of the Channel Islands, which was undertaken to create stepping stones for the invasion of Britain and ended with the Islands being the only bit of native British territory to be seized by the Germans during WWII. By the general standards of Nazi take-overs, it was a strangely peaceable, polite conquest, at least in the early stages. the bobby at the airport was actually expecting both the airmen and the German ground troops who soon arrived by boat. So was just about everybody else in the Channel islands. Since Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark were within 30 miles of France, newly conquered by Hitler and nearly 80 mies from Britain, His Majestey's Government considered them indefensable - and so informed the residents."

"Not that the occupation lacked certain discomforts for the natives; a curfew; liquor prohibition; Nazi films in movie houses; the construction of bristling shore and AA defenses. But generally, the islanders, obeying their leaders, were careful to show no hostility. When one old Guernseyite stood in his doorway with a rifle threatening to 'shoot the first German who tries to come in', his realtives gently disarmed him. And the Dame of Sark, feudal ruler of her 2 square mile fief, was so relaxed with the invaders that it was hard to tell just who had conquered whom. When one of the visitors asked if she were not frightened, she sweetly replied, in German, 'Is there any need to be afraid of German officers?"

and a pretty decent site.
Guernsey Forts Museums

Graeme · Apr 20, 2008

How did a 'H' with a "7" in the middle come to represent 'Death to Hitler'?

comiso90 · Apr 21, 2008

Haz... It's amazing story that many pepl dont know about. It makes me want to visit there.

Thanks Njaco.. I wonder if the Brits ever considered putting up a fight? They made the right decision though.
No Alcohol!!!! Yikes!

Graeme, did the photo disappear?

SoD Stitch · Apr 21, 2008

I read a book about the occupation of Guernsey Jersey quite a while ago so, of course, I don't remeber everything, but I do remember it was a rather cushy assignment for Wehrmacht troops, as there wasn't much action on the islands. As for the Allies, they really had no interest whatsoever in retaking the islands, it simply wasn't worth it; their sights were set on bigger things, like the landings in Normandy. Every once in a while the odd British agent would turn up on the islands trying to get info but, other than that, the German garrisons staioned on Guernsey Jersey had it pretty easy. When the Allies did invade, they simply bypassed the islands and waited until the War was over to retake them without a fight.

Graeme · Apr 22, 2008

comiso90 said:
Graeme, did the photo disappear?

Occasionally happens comiso, with ImageShack, whose downloaded images 'gopher' regularly. I once asked Charles Bronson, who was a prolific illustrator for this forum and regularly used ImageShack about it, but he just philosophically replied; "Some (images) stay, some don't"...

I'll try again...

British 'Bobby' acting as doorman for German officers, captioned.."Local officials in occupied Guernsey were forced to toe the line"...

Then there was this poster offering a reward for information leading to the arrest to any one responsible form marking property with 'V' in Guernsey...

And I was inquiring into the history of the "Death to Hitler" sign between the V's arms above this boys head... (Guernsey citizen?)

comiso90 · Apr 22, 2008

Thanks Graeme...

I googled "victor g carey" guernsey This is what was returned:

Many on Guernsey believe that the Channel Islands government willingly served their Nazi masters, only protesting when freemasons' lives were threatened.

It looks as if a deal was struck. After the deportations, old Channel Islands governing families remained untouched. After the war they were to be rebranded as the heroes of the occupation. Victor G Carey, who collaborated with the Nazis as the bailiff of Guernsey, was knighted by the Queen for his war services. Many feel he should have been hanged.

Julia Pascal: Our hidden history

.

Haztoys · Apr 22, 2008

comiso90 said:
Haz... It's amazing story that many pepl dont know about. It makes me want to visit there.

Thanks Njaco.. I wonder if the Brits ever considered putting up a fight? They made the right decision though.
No Alcohol!!!! Yikes!

Graeme, did the photo disappear?

Its crazy what is not told about the war from country to country ...And how said info has some sort of "spin" on the info...

Peter - Festung Guernsey · Jul 28, 2012

I'll own up now, I havn't read past the 1st post yet, But I am a Guernseyman born and bred, and also a member of the organisation Festung Guernsey... if my name wasn't enough of a clue, so anything you want to know, feel free to ask me, as if I don't know the answer, I will go direct to other members who have the knowledge.

Peter - Festung Guernsey · Jul 28, 2012

norbert yeah said:
A nice yarn, but simply not true. All "munitions" were extensively removed from the islands and the bunkers emptied in 1945/6, the majority of these items were deposited in Hurds deep to the north of Alderney or simply, as in the case of some of the larger guns, dumped over a convienient cliff.

Many of the larger weapons, such as the guns on the Mirus battery, were left in situ until the 1950's when scrap dealers were commissioned to remove them for good. Unfotunately !!!!

Over the years the odd roll bomb, shell or land mine has been found and disposed of, but I am sure, not cases or boxes of munitions. Until the late 1970's some of the tunnels built by the Germans contained the remains of some equipment including field kitchens, however following the death of a couple of children who had managed to get into one of these tunnels, they were emptied and the remains disposed of.

You would be wrong there, sorry, there is plent Ammo still around, but mostly at the bottom of quarries, but some is found in bunkers and tunnels. There are also tunnels still filled with Field kitchens etc. But overall, most is gone from reach. But mines and bombs are found frequently.