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Feb 15, 2021 · The German army had a different opinion: the strategic location in the English Channel offered them an outlook on Britain. Unaware of the recent demilitarisation and the evacuation trips, on 28 June 1940, Germany launched a bombing raid on the islands which killed 44 civilians.
- Demilitarisation and Evacuation
- Invasion
- Debate in The House
- Liberation on 9 May 1945
- Read More
During the interwar years the UK authorities took the view that the Channel Islands had no strategic significance for Britain. The islands were open to attack from the air and sea, with their defence deemed costly, if not impossible. It was also believed that the islands would be an economic liability for the enemy, rather than a strategic advantag...
The Channel Islands were deemed of special importance to the Germans due to their value in terms of propaganda. Their invasion was also considered as a test for the occupation of Britain. Later on in the war, the islands were fortified as part of the Atlantic Wall, a series of coastal defences built by the Germans to protect against Allied invasion...
The House of Lordsdebated the situation on 9 July 1940. Members drew attention to the financial plight of the both the evacuees and those who remained. Concerns that the islands had been abandoned were also raised by several Members. For example, Lord Portsea, a Jerseyman, stated: Lord Mottistone echoed these sentiments, expressing his dismay that ...
The D-Day landings in 1944 signalled the beginning of the end of the German occupation. However, it was not until nearly a year later that the islands were finally liberated. The liberation was announced by the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, on 8 May 1945. In a statement to the House of Commons, he announced that “our dear Channel Islands ...
Charles Cruickshank, The German Occupation of the Channel Islands, 1990Madeleine Bunting, The Model Occupation: The Channel Islands Under German Rule 1940–1945, 1995Jersey War Tunnels, ‘Histories and stories’, accessed 30 March 2020Visit Guernsey, ‘Learn more about Liberation Day’, accessed 30 March 2020The military occupation of the Channel Islands by Nazi Germany lasted for most of the Second World War, from 30 June 1940 until liberation on 9 May 1945. The Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey are British Crown dependencies in the English Channel, near the coast of Normandy.
May 6, 2020 · German forces seized control of the Channel Islands on 30 June 1940. By-passed by the Allies as they pushed east they remained under Nazi rule for almost 5 years, until the end of World War Two. This is the story of the British men and women who lived under the German occupation. Watch Now.
HMS Bulldog arrived in Guernsey on 9 May 1945 and a declaration of unconditional surrender was signed the following day. During the Second World War, The Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by German forces.
Feb 26, 2021 · The islands were heavily occupied with two German soldiers for every islander, making rules easily enforced. The islands were also too small for violent resisters to hide without being quickly found. Their proximity to Occupied France made supplying weapons and equipment virtually impossible.
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WWII fortifications across the Islands of Guernsey were constructed by captured men forced into work. Islanders all had different experiences of the war as some sadly lost their lives and loved ones, while others formed civil relationships and found new ways to live with their enemies.
