The German occupation of the Guernsey started on June 28th 1940 with a heavy
Air Raid on the Island in which 34 locals were killed. Sven's seat is a 50 Kg
bomb typically used at this time.
The raid was followed 2 days later by an airborne invasion. Hitler hoped to make the Channel Islands
a key part of his Atlantic defences, and also give his troops some experience
of working with a captured British population.
The seas round the Channel Islands were heavily mined to deny access to
allied shipping. Local fishermen were killed during the war hitting these mines,
and even today they are occasionally found.
Another safe seat Sven.....
The Germans spent a great deal of time and effort preparing the Islands
to withstand an invasion. In addition to concrete gun emplacements and watch towers,
they also constructed underground command centers and ammunition stores
There is even an underground Hospital on the island.
The Hospital, like many of the German tunnels on the Island, was unfinished at the end of the war. After the Allies invaded Europe in 1944 injured German servicemen were brought to the underground hospital for treatment.
When the war was over and the Germans fled the Islands an awful lot of
supplies and equipment were left behind. The invasion museum on Guernsey
contains enough weapons, artillery and ammunition to equip a small army.
After the war a great deal of the stuff left behind was sold off as scrap.
The Invasion Museum was started in 1966 by one of the Islanders who lived
through the occupation and wanted a fitting memorial to the people who suffered,
and in some cases died, under German rule.
The Germans left some interesting architecture on Guernsey. The surviving
island fortifications include massive concrete watch towers, like this one.
This unique tower housed direction and range finding equipment. It has
recently been restored and is open to visitors two days a week, unfortunately
not the day Sven went.
