Posted on 05/26/2025 10:08:26 AM PDT by RandFan
To mark the 80th anniversary of the eventual Liberation of the islands, ‘Britain Under the Nazis: the Forgotten Occupation’ (w/t) tells the story of one the most controversial periods in WW2 British history, utilising eye-witness accounts from those who lived through it.
In June 1940 Britain abandoned the Channel Islands to the Nazis. 69,000 islanders were left to live with the enemy, facing an impossible dilemma: to collaborate, resist, or tread a difficult line in between. Their words, drawn from little known diaries, memoirs and letters from both the occupiers and occupied, are brought to life by actors for the first time. Leading historians Gilly Carr and Louise Willmot bring together their meticulous research, including recently unearthed documents that shed fascinating new light on this forgotten period of fascism on British soil.
The invasion of Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney was a propaganda coup for Hitler, who began a building campaign to transform the islands into an impregnable fortress. But what started as a so-called ‘model occupation’ degenerated into a nightmare roll-out of Nazism – with persecution, antisemitic orders, informants, mass deportations, starvation, slave labour camps. There was no official investigation into the Occupation but the fallout from the division it caused remains toxic to this day.
Emily Shields, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 says: “Drawing on incredible first-person testimony, with stories that intersect, overlap and defy each other in ‘their ‘ version of the truth, Minnow have created a mesmerising portrait of life under Enemy rule.”
(Excerpt) Read more at channel4.com ...
They couldn't have done it without collaborators and such.
It's quite controversial apparently....
“Did you know a part of Britain was under Nazi Occupation for 5 years?”
...and counting.
I saw some mini series on PBS a long time ago about the channel islands taken by the Germans.
Give me the classic Bergerac series for anything Jersey related entertainment.
As I recall, around D-Day, the Nazis got their more vicious officers off the islands because they were needed on the mainland.
The lower ranked guys who replaced them actually worked with the locals to preserve the heritage dairy cattle breeds named after the two main islands despite considerable hardship in doing so.
Considering what England has become, what the hell is the difference?
There is a dramatization of this on one of the networks. Pretty decent show as I recall. But, I can’t remember the name of it.
What are you talking about? The Nazi occupation is over.
Oh, wait. I get it now. Good one.
Yes, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”
Currently on Netflix, I think.
Island at War (2004), mentioned above.
It was a good series, though it’s been knocked for historical inaccuracies.
Yes I’m going to watch this one they’re using actual diaries and accounts to enact it.
Apparently it’s still controversial to this day
I’m sure they will make it available to an international audience on some platform !
An article posted on FR a long time ago dealt with this. It recounted how locals would skim off the cream so butter was hard to make and then criticized the German authorities on how they could not make butter.
Yes, after the war, it spread slowly across all of the UK.
I knew we’d get those quips! 😂
A few Freepers tell me a program called “Escape to the Country(side)” airs internationally
That gives you a more balanced view of England especially outside the cities where it’s quite pleasant and unspoilt
Yeah, until M Markle dragged Prince Ding-Dong to the US with her!
Used to be a breed of dairy cattle named after Alderney, too, but it was absorbed into the Guernsey breed during that time.
Channel Islands. I remember reading of this decades ago. I believe there was a movie with this occupation as a start.
Triple Cross (1966 film) comes to mind.
“ Considering what England has become, what the hell is the difference?”
None
Yep, what's changed in "Britain" since the Norsk and Roman expeditions, is just the group that is subject to the standard Tyranny in place, and the group that is running it.
It's Good To Be King, but don't lose your head about it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.