Britain Under the Nazis: The Forgotten Occupation
In June 1940, the Nazis swept through Europe. France fell and the British government took the strategic decision to withdraw troops from the Channel Islands, leaving them open to German invasion. It’s a propaganda victory for Hitler and a possible first step to invading the mainland. At first the islanders are treated with courtesy, but soon they witness a nightmare roll out of Nazism.
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Britain Under the Nazis: The Forgotten Occupation on BBC Select
Episode 1: Swastika over the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are abandoned, leading to an inevitable Nazi invasion and occupation.
In June 1940, the British government decided to abandon the Channel Islands to the Nazis. The islanders were left to live with the enemy. They faced with an impossible choice, to collaborate, to resist, or walk the line between. Drawing on incredible first-person testimony, the horrors of the years of German rule are revealed. The legacy of the occupation remains a divisive issue to this day.
Episode 2: The Darkest Days
As Nazi rule becomes more oppressive, the residents of the Channel Islands grow desperate.
Nazi rule of the Channel Islands becomes increasingly repressive. People carrying out acts of resistance face severe consequences if caught, including execution. Food supplies come under pressure, as the Germans bring in thousands of slave workers to build massive fortifications. Using diaries, first-hand accounts and interviews, the horrors of those who lived through the occupation are revealed.
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