In the summer of 1940 the British Isles stood isolated and alone facing
the might of a seemingly unstoppable German war machine. Never before
had the United Kingdom been in a state of such uncertainty and possible
peril. Fortunately the full breadth of the English Channel held back
Hitler's armies, and his ambition. Not so for the Channel Islands which
stand just a few miles from the French coast.
To abandon British territory to the enemy was unthinkable, yet the
defense of the Channel Islands was impracticable, if not impossible. It
was decided, therefore, to evacuate as many as wished to leave.
This is the story of the muddled evacuation, of homes, animals and
families left behind, of the German bombing of the islands, the fear of
those left behind, and of those first days of German Occupation, told by
the Islanders themselves through memoirs and letters, the local
newspapers, and the politicians who decided the fate of tens of
thousands of men women and children.