The Last Raid: The Commandos, Channel Islands and Final Nazi Raid

by Will Fowler

Overview

When Germany occupied the originally ‘demilitarised’ Channel Islands in 1940, Hitler ordered the area to be staunchly fortified with colossal permanent structures like Battery Moltke on Jersey. As it was the only piece of the British Isles in Nazi control, he was determined that the islands should remain German forever. Churchill was equally obsessed, urging numerous commando raids and harebrained schemes for the invasion and liberation of the islands. But when France was freed in 1944, the Channel Islands were completely bypassed. German troops were cut off from their supplies and the island population began to starve. Occupied for almost the entire war, these quintessentially English islands serve as a fascinating microcosm of what Britain might have been like under Nazi rule. With one German soldier to every three islanders, resistance had to remain at a low level: possession of a radio merited a prison sentence.The Last Raid is an atmospheric account of life under German occupation, as well as the political manoeuvring behind the scenes. With the first detailed account in English of the Granville Raid, a unique German commando operation, Will Fowler combines the social experience of war with the military to form a fascinating chronicle of the fight for the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780750966375
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	04/07/2016
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Will Fowler is the author of more than 30 books covering military equipment and from conflicts in the 19th century to operations in Afghanistan and has broadcast on radio and television including the BBC and the Discovery and History channels.

Table of Contents

Foreword 1

Introduction 10

1 Operation Grüne Pfeil: The Invasion, 30 June 1940 13

2 Occupation, Resistance and Deportation, 1940-45 28

3 Inselwahn: Island Madness, 1941-44 42

4 Commandos and Raiders, 1940-45 50

5 Operations Anger and Ambassador, 15 July 1940 61

6 The Aftermath of Operations Tomato and Ambassador, 15 July-21 October 1940 70

7 Operation Dryad, 3 September 1942 79

8 Operation Branford, 7 September 1942 86

9 Operation Basalt, 3-4 October 1942 89

10 Attaboy, Blazing, Constellation, Concertina, Coverlet and Condor: The Raids that Never Were 104

11 Operation Huckaback, 27-28 February 1943 113

12 Operation Hardtack 7, 25-26 December, and Hardtack 28, 29-30 December 1943 117

13 By Air and Sea, 1940-45 127

14 Siege and Survival, 1944-45 141

15 Endgame: Kommando-Unternehmen Granville, 8-9 March 1945 162

Appendix I Fortification Order of 20 October 1941 194

Appendix II Operation Dryad Orders 196

Appendix III The Commando Order 203

Appendix IV Order of Battle of 319th Division 206

Appendix V Nestegg Report 208

Appendix VI Articles of Surrender 214

Bibliography 219

Index 221