Occupation Timeline

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Erich Gusseck is appointed Commander of the Channel Islands

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Lieutenant-Governor receives a call from the London and scribes the following message on the back of an Envelope 'War Cab decision is the island of Jersey is to be demilitarised. All tps to be withdrawn. Further instrs regarding the Lt. Gov will be sent. From Maj. Percival A.C.I.G.S' A further communication is sent repeating that the islands will be be defended and are deemed 'open towns'

After the German Invasion of France, Charles de Gaulle stops over in Jersey on his way from France to England. During his couple of hours in the Island he goes for lunch at the Alexandra Hotel and purchased a case of Jonnie Walker Whisky

Operation Aerial was the evacuation of Allied forces and civilians from ports in western France. Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, Major General Harrison, receives a request from London asking for all available small craft to be sent to St Malo to help with the evacuation of the B.E.F. There. The ask of the civilian fleet was to ferry troops out to the waiting steamers that were too large to enter the Harbour there.

​That evening the first convoy of boats, an old RNLI lifeboat, Klang II, Teaser, St Clement and Clutha left Jersey with the States of Jersey launch. The second group of 13 larger craft - Ma Mie, Fiona, Desiree, Caillou, Lenoiroit, Sibelle, Daddy, Girl Joyce, Solace, Diana, Laurie, Parson and Lindolet left Jersey the next day. At St Malo, the Jersey craft operated under the orders of the Senior Naval Officer and were soon engaged in ferrying men and equipment to larger vessels waiting outside the port. The last people to be brought off were members of a demolition party sent to blow up a fuel depot and the lock gates, and as they left the German forces were just five miles away.

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Granville Raid (jerseybunkertours.com)

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von Schmettow requests additional troops

PT509 | Squadron 34

319 Infantarty Division under the leadership of Erich Muller take over the defense of the Channel Islands. 216 Infantary Division aree relocated to Cherbourg

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Operation Hardtack 7 | Jersey War Tours (jerseybunkertours.com)

Small scale raids by allied forces fail. These raids highlight the vulnerabilities of the islands to attack.

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23rd of June 1944 Crash Landing of a Thunderbolt P-47 (jerseybunkertours.com)

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Obrest Ruolf von Schmettow arrives in Jersey

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1st Island Commander Erich Gusseck replaced by Dr Dannenbereg

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On the 07th January 1945, (the day prior to the escape of Captain Clark & Lt Haas) Lt Kelly Ricardo Moutray (27 years old) was flying a solo ferrying assignment in a Lockheed P-38J Lightning. The assignment was departing from RAF Warton (at the time referred to USAF 582) destined for Beachy Head (known as A-42). At the time of the flight, the weather conditions were poor, with rain and snow. Lt Moutray ended up crash landing over st brelade bay

Operation Dryad | Jersey War Tours (jerseybunkertours.com)

Obrest Ruolf von Schmettow appointed Commander of the Channel Islands

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The downing of a Douglas C-47 over Jersey (jerseybunkertours.com)

Initial light anti aircraft positions appear across the island. These basic

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On our tours, we meet a lot of people who had no idea how much went on in the Channel Islands during the Occupation, from the local resistance, RAF attacks, Commando Raids and the US Naval missions. The below story is of a German Born, Free French Airforce Pilot, Bernard Scheidhauer who crash lands on Jersey in 1942. 

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General staff offices of the 216 and 319 Infantary division ordered to attend a meeting to discuss the handover of the island

Von Schmettow position renamed Befehlshaber Jersey and became the commanding officer of the 319 Infantary Division
Muller to the Fuhrer Reserve

Operation Hardtack 28 | Jersey War Tours (jerseybunkertours.com)

Operation Baslat | Jersey War Tours (jerseybunkertours.com)