30 June 1940

30 June 1940 Newspaper article: England gives up the Channel Islands

England gives up the Channel Islands.

ep. Stockholm, 29 June.

The London Ministry of Information announced on Friday evening that, in connection with the German occupation of the parts of France nearest to the English Channel Islands, it had been decided to demilitarise these islands. All military forces and their equipment are to be transported to England.

London radio further reports that the entire east coast of England, to a depth of 20 miles, has been declared a military restricted zone. English people and foreigners who do not absolutely have to enter the area are no longer admitted. Special permits are required in exceptional cases. This year’s summer holiday and recreational traffic has thereby been stopped. A similar measure had already been introduced in the southeast corner some days ago.

The islands off the Breton coast were England’s very last positions on the Continent. They too could not be held. The panic-stricken evacuation and removal of all British forces and equipment are one more eloquent indication of how completely England’s previous calculations and intentions have been disposed of. If Reuters now says that the islands have no strategic value, it may be recalled that as recently as 1939 Alderney was to have been developed into an impregnable fortress and aviation base. German power on the Atlantic compels the English to abandon every defensive position off the long southern flank facing France. Germany’s total victory in France dictates the inescapable law of England’s war.

The islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark and Alderney off the French coast, together with several rocky islets, are known as the Channel Islands. They cover about 195 square kilometres and have around 90,000 inhabitants. Their mild climate makes these islands productive in cereals, vegetables and fruit; fishing is naturally also an important source of income. The inhabitants speak a Norman dialect; the official language is French and their religious denomination is Reformed. Although the islands are under the rule of the English Crown, they form two republics with separate constitutions and almost complete exemption from customs duties and taxation. They are the remnant of English possession of French territory. Their legal system rests on old Norman customary law. Acts of the English Parliament apply to the islands only when expressly stated. All male inhabitants from the age of 17 to 65 are liable for militia service. At the head of each of the two republics or bailiwicks stand a lieutenant-governor appointed by the Crown and a judge.

Map: Bailiwick of Guernsey; Bailiwick of Jersey; Cotentin Peninsula. Names: Cape de la Hague; St Anne; Alderney; Guernsey; Sark; Seigneurie; Cherbourg; Carteret; Les Écréhous; Surville; Jersey; St Helier; Les Boeufs [map spelling]; Les Minquiers; Chausey; Granville. Scale 1:1,500,000. Legend: bailiwick boundary; boundary of the subdistricts of the Bailiwick of Guernsey; seats of the lieutenant-governors; seats of the bailiffs.

Handwritten source: Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 30 June 1940.

Editorial note: The article’s political assertions and geographical descriptions are translated as printed. The original map is reproduced below. A small portion of the left text margin is obscured by the binding, but the sentences remain recoverable.

T-1022 Roll 2439, T1022_R2439_English_Translation.docx. Archive and frame references follow.
PG 38019 | Frame 00776, original sheet 31, newspaper clipping