The Channel Islands, Crown Dependencies of the United Kingdom, were occupied during the Second World War by Nazi Germany, from 30 June 1940 until May 1945. They were liberated by British forces following the general German surrender.

Considered not defendable by the Government of the United Kingdom in 1940, the islands were demilitarised and some civilians were given the opportunity to evacuate to England before German forces arrived.

The island leaders and some civil servants were asked to stay in their posts to look after the civilians in their care. Over 41,101 civilians remained on Jersey, 24,429 on Guernsey and 470 on Sark. Alderney had just 18.

Apart from undertaking a few commando raids, the islands were ignored by the British government until June 1944 when additional attacks on German shipping and radar units took place. To avoid starvation of civilians, the British government allowed Red Cross parcels to be sent to the islands during the winter of 1944–45. Liberation would have to wait until the end of the war in Europe in 1945.

Early planning

In his role with Combined Operations, Lord Mountbatten was responsible for planning commando raids, from raids involving a handful of men up to the August 1942 Dieppe Raid which involved over 10,000. It was proposed in 1943, under the code name Operation Constellation, to carry out an assault on the three main islands of Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney, where 40,000 Wehrmacht troops were well dug in. Mountbatten commented:

Planning for the liberation of the Channel Islands began with Operation Rankin, prepared in late 1943. It looked at three possibilities: Case A – Liberation before the liberation of France; this concluded that a small attack might work if German morale was low and most German forces had left the islands. Case B – To occupy the islands if they were evacuated by the Germans Case C – The complete unconditional surrender of all German forces

Only Case C was considered likely at the time, and a directive dated 10 November 1943 was issued by the Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander (COSSAC) which resulted in a Joint Plan for Operation Rankin C.

Naval forces would be based on whatever was available at the time; merchant shipping would be needed to transport three months' supply of food and medicines, as would small craft for landing supplies, bicycles for transport and signalling equipment. Just 725 officers and men were considered adequate.

Military intelligence In 1943, military intelligence on the Channel Islands was severely lacking. Additional aerial photographs needed to be taken and interpreted. There were no Allied-controlled radio transmitters in the islands, so communications to discover what was actually happening in the islands were almost non-existent.

German troops were estimated as 23,800, with one artillery and three infantry regiments within 319th Infantry Division. Surrender would be unlikely without a fall in morale and/or starvation once isolated.

Allowing for the 2,000-3,000 British civilians who had been deported to camps in Germany in 1942–3, civilian numbers were estimated at 65,000 with 42,000 in Jersey, 23,000 in Guernsey and 355 in Sark.

Aerial photographs were taken and the few escaped civilians from the islands were interviewed.

Detailed planning

Early in 1944 Brigadier Alfred Ernest Snow was appointed to command Task Force 135, the code name given to the liberation task force. Snow was 46 years old and had served in India and Burma between the wars, he was awarded an OBE when a Major with the BEF in June 1940. A small HQ structure was created to look into the planning.

On 10 May 1944 Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, (SHAEF) reported to Southern Command that in the event it became necessary to capture the Channel Islands, this would be undertaken by 21st Army Group, after which Southern Command would take over; and Rankin C should be reviewed accordingly. Shipping would be available after 15 July, but no troops. Southern Command replied on 22 June 1944, after the Normandy D-Day landings, that Rankin C could be amended to suit either the German evacuation of the islands or the German surrender on the islands. Alderney was to be bypassed as there were not believed to be any civilians there.

By August, it was decided that only Rankin C would be applicable, and Headquarters 115 Brigade provided the nucleus of the HQ for Task Force 135. The code name was changed to Operation Nestegg on 11 August 1944. Plymouth was chosen as the embarkation port and the planners of Task Force 135 moved their HQ from the New Forest to Cornwall.

In August 1944, the German Foreign Ministry made an offer to Britain, through the Swiss Red Cross, that would see the release and evacuation of all Channel Island civilians except for men of military age. This was not a possibility that the British had envisaged. The British considered the offer, but a memorandum from Winston Churchill said: "Let 'em starve. They can rot at their leisure". It is not clear whether Churchill meant the Germans, or the civilians. The German offer was rejected.

Not knowing when the force would be needed, a code word W-Day or warning day when the operation was given the go ahead by SHAEF was established and a timetable from then, W+1, W+2 etc. was established until C-Day or commencement day, the first landing day, with C+1, C+2 etc. for follow up days.

It was decided to involve a number of Channel Island people in the planning, as their local knowledge would be invaluable. The interrogation of islanders who managed to escape the islands by boat, especially those in 1944, provided much needed intelligence.

Needing to land in both Jersey and Guernsey on the same day involved additional shipping and men; three battalions each of 700 men, plus engineers, were now needed. Suitable beaches for landings, such as St Aubin's Bay in Jersey and L'Ancresse in Guernsey, were selected. Unloading in an area with a rise and fall of the tide had to be planned. Surrender terms were drafted. Prisoner of war facilities would be needed. The airports would be opened for transport planes to land.

Administrative tasks would be given to No 20 Civil Affairs Unit, including bringing 200 tons of food, clothing and medicines in on C-Day. Everything the islands needed, from pots and pans to 1.1 million sheets of toilet paper, were sourced. The British Government gave the force commander authority under the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939 to make regulations; any new laws passed by the civil governments in the islands would need Brigadier Snow's approval.

Civilians would not be allowed to leave the islands without a permit. British currency would be provided, with £1,000,000 in notes and coins brought to the islands to enable people to exchange Reichsmarks back into sterling. A distribution of free "treats" including tobacco, chocolate and tea was planned.

Longer-term plans were made to remove POWs, mines and weapons and to bring in enough food to provide 2,750 calories a day for three months for the civilians as well as fuel and goods, including 15 months worth of clothing rations which would be made available to purchase through the island shops.

There was no rush to liberate the islands. The cut-off Germans there were effectively prisoners of war who did not even have to be guarded. Because of the shortage of infantry, troops allocated to Task Force 135 were being sent to join the main army fighting in Europe.

Attempts at an early surrender

During September 1944, British aircraft dropped leaflets printed in German over the islands almost every night; on 22 September an unarmed air-sea rescue high speed launch HSL-2632 travelled from France to a point near St Martin's Point off Guernsey. Arriving late and not finding any German ship to meet them, they proceeded to St Peter Port harbour under a white flag, met by E-boat S-112 which was not aware of the proposed meeting. A message was sent ashore but the opportunity for a discussion was refused. The HSL-2632 sailed off to England, being fired at by an 8.8 cm battery on Alderney who were not aware of the attempted peace mission.

Around this time the Allies agreed to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to send the ship Vega with Red Cross parcels to the islands to reduce the risk of starvation. The first ship would sail in mid December.

A few more leaflet dropping missions were undertaken, with no visible sign of success, possibly because it was impossible for the soldiers, trapped on an island, to desert.

Exercise Merlin

In December 1944 a rehearsal for Nestegg from W-Day to C+3 was undertaken. 6,100 troops were gathered and briefed, supplies loaded onto vehicles and ships, vehicles loaded onto landing ships and men were boarded. The Jersey force with 200 vehicles and 804 tons of supplies was landed at Paignton, the Guernsey force with 340 vehicles and 800 tons landed at Brixham. Realism continued with a few fanatic "enemy", some in plain clothes, and civilian women favouring Germany were met onshore. There were 12 minor injuries and a barn was damaged by a bulldozer. Lessons were learnt, such as the discovery of a shortage of cooks, and applied to modify the Nestegg plans.

A second exercise in late February 1945 was undertaken with no problems, as was street fighting in bombed out streets in Plymouth. A third exercise, scheduled for mid May, was cancelled.

Task Force 135 The roughly 6,000 military and the naval forces would include the following:

614, 618 and 620 Regiments, Royal Artillery 411 Independent heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery No 20 Civil Affairs Unit Assorted Royal Engineer companies

Assorted Royal Signals sections Royal Army Service Corps units 209 Field Ambulance 135 Field Ordnance

REME, Medical, Postal, Provost, Pioneer, Intelligence, Pay, Catering, PoW, DCLI band, Royal Marines, RAF, and Public Relations companies or sections Assorted ships from the British, American, Canadian, Polish, Belgian and Dutch Navies.

W-Days

On 30 April 1945, when Adolf Hitler committed suicide, German flags in the Channel Islands were flown at half mast and Union Jack flags were being sold openly in the islands. The Bailiff in Jersey appealed for calm.

Plan Prophet, the landing in Guernsey and plan Moslem in Jersey, were given the “stand to” warning on 3 May 1945, making 4 May W-Day. Formation badges were issued, the shield was based on the three leopards of Jersey and Guernsey coat of arms as used by Edward I of England and stencil formation signs were painted on the vehicles. Equipment and stores started to move from depots as far away as Liverpool. W+1, W+2 and W+3 came and went. On W+4, 8 May 1945, the day Europe celebrated the end of war in Europe, vehicles were being loaded. Press men came aboard on W+5 just before the leading ships sailed.

In the islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Sark the anticipation of the end of the war in Europe was at fever pitch; the authorities were trying hard to suppress the civilians' urge to hang out patriotic flags, as they did not want to provoke German retaliation. The Germans were very nervous about their future.

On 7 May the Bailiff of Jersey went to the prison, and at his request 30 "political prisoners" were released. Also on W+3 a message was transmitted by Southern Command in clear to the German commander in the Channel Islands telling them that ships would arrive shortly to accept their surrender. The German reply was that they only took orders from German command.