Jersey
under the Swastika!

Page 14 - Philip Frederick Le Sauteur

CHAPTER FOUR

Transport Difficulties

War entirely transforms a nation's daily life, even if the area of conflict happens to be many miles away, but when there is occupation by an enemy the transformation assumes dimensions much beyond the other. The enemy makes use of what he finds in the territory he occupies, and the local people must grin and bear with the consequences.

Jersey was no exception to this, Jersey that could boast of nearly 12,000 vehicles when the occupation took place. Within a very short period of the occupation the roads became strangely quiet. The buses continued, it is true, but with a reduced service and, other than motor-cycles and cars requisitioned for official use, they were almost the only vehicles on the highway.

A few people reverted to the old-time pony and trap, but for the "rank and file" cycling was the accepted mode of transport; and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth from those whose cycling days had, till now, been put away in the limbo of forgotten things. Cycles which for years had lain dormant were pressed into service, and when once the small stock of new machines had been sold, the prices of second-hand machines simply rocketed.

Necessity being the mother of invention, much ingenuity was displayed in overcoming the transport difficulties. The shortage of horse-drawn vehicles was answered by some very HEATH ROBINSON adaptations from motor parts. Many cycles were towing trailers for the delivery of goods or the transport of the Junior members of the family, and some cycle side-cars appeared on the road. Most of the cycle trailers were quite sturdy and nice-looking contrivances, whilst others were of the soap-box-on-wheels category.

During the middle of September, 1940, the first of many registrations came along, this having respect to all motor vehicles, with full details even of the mileage performance. It was just about this time, too, that Hauptmann Gussek quit the Island, with a reputation for fair dealing behind him, a tact and understanding of which an officer of any nation might be proud.

At the end of September, a purchasing commission arrived to buy cars and lorries, and all those of the 1939/40 vintage had to be submitted to the German commission for valuation without any delay. It was made an offence not to keep one's car in going order, and there was the usual threat of dire penalties for any breach of the regulation.

Those cars and lorries selected for the use of the occupying forces were, of course, part of the cost of the occupation, and the States issued bonds for payment after the cessation of hostilities.

A credit was established in France against the cars which were being shipped abroad, with which purchases of food and other essentials were made possible. The same credit system applied to the potatoes, tomatoes and other goods taken away by the occupying forces.

The States took over the steamer NORMAND, of some 3,000 tons, guaranteed to fly only the Jersey flag, and to carry only civilian essential commodities. There was some difficulty in securing the necessary crew, but ultimately local crew was obtained, and the vessel commenced to carry the purchases made in France.

Being a somewhat larger vessel than was ordinarily brought into St. Helier Harbour, she struck and sank an oil barge (which had just been refloated after a previous sinking due to bad mooring), and then ran aground herself, receiving rather serious damage herself in the process. After being patched up she was able to resume the run between Granville and the Islands.

The purchase of the NORMAND was understood to be against the credit of cars, etc., which had been taken from the Islanders — a notable example of German business methods. In exchange for a vessel of uncertain age and value — which they would have had to man and anyway — and which almost certainly had cost them nothing — they received new cars not required for German use, could be employed to obtain foreign credits in neutral countries.

At this time — October, 1940 — several more planes were reported to have crashed, including a Henchel at Rozel, with two casualties.

It is highly signifiant to note that, by all reports, a considerable number of Germans themselves became casualties in road accidents!

Petrol for many years had been basic in the world of transport — and it had been so with Jersey — and when the Germans arrived they made sure that all supplies were carefully controlled, even if at the beginning they were not husbanded quite so carefully. They had been plentiful, but, alas, difficult to replenish. Civilian transport to a great extent had been curtailed, much to the annoyance and inconvenience of the population generally. So that when the occupying forces arrived a certain measure of restriction was already in vogue.

It soon became evident that the German Authorities were convinced that they themselves must seek to conserve their stocks, even if in so doing they were being subjected to a certain degree of inconvenience. So, in August, 1941, a general petrol economy drive was instituted by their forces, who imported some hundreds of horses, as well as wagons of a very old type (reputed to be Polish Army wagons) for their transport.

The drive was carried so far that, instead of towing their anti-tank guns to the various grounds used for practice purposes, they actually man-handled them! In direct contradiction to this economy were a number of huge half-track vehicles which seemed to do a round tour of the town every day for no more apparent  reason than to afford practice to the drivers. The adventures of these colossal transport vehicles caused some trepidation in the hearts of those whose shops or houses stood on corners, as they rumbled through the narrow streets knocking off chunks of granite  from the kerbs and cutting across the pavement at every corner.

The car buying commission had by this time (November) completed the 1937 models, and now demanded that all motor-cycles of whatever age they may be, be presented for valuation and possible purchase.

Early in 1942 another registration was called for, and once again details were demanded of all lorries of 1930/1940 and motor-cycles of 1935 and onwards.

And, during this time, slowly but surely, reductions in civilian bus transport were being effected, and slowly but surely this very popular means of transport was being taken off the roads. In spite of this serious curtailment of one of the most cherished of civil liberties — the right of free movement — another drive for still greater petrol economy was inaugurated. This resulted in the still further cutting of the almost non-existent bus services. Not only were public transport services affected by this drive, but an arrangement whereby medical men would share cars on their rounds was introduced, as well as a scheme for converting other essential vehicles into the producer gas variety as the materials became available.

Fifty cycles were demanded by the German Authorities for official use in place of cars, and those whose machines were not being employed for essential purposes were requested to present them for valuation. The complete failure of this voluntary system later resulted in the Gendarmerie using the confiscation of cycles as a punishment for such "heinous" offences as cycling two abreast, or failing to carry one's  Identity Card!

Yet another registration of motor vehicles was taken during April of that year.

The requisitioning of cycles by other means having failed, a new method was introduced of calling them in, in groups of a few hundred at a time, based on the tax numbers of the machines, from which a selection was made by the Germans.

There were many contrasts between the Wermacht of 1943 and that of two or three years previously. Wooden-soled boots, for instance, were seen being taken into the German stores (late Woolworth's). When they first came the Germans commandeered the largest cars, and every officer, as well as plenty of the other ranks, had one. Later they were permitted nothing bigger than 14 h.p., and not so many of these. By now, however, it was only the biggest "noises" who had cars at all, and the Feldkommandant was the only one with a big car. Even the Military Commandant used an M.G. Midget (imagine an elderly, monocled, typical Prussian general driving a Midget!). Other officers were reduced to having horses, cycles or their big flat feet, few having motorized cycles.

In transport, too, the army were having to use horses — hundreds of them — often driven by local conscripted labour, and almost all the lorries still in use had been converted to producer gas.

The O.T. were more favoured in these directions than the Wermacht, and appeared to be able to secure enough petrol to keep many cars and lorries on the road, plus enough to eke out many civilian rations (they did not know this part of the picture, of course!).