Jersey
under the Swastika!

Page 37 - Philip Frederick Le Sauteur

CHAPTER ELEVEN (SECTION 1)

1943

The New Year (1943) opened with a serious of inauspicious events so far as the German garrison was concerned. On the Sunday — January 3rd — a small convoy approaching the Island off Corbiere espied four planes, and being ultra-nervous since the recent R.A.F. activity, opened fire. They succeeded in shooting down one of the planes. This, no doubt, at the moment of attack, would have been considered satisfactory to the Germans, but, unfortunately for them, the plane was one of their own, and had probably been sent out to act as escort.

The day following witnessed another troublesome matter for the Germans. A large transport, the SCHOTTLAND, struck a reef off Corbiere and foundered, with upwards of 150 casualties.

A single R.A.F. bomber passed over on the morning of the 12th, and was greeted (ineffectually, as usual) by every gun, heavy as well as light, anywhere within range. Not a very satisfactory "bag" for the occupying force!

This year was signalized by the entrance of that spate of interference with the "person of the subject" so dear to the heart of the Germans — deportations. It was in January when the first order was issued, but of this and what followed in this matter will be seen in the chapter devoted to the topic.

The R.A.F. is presently our concern. Again in the early hours of January 13th, flak batteries were in action for half an hour. Following this, the port was closed for three days while mines were being cleared from the area immediately outside the harbour itself.

There was further aerial activity on the evenings of the 16th and 23rd, and on both occasions the sound of local flak was followed by heavy bombing at Lorient, over 100 miles distant.

By this time there was a matter of twenty times the evidence of the existence of the R.A.F. to that of the German Luftwaffe. Only on rare occasions did one or two Me. 109's perform acrobatics over the Island, whilst bombers and troop transports had passed into the limbo of forgotten things, at least by day.

In preparation for the building of a railway in the east of the Island, a number of the inhabitants whose houses had been erected on the site of the extinct Jersey Eastern Railway received notice to quit. Surveying had been going on for some time, but this was the first official news of their definite intention.

Consequent on the outbreaks of contagious diseases (diptheria and V.D.), all dances were banned, and children under fourteen years of age were barred from visisiting the cinemas. A good deal of diphtheria was prevalent, even amongst the adult population, whilst tuberculosis had reached such proportions that another hospital had to be prepared in Grands Vaux, and was already full of patients.

Several more "fireworks" displays marked the closing days of January — as well as sundry loud explosions believed to be from mines broken adrift from their moorings by the heavy weather.

The raid on the night of February 4th on Lorient was, incredible as it may seem, visible as well as audible from Jersey, reflections of the resultant fires being clearly seen in the clouds. A.A. gunners had a very busy time, and they certainly wasted a great deal of ammunition in their efforts to battle with the raiders. The only result so far as the Islanders were concerned was that everyone had a sleepless night!

The official mourning over Stalingrad was carried out in Jersey, as elsewhere, and on the night the disastrous (to the Germans) news came through the Forum was immediately closed, and this without completing its performance.

There was ample evidence locally at this time of the changing tide of events. The younger O.T. men were being pressed into the armed forces, much to their distaste, whilst the recent arrivals included many 16 to 17 year-olds to replace the more mature soldiers now being drafted to the Russian theatre of war.

More raids on Lorient towards the middle of February caused vibrations of such intensity as to make it almost unbelievable that the bombing was so far distant. A.A. guns made their customary ineffective challenge to the planes as they passed to and from their target.

After a period during which no orders had been issued by the German Authorities, the EVENING POST of the 15th contained almost nothing else but orders, and threats of imprisonment and death were mentioned for all manner of offences. The resemblance of life under German occupation to ALICE IN WONDERLAND in its unreality grew all the time, the parallel to the Queen's OFF WITH HIS HEAD being now OFF TO GERMANY as a reward for figuratively breathing in when one should be breathing out.

Probably because the ban on their use had been ignored generally, all electric fires were commandeered by order of the German Authorities.

Arrangements were being made quietly for a possible three-day curfew, during which period those normally engaged on such essential services as gas, water and electricity supplies would have to remain on their jobs. Special permits were being issued to milk and bakers' roundsmen in order that they might be out during certain hours. Meanwhile every body else would have to stay indoors.

These precautions were obviously associated with the mounting possibilities of invasion, and were apparently the aftermath of a visit to the Island by a large group of senior German officers. It would seem that it was a definite intention to evacuate the troops from the Island when the expected invasion actually materialized.