Channel Island Occupation Review No. 46

Description

No 46 in the series of WW2 Occupation reviews and features include: Roadstead 70: The sinking of the Oost Vlaanderen by Simon Hamon and John Goodwin. Roadstead was the RAF codename for an anti-shipping strike. The best local report comes from diarist Leslie Gardiner: ‘On Sunday morning May 23 at 08:16 the drone of low aircraft was heard in the direction of the harbour and immediately the harbour defences opened fire, the aircraft also machine-gunned. I could see nothing from where I was, at home, it was all too low down.’ But then goes on to report that one ship was sunk (the Oost Vlaanderen). It was carrying wood, cement, steel girders and was rumoured to be carrying ammunition. A German report confirmed the sinking, saying that the 421 ton vessel went down in less than 5 minutes.

Air Raid on Guernsey by Arthur Langmead. On June 28 1940, at 18:55 the first salvo of bombs dropped along the White Rock and the Cambridge Sheds, followed by many more hitting the Fruit Exporting sheds along with some narrow escapes as the Gas Works, reservoir and Oil Tanks were not hit.  In total around 30 x 20-kilo bombs were dropped, killing 33 and leaving 36 so hurt they needed to be detained in hospital.  By the 30^th June the island became occupied by German forces who remained until May 9^th 1945 (Liberation Day).