Channel Islands – Jersey 5 Day Tour

JERSEY AND THE CHANNEL ISLANDS DURING THE OCCUPATION – THE ATLANTIK WALL

This 5-Day Channel Islands Jersey Tour provides a comprehensive account of The German Occupation of Jersey during WWII from June 1940 through to the German surrender and subsequent liberation of the Channel Islands on 9 May 1945. The Channel Islands were the only part of Great Britain that Hitler occupied during WWII. Learn what life was like for the civilian population under the jackboot. Tales of escape, resistance and initiative. The Channel Islands were also the most fortified section of Hitler’s Atlantik Wall and huge amounts of resources were ploughed into the defences, much of which still exists in outstanding condition. The photograph above shows Marine Peilstand 3 Observation Tower with the islands of Sark and Herm out to sea.

‘We were all in the café. The first time I realised it was an air raid was when all the windows came in. They were blitzed by machine gun bullets.’

 

Basic Tour Itinerary

Day 1 – Travel to Jersey

 

Day 2 – East of the Island

Allied POW Camp – Fort Henry – German Fortifications – Escapes

Tour introduction with magnificent views over the port of St Helier where it all began.

The tour then covers the eastern coast of Jersey visiting sites of the Atlantik Wall and small villages and harbours where stories abound.

 

Day 3 – North & Centre of the Island

Commando Raids – Downed RAF and USAAF airmen – German Underground Hospital  & Command HQs

Accounts of the Channel Island commando raids and the site of one in particular. A number of Allied aircraft were either shot down over Jersey or damaged over France and then landed on the island, we visit some of these sites. The afternoon is spent walking the ground of the central command HQ with bunkers and tunnels before visiting the famous Jersey War Tunnels museum where the Germans built an underground tunnel complex to house their military hospital.

 

Day 4 – West of the Island

Atlantik Wall

The western coast of Jersey was by far the most heavily fortified. We visit all of the main sites overlooking the stunning coastline and also the excellent Jersey Military Museum housed in one of the bunkers with, in my opinion, the most outstanding collection of artefacts and information on the Island. The Atlantik Wall on this day visits some of the best and most unique examples that have survived WWII.

 

Day 5 – St Helier & Travel to UK

The final day of the tour concentrates around St Helier and we pay our respects in the Jersey War Graves Cemetery to the Allied soldiers buried there – both Commonwealth and American. The day includes a comprehensive walking tour of the WWII sites of the town and also the quayside Maritime Museum with the WWII Embroidery (think Bayeux Tapestry!).

We then travel on the overnight ferry back to Portsmouth arriving early the following morning.

 

This tour begins in the UK with travel over by ferry but it’s also possible to fly in if you wish.

If family members were involved I can also tailor the tour to focus on specific sites and areas of interest.

Please feel free to CONTACT me for additional information.