It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.

Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.

Thank you.

 

Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.

 

Have You Ever Wondered What Nazi Occupied Britain Would Look Like? (Picture Heavy)

page: 1
35
<<   2 >>

log in

join
share:
+14 more 
posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 02:24 PM
link   
Hello ATS.

Some of you may have seen through some of my previous posts and comments that I'm from and live on the Island of Jersey in the British Channel Islands.

For five years, between the 30th June 1940 until their liberation on 9th May 1945, the Channel Islands were occupied by Nazi German forces. Life was turned upside-down for islanders, and many suffered terribly.

There are so many facets to the occupation that it would be impossible to cover it all in a single post - from the bunkers and fortifications to the hunger which led to pets 'disappearing', from the lack of fuel for cooking and warmth (Jersey still lacks serious numbers of older, larger trees) to the stories of locals hiding Russians on pain of imprisonment and death.

For this post, I'm going to share some images taken during the occupation, from both Jersey and Guernsey. The premise of this post is to show what a small British town looks like under Nazi rule. I'm unsure if these images will quite the same effect on others as they do on me, as I pass these places all the time.

However, to see Nazi soldiers marching up the high street past Boots the Chemist, Lloyds Bank, and ones' favorite fish-and-chip shop brings home the reality of how wider Britain would have looked had Operation Sea Lion been successful.

I've managed to recreate some of the images through the use of Google Street View so you can get an idea of how the places photographed have changed since then, some more than others. I'll only post those of sufficient quality and relevance to preserve space. My plan was to get out and about with my camera but I'm currently suffering from a nasty bout of Sciatica, so wandering around the island is currently out of the question for me.

Let's get started, enjoy!

In this first image, a British policeman holds the door of a staff car as Major Albrecht Lanz, the first German Kommandant of Guernsey and Jersey, alights outside his Headquarters (Kommandantur) at the former Channel Islands Hotel on Glategny Esplanade, Saint Peter Port, Guernsey



In this image, German soldiers are seen marching past Lloyds Bank in St. Peter Port, Guernsey.
(A separate different photo, taken moments earlier and not shown in this gallery, shows a local policeman walking out in front of the soldiers clearing the way as they pass the bank)



...It's still a Lloyds Bank



This photo is from Jersey. It shows a local policeman standing guard outside St. Helier Town Hall with a German soldier. It's surprising how well they appeared to have got on together



Another photo of St. Heliers' Town Hall, this time from the side - with the Nazi flag hoisted outside



Thie same view today



In this next image, also taken in St. Helier, Jersey, two German soldiers can be seen window shopping towards the left of the image - note Burton Menswear in the background.

*It is said that the occupying forces were always polite in shops and always took their place in the queue with locals. When the soldiers first turned up on the island, they emptied shop shelves and paid for all they took - just a little reminder that (the vast majority of) these folk were simply regular people, unlike the SS



..Burton Menswear is still there



This photo shows German soldiers marching through St. Helier, past Boots the Chemist. The picture below was taken clandestinely through curtained windows - discovery would have incurred a severe penalty. It's still Boots the Chemist, but I was unable to get a decent image from Street View to accompany it



German soldiers marching through York Street, St. Helier - Jersey. Hectors fish-and-chip shop is just visible in the background



Hectors is still there, some of the finest chippy food you'll ever eat comes from here



A Luftwaffe sentry on guard outside the RAF headquarters in Jersey



German soldiers marching down the Parade, St. Helier, Jersey. My Mothers office is just off to the right of the image



...How it looks today



German troops march in front of the Pomme d'Or Hotel, again in St. Helier, Jersey. The hotel would later play a part in the liberation of the island



...It's still the same hotel today, albeit with a slightly different look



Liberating British force outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel, May 1945, after the German Surrender



...The same view today



The liberating force stood opposite the Pomme d'Or Hotel in an area that is now known as Liberation Square



...The same view today, note the Liberation Statue in the foreground



A large crowd gathered outside the Pomme d'Or Hotel on 9 May 1945, to celebrate liberation from Nazi rule.The people on the balcony above the entrance to the hotel are liberating British forces. To this day, on the anniversary of the liberation, the hotel plays a part in large reenactments of the occasion.



These next two images show lines of German prisoners as they wait to leave the island





Well, Ladies and Gents, that's all for this post!

If just one of you has found this as half as interesting as I do, it was worth it. If people are keen to know about and see more of various aspects of the occupation of the British Channel Islands, feel free to let me know and I'll put something together. I'm certainly no expert, but I'll do my best.

Take care all!



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 02:36 PM
link   
Awesome these are really cool. I always like seeing old historical photos...especially compared to newer ones. Thank you for sharing these.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 03:02 PM
link   
The Channel Islands were in limbo during the war. The British worried that any action against the Germans would be counter-productive and lead to German reprisals. Instead they worked to prevent starvation by arranging Red Cross food deliveries later on.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 03:06 PM
link   
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

I don't have much to add, but I wanted you know I appreciate the work you put into this!


Especially the extra work you put in pulling up recent pictures to compare with.
Looking at the contrast it hit me how misleading black and white photos can be..
Everything just seems dark and dingy depressing, then you put up the recent pics, and
And It helps me picture those old buildings not painted in various shades of grey..

Sry if that made no sense.

Anyway thanks again for the thread!



Respectfully,
~meathead



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 03:21 PM
link   
What's up with the second pic of the hotel ?
The tops of the windows are not aligned correctly.

Great thread , I like the old pictures.
edit on 19030000003 by JHumm because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 03:21 PM
link   

originally posted by: Mike Stivic
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

I don't have much to add, but I wanted you know I appreciate the work you put into this!


Especially the extra work you put in pulling up recent pictures to compare with.
Looking at the contrast it hit me how misleading black and white photos can be..
Everything just seems dark and dingy depressing, then you put up the recent pics, and
And It helps me picture those old buildings not painted in various shades of grey..

Sry if that made no sense.

Makes plenty of sense, I appreciate beyond words all the hard work that goes into colorizing old photos because it absolutely makes it more easy to see as tangible history and not just old images of it. The ones of the concentration camps are especially sobering. They're enough to evoke pin drop silence as it is in black & white or reading old journals, letters, etc, but when you see colorized versions, it really rams home how much of a nightmare on Earth those people went through.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 03:36 PM
link   
a reply to: Nyiah

Phew!

I'm glad someone made sense of that garbled mess I posted..


I would love to see some old Americana colorized, but I'm afraid the concentration camps turn my stomach as is in black And white.. I don't want to see colorized versions and further hurt my heart to impress upon me the horrific nature of such a place. Although I understand your point
And agree with you.

I would love to see colorized pics of old new orleans or even Detroit or old mid west homesteads..or even comparisons of then and now of locations that are still intact.

Sorry for the semi-off topic merkaba ,
Thanks again for this thread



Respectfully,
~meathead

edit on 19-3-2018 by Mike Stivic because: clarified my response , they way I originally worded it, seemed argumentative upon my second read, and that was definitely not my intention..



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 04:37 PM
link   
FYI there was a movie made with that scenario....



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 04:48 PM
link   
a reply to: manuelram16

I like turtles...







Lol I'm Sry I couldn't resist..
Seriously though,
who are you replying to?
For whose information?
Movies of what scenario?
Which movie are you referring to?

Inquiring minds want to know.

I mean there are countless films which have plots revolving around the nazi occupation of Europe and other territories .
And there are also a number of documentaries about the process of adding color to black and white film, both still pictures and moving..

Respectfully,
~meathead



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 04:52 PM
link   

originally posted by: Mike Stivic
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity
...Looking at the contrast it hit me how misleading black and white photos can be..
Everything just seems dark and dingy depressing, then you put up the recent pics, and It helps me picture those old buildings not painted in various shades of grey..


That makes perfect sense to me, and thank you for your kind words!




posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 04:54 PM
link   
a reply to: JHumm

The recent images were sourced from Street View, so some images aren't stitched perfectly,

Hope this helps,


edit on 28/12/12 by MerkabaTribeEntity because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 05:08 PM
link   
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity



These next two images show lines of German prisoners as they wait to leave the island


Go on and git outta town!


A few of the German soldiers made friends and stayed in touch as penpals. Some returned as visitors on the condition they didn't arrive in costume.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 05:16 PM
link   

originally posted by: manuelram16
FYI there was a movie made with that scenario....


Sorry for the late reply, I've been trying to convince my daughter to go to bed, lol.

I think I might know the film you're talking about. The new one about Louisa Gould? If so, she was a local legend, still is.

For those interested, I'll share excerpts from a local article discussing the story and the film;


During the war, Louisa - together with her sister, Ivy Forster, and brother Harold Le Druillenec, - decided to hide an escaped Russian prisoner of war. They named him Bill. However, their bravery was met with betrayal and Louisa's secret was discovered by the Nazi's.

As punishment for their 'crime', both Louisa and her husband Harold were sent to concentration camps. Louisa was gassed in Ravensbruck months before the camps' liberation and Harold was the sole British survivor of Bergen-Belsen.

[..] At nearly 97 years of age, Bob Le Sueur MBE, is one of a few Occupation survivors who was an adult at the time of Nazi rule on the Island.

Speaking about her brave decision to shelter Bill, Mr Le Sueur clearly recalls the conversation he had with Louisa.

He said: “She had this Russian who had escaped from a terrible camp and he was starving, had scars all over his body from beatings and she took him in and her words to me were ‘I had to do something for Another Mother’s Son.’”

“She took him in, she bathed his wounds, she altered her dead son’s clothes to fit him, she gave him affection, maternal love and in the end the poor lady suffered for it. She got found out because eventually neighbours must have spotted this man going in and out- they knew it was not one of her sons.”
- Linky

The film in question is called 'Another Mother's Son'.

Here's the trailer for those interested



There are many such stories from the occupation. Other kinds of stories include locals stealing German fuel and food, stealing and storing German weapons and ammunition (some of which was still being found when I was a child), and building and sharing crystal radios. All of which could easily get someone shipped off to a concentration camp.




posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 05:18 PM
link   
a reply to: Kandinsky

True story, some still do come back, although not as many as back when.

Second line,




posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 05:27 PM
link   
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

On a serious note, it must have been an emotional moment for the German soldiers getting shipped back to the ruins of home. All that getting back to the day-to-day and looking for jobs. As soon as they were kicked out, our own people had to do the same and get on with it.

The image is the first time it's struck home how everyone had to get back to normal. Ruins, jobs gone, loved ones lost etc. Soldiers all and they had to get on with life.

Thanks for the thread.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 06:05 PM
link   
a reply to: Kandinsky

I don't suppose it was easy for anyone really, except for the so-called elite, perhaps. Europe was rebuilt in the end though, so I guess at least things worked out in the end.

One of the priorities of the States of Jersey (our local government) straight after the liberation was to clean up the slums of St. Helier and reduce the infant mortality rate.


[..] In the immediate post-war years, a certain amount of ‘tidying-up’ that had to be done after the last Liberation troops had gone home. A call was made for an official inquiry into how the island government had conducted itself under German rule but was rejected.

[..] The States set about a slum clearance programme in order to reduce the level of infant mortality.
- From Liberation to Coronation

Things aren't perfect now (after all, where and when are they?), but it's an incredibly vast improvement on living conditions before, during, and just after the war.

I think I may have digressed a little,


edit on 28/12/12 by MerkabaTribeEntity because: (no reason given)

edit on 28/12/12 by MerkabaTribeEntity because: Adding supporting source material

edit on 28/12/12 by MerkabaTribeEntity because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 06:06 PM
link   
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

Quality content.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 06:11 PM
link   
Pretty cool, I am a ww2 history nerd and those pictures were neat..



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 07:13 PM
link   
a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

"Have You Ever Wondered What Nazi Occupied Britain Would Look Like?"

I think that's the question most senior Tory party members and Britan First type characters ask themselves when they wake up in the morning.



posted on Mar, 19 2018 @ 07:18 PM
link   

originally posted by: MerkabaTribeEntity

originally posted by: manuelram16
FYI there was a movie made with that scenario....


Sorry for the late reply, I've been trying to convince my daughter to go to bed, lol.

I think I might know the film you're talking about. The new one about Louisa Gould? If so, she was a local legend, still is.

For those interested, I'll share excerpts from a local article discussing the story and the film;


During the war, Louisa - together with her sister, Ivy Forster, and brother Harold Le Druillenec, - decided to hide an escaped Russian prisoner of war. They named him Bill. However, their bravery was met with betrayal and Louisa's secret was discovered by the Nazi's.

As punishment for their 'crime', both Louisa and her husband Harold were sent to concentration camps. Louisa was gassed in Ravensbruck months before the camps' liberation and Harold was the sole British survivor of Bergen-Belsen.

[..] At nearly 97 years of age, Bob Le Sueur MBE, is one of a few Occupation survivors who was an adult at the time of Nazi rule on the Island.

Speaking about her brave decision to shelter Bill, Mr Le Sueur clearly recalls the conversation he had with Louisa.

He said: “She had this Russian who had escaped from a terrible camp and he was starving, had scars all over his body from beatings and she took him in and her words to me were ‘I had to do something for Another Mother’s Son.’”

“She took him in, she bathed his wounds, she altered her dead son’s clothes to fit him, she gave him affection, maternal love and in the end the poor lady suffered for it. She got found out because eventually neighbours must have spotted this man going in and out- they knew it was not one of her sons.”
- Linky

The film in question is called 'Another Mother's Son'.

Here's the trailer for those interested



There are many such stories from the occupation. Other kinds of stories include locals stealing German fuel and food, stealing and storing German weapons and ammunition (some of which was still being found when I was a child), and building and sharing crystal radios. All of which could easily get someone shipped off to a concentration camp.



It took me a while.. but I finally fit my foot in my mouth...

It doesn't taste as bad as I thought it would ..but I have good hygiene..

manualram16 I apologize for my snarky reply earlier..

A good lesson in humility for me..

Respectfully,
~joe
edit on 19-3-2018 by Mike Stivic because: (no reason given)




top topics



 
35
<<   2 >>

log in

join