The 80th Anniversary of Operation Basalt – Sark 1942
Part of Channel Islands at War Week
German soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Island of Sark described it as a ‘little Paradise’ and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others. Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler, who believed that British soldiers executed several Germans who had already surrendered and whose hands were bound. Days after the raid, he issued the infamous ‘Commando Order’, a death sentence for those Allied commandos who fell into German hands. http://www.operationbasalt.com/
Buy the book:
Operation Basalt: The British Raid on Sark and Hitler’s Commando Order by Eric Lee
UK https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/9780750984218
USA https://bookshop.org/a/21029/9780750984218
Eric Lee joins us live from Sark on the 80th Anniversary to discuss the raid and its legacy. Eric Lee is an author, journalist and historian. He is also the founding editor of LabourStart. He is a member of the Labour Party, the Society of Authors, and the Writers Guild of Great Britain. https://www.ericlee.info/
Eric’s last appearance on WW2TV
Britain’s Plot to Kill Hitler: Operation Foxley and SOE https://youtu.be/r_Ionh76S9A
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Woody/Eric, Great presentation! Great way to end Channel Islands week. Thanks, Bob.
Another excellent presentation with great info.
A great presentation by Eric rounded the week off nicely
I have really enjoyed this series on the channel islands
Great show, unfortunately i could not watch live and comment, i was the guy that organised the reconstruction. we had a wash up meal when we got back to Guernsey. Fantastic day with everyone concerned .Eric , was a great guy to spend time with. Reconstruction was 17 months in the planning by the Guernsey Military History Co.
To the Germans, it probably appeared as a war crime