A NEW documentary is set to examine Nazi atrocities committed in Alderney during the Second World War and the 80-year “cover-up” that followed.
Hitler’s British Island, a two-part Sky History series, is due to premiere tomorrow and follows an official inquiry that revealed the extent of the death toll in the island.
The documentary, which features testimonies from victims’ families, will investigate the atrocities committed on British soil and examine why those responsible were never prosecuted.
Alderney, the northernmost of the Channel Islands, was occupied by Nazi forces from 1940 to 1945 and became a heavily fortified stronghold.
During this time, the SS established the only two concentration camps to be situation on British soil, where prisoners of war, Jews and forced labourers were subject to brutal conditions.
The documentary highlights how despite clear evidence of war crimes, none of the Nazi officers stationed in Alderney were ever prosecuted.
The documentary explores how “political manoeuvring” between Britain and the Soviet Union after the war allowed those responsible to escape justice.
Its release comes in the wake of a government report published in May that concluded that the death toll in Alderney was significantly higher than previously thought.
The report, conducted by the Alderney Expert Review Panel, estimated that between 641 and 1,027 individuals died during the German occupation—roughly twice the number originally thought.
It concluded that successive UK governments had covered up the true extent of suffering and deaths on British soil.
The series is produced by Andy Webb and supported by journalists Martin Bright and Antony Barnett.
It will air on Sky History and is available on Sky channel 123, NOW and Virgin channel 131.
