U.K. Commando Raid on Sark – Oct ‘42

Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 Nazi Germany had invaded most of the lowlands of Europe. With the fall of France the Nazis invaded and occupied the Channel Islands from July 1940. The Channel Islands were the only part of the U.K. territory to be occupied by the Nazis throughout the war.

On the 3/4^th October 1942 twelve British commandos conducted Operation Basalt, a raid on the German occupied island of Sark. The object of the raid was for reconnaissance and the capture of German prisoners for interrogation. The commandos departed Portland by motor torpedo boat and landed on Sark during the hours of darkness. They were not spotted, nor did they encounter any German sentries or guards. Mrs. Frances Pittard, whose house some of the commandos broke into, provided them with useful information. This included the existence of about 20 Germans located in the annex of the nearby Dixcart Hotel. The annex was a long hut-type building outside the hotel, comprising a corridor and six rooms, which was guarded by a German soldier. Five sleeping German soldiers were captured after the guard was silently killed by a Danish commando using his commando knife. The commandos decided to go on to the hotel, in order to capture more soldiers, after having tied the prisoner’s hands with toggle ropes However, one prisoner started shouting to alert those in the hotel and was instantly shot dead. The raiders elected to return to the beach with the remaining four prisoners after the enemy was alerted at the hotel. Three of the prisoners attempted to escape, two of whom were shot dead and one stabbed but did manage to escape. With the Germans on the island alerted the commandos returned to the waiting motor torpedo boat and safely landed in England without any injuries. The remaining prisoner was also conveyed to England and provided useful undisclosed information. Also accompanying the raiders was an agent of SOE posing as a Polish worker being subjected to forced labour. A total of three Germans were shot dead, one guard and one prisoner wre stabbed and one was captured. The raid on Sark resulted in the Germans imposing increased security arrangements. 201 Channel Island civilians, of whom 48 were from Sark, were deported to Germany.

In Germany, on the 18^th October 1942 when Führer Adolf Hitler learnt of Operation Basalt he was furious. German propaganda immediately swung into action and indicated the commandos had bound the hands of the German soldiers after they had surrendered and shot them to stop them attempting to escape. The facts had been modified from five soldiers who had been captured whilst asleep and had been bound to avoid escaping. When one prisoner had started shouting to alert his colleagues, three of the other four attempted to escape and they were shot. Hitler issued his Commando Order whereby all men operating against German troops in a so-called commando raids were to be executed if captured. Historians believe this raid contributed to Hitler’s decision to issue his Commando Order on the 18^th October 1942. By issuing this directive, Hitler was willing to contravene the International Geneva Convention regarding prisoners. By contrast he accused the British of war crimes for their raid on Sark.

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