The only English people 'murdered by the Nazis on British soil': German soldier claimed officer ordered shooting of two men on Alderney after 'beating' them, documents reveal
A Nazi soldier saw his colleague order the murder of two English men on British soil during the Second World War, documents have revealed.
The killings allegedly took place on Alderney, the northernmost of the Channel Islands, in 1944.
The murders were witnessed by a soldier named as Obergefreiter (Corporal) Kraus, who was stationed at a forced labour camp on Alderney.
If true, they would be the first known incidents of Nazis murdering British people during their occupation of the Channel Islands from 1940 until 1945.
Kraus claimed to have witnessed a Sonderführer (Special Commander) Richter kill two people in 1944.
A Nazi soldier saw his colleague murder two English prisoners on British soil during the Second World War , newly-unearthed documents have revealed. Pictured: German officers pose outside Lloyds Bank in St Annes, Alderney
The document revealed in the programme reads: 'Richter had beaten two Englishmen and had ordered them to be fired upon.'
Ms Mulley says to viewers: 'This document, essentially an interrogation report of a German officer on Alderney, seems to describe two Englishmen, who have been beaten and shot and then their graves have been levelled and the crosses removed.'
The document added that Richter ordered his men to remove crosses marking their burial site.
The document was revealed in upcoming Sky History drama Hitler's British Island, which airs next Tuesday.
Historian Dr Helen Fry says in the programme: 'If this incident is true, then it does represent the only known incident of British dying at the hands of Nazis on British soil.'
A report commissioned by Lord Eric Pickles, UK Special Envoy on Post Holocaust Issues, concluded earlier this year that more than 1,000 people died during the Nazi occupation of Alderney.
German troops march through the main street of Alderney during the occupation
German soldiers parading through Marais Square, Alderney, during their World War II occupation of the Channel Islands
Group of German soldiers coming from the Channel Island of Alderney
A team of international experts found that between 641 and 1,027 people, which included Jews, prisoners of war and some Romanis who were shipped to the island, died as a result of ill-treatment.
For decades, official accounts had said only 389 of the 4,000 slave labourers shipped by Nazi Germany to the island during the war perished.
Labourers were transported there from countries across Europe to build fortifications as part of the German war effort.
They were housed in camps that shared many similarities with those in mainland Europe - and the labourers were subject to atrocious living and working conditions and executions.
The investigation was launched to dispel conspiracy theories and provide the most accurate figure of those who lost their lives on the island.
The broken remains of Sylt concentration camp on Alderney which was destroyed by the fleeing Nazis in 1945
People visit a German bunker on the island of Alderney, in Guernsey where thousands of labourers were killed during the Second World War
The remains of Battery Annes on Alderney, which was formerly an open naval gun battery position that formed part of Hitler's 'Atlantic Wall' defence against Allied invasion
Pictured: Houses overlooking the remains of a German trench system in Alderney, September 2023
A plaque commemorating the victims of German forced labour on Alderney. Four labour camps were built on the island and two were turned by the SS into concentration camps
The report also aimed to bring justice for those who died, and ensure that this period of history, and the Holocaust, is 'remembered fully and accurately.'
Slave labourers were forced to work as slave labourers in horrific conditions.
They were housed in four camps on the island: Helgoland, Nordeney, Borkum and Sylt.
By the end of the war, two of them had been converted into concentration camps by Hitler's elite death squad - the SS.
After the Germans surrendered Alderney on May 16, 1945, it was another six months before any of the islanders could return due to the heavy fortifications placed around it.
Allied forces found in excess of 30,000 landmines that had to be painstakingly defused and removed in order for residents to return to their homes.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13932177/The-English-people-murdered-Nazis-British-soil-German-soldier-claimed-officer-ordered-shooting-two-men-Alderney-beating-documents-reveal.html
The Truth about Alderney's 'mini-Auschwitz': Report uncovers what REALLY happened when more than 1,000 people died during the Nazi occupation of the Channel islands
More than 1,000 people were killed during the Nazi occupation of Alderney during World War Two but the island was no 'mini-Auschwitz', a new report has found.
A review conducted by a panel of international experts has provided a shocking insight into the exact number of prisoners and labourers who died on the German-occupied Channel Island between 1941 to 1945.
The panel found that between 641 and 1,027 people, which included Jews, prisoners of war and some Romanis, died as a result of ill-treatment on the island after earlier figures suggested there had been only 389 deaths.
But while labourers were subject to atrocious conditions and executions, the site did not constitute a 'mini-Auschwitz', the report added.
The review was commissioned last year by Lord Eric Pickles, UK Special Envoy on Post Holocaust Issues with an aim to dispel conspiracy theories and misinformation about the island.
The Alderney Expert Review Panel calculated that the minimum number of prisoners or labourers sent to Alderney during the German occupation was between 7,608 and 7,812 people.
Labourers were transported there from countries across Europe to build fortifications as part of the German war effort.
They were housed in camps that shared many similarities with those in mainland Europe - and the labourers were subject to atrocious living and working conditions and executions.
The investigation was launched to dispel conspiracy theories and provide the most accurate figure of those who lost their lives on the island.
The report also aims to bring justice for those who died, and ensure that this period of history, and the Holocaust, is 'remembered fully and accurately.'
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: 'The findings of the review are a significant and welcome development. Having an authoritative account of this harrowing element of the island's history is vital.
'It enables us to accurately remember the individuals who so tragically suffered and died on British soil. Marking the relevant sites will now be an appropriate step to take, to ensure that this information is widely available.'
The panel also investigated why German perpetrators were not tried by Britain for war crimes committed in Alderney and concluded that an investigation carried out in Alderney immediately after the war was 'wholly serious in intent'.
But because most of the victims were Soviet citizens, the case was handed over to the Russians. And in exchange, Germans who murdered British servicemen in Stalag Luft III during the 'Great Escape' were handed over to Britain.
A model of a German officer is displayed inside The Odeon, a 15-metre high, concrete naval range-finding tower that was built by forced labourers on Alderney
The report says the Soviet Union did not follow up the Alderney case and were thus responsible for the failure to bring the perpetrators to justice, causing much anger among members of the British government.
A spokesman for the States of Alderney today welcomed the work to establish the most accurate information possible, based on comprehensive evidence and rigorous analysis.
'While the events that took place in Alderney do not compare in scale with other parts of Europe, it is a harrowing part of the Island's history which its community continue to remember and commemorate. In fact, today's publication comes just a few days after the annual service by the Island at its dedicated memorial. '
The President of the States of Alderney, William Tate, said: ' On behalf of the States of Alderney and our community, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Lord Pickles and the Review Panel for their dedication in resolving an important issue which has been the subject of much debate for many years.
'The review makes clear what terrible conditions the people who had been brought to the Island had to endure and how cheap their lives were to the occupying forces.
'The brave Islanders who returned home in 1945, having been evacuated in 1940, saw first hand the devastation that had been wrought upon their Island home.
'As a community we will never forget the suffering that these poor souls endured and the tragic loss of life, resulting from the callous and inhumane behaviour of the occupying forces.'
Dr Carr, Associate Professor in Archaeology at Cambridge's Institute of Continuing Education, and Fellow of St Catharine's College, who co-ordinated the panel, said: 'I am proud of the way the team of experts came together to provide answers to the questions set by Lord Pickles.
'It shows what can be achieved when you bring together the right people with the right experience and expertise who are committed to working in memory of those who suffered in Alderney during the Occupation.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13450397/Nazi-occupation-Alderney-Channel-islanders-killed-no-mini-Auschwitz.html
Nazis killed more than 1,000 people in WW2 death camps during their occupation of Alderney, inquiry reveals
- Official accounts have claimed just 389 slave labourers were killed on the island
- Experts led by UK Holocaust envoy Lord Pickles aim to find true death toll
More than 1,000 people died during the Nazi occupation of Alderney in the Channel Islands, an inquiry will reveal this week.
For decades, official accounts have said only 389 of the 4,000 slave labourers shipped by Nazi Germany to the island during the war perished.
But The Mail on Sunday understands that an investigation launched last year has discovered that the death toll was at least double that. Four labour camps were built on Alderney with two turned by the SS into concentration camps.
A panel of experts led by UK Holocaust envoy Lord Pickles has been examining archives to find the true number of deaths. They are also said to have also discovered why the Nazi perpetrators never stood trial.
For decades, official accounts have said only 389 of the 4,000 slave labourers shipped by Nazi Germany to the island (pictured) during the war perished
The new evidence seen by the inquiry describe the atrocities on Alderney as 'systematic terrorism' involving 'murder and massacre' and 'torture'.
The previous official death toll of 389 came from examinations of marked graves in the 1960s. Speaking last year Lord Pickles said: 'Numbers matter because the truth matters.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13434183/Nazis-killed-WW2-death-camps-Alderney-guernsey.html
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