In June 1940, almost the entire then population of Alderney of 1400 was evacuated to Britain. Most went on the official evacuation boats sent from mainland Britain. Some, however, decided to make their own way, mostly via Guernsey, but due to the impending occupation many found themselves unable to leave and were forced to stay on Guernsey for the duration of the war. Eighteen Alderney people elected not to leave with the general evacuation. The Germans arrived to a nearly deserted island, and began to follow their orders to fortify Alderney as part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall. In January 1942, they built four camps in Alderney: two work camps, Lager Helgoland and Lager Borkum, and two concentration camps, Lager Sylt and Lager Norderney. The four camps on the island had a total inmate population that fluctuated but is estimated at about 6000 with the occupants mostly being Eastern Europeans. More than 700 camp inmates lost their lives before the camps were closed and the remaining inmates transferred to France in 1944. The Germans surrendered Alderney on the 16 May 1945, eight days after the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe, and seven days after the liberation of Guernsey and Jersey.
BIBBETTE HEAD
The best preserved WW2 fortifications can be found at the end of the Bibbette headland located in the north-east of the island. Bibette head is dominated by Stongpoint Biberkopf. The headland was heavily armed with a 10.5cm beach defence gun, a 7.5cm field gun, four anti-tank guns, an armoured machine gun cupola, two mortars, a searchlight shelter plus numerous machine gun pits in Tobruk pits.
1. Strongpoint Biberkopf lies at the end of the headland
2. A passage inside leads to a gun position overlooking St Mary's harbour
3. The complex is huge with many rooms
4. A long passage with steps lead to the very end of the headland
5. That side door leads to a machine gun pit
6. The passage ended here
7. Exploring the headland, a searchlight bunker. It is said to be unique.
8. A 'Wakofest' Personnel Shelter
9. Entry to the shelter
10. The floor in here was lined with sand... it made for a very comfortable urbex camp. Thanks!
11. Small personnel shelter
12. And it was small in here
13. Mortar Pit
14. Gun position overlooking Saye Beach which would had been an obvious place for the Allies to invade
15. And inside...
16. 'Tobruk' machine gun pit and associated trench
LONGIS COMMON
Nearby at the eastern end of the island, a cluster of fortifications lie on the modern-day Longis nature reserve
17. 'The Odeon' naval direction-finding tower. One of five planned for the island, but only this one was completed. It was locked on my visit.
18. Several gun positions are in the area
19. With shelters underneath each gun position
LAGER SYLT CONCENTRATION CAMP
20. Workers were brought to the Island and installed in camps. The four camps by January 1942 held 6000 workers. Two of the camps held volunteer workers, Borkum holding German and other European skilled workers and Helgoland holding Russian volunteers. Camp Sylt held Jews who were treated as slaves and camp Norderney held forced labour mainly Russian and Polish POWs but including men from many other nationalities and were run by the OT until the SS took them over in March 1943. Those that survived the harsh treatment were shipped back to France to work on the Atlantic Wall when that became a higher priority. There are 397 known graves in Alderney but some estimates suggest that 1000s may had died. Today only the gates of Lager Sylt remain, located just to the south of the airport.
SALINE BEACH
21. Saline Beach was an obvious landing beach for any attempted Allied liberation. It was protected by a long anti-tank wall. A longer anti-tank wall can be found at Longis Beach. It has been suggested that the bullet holes seen in these anti-tank walls were because they were used as places of execution. Now proven to be wrong and the bullet holes are in fact from target shooting.
22. Well preserved trench systems can be seen here
THE GANNETS
A cluster of three gun positions and associated bunkers exist at the western end of the island at a place called The Gannets
23. This bunker was locked and with good reason. It was used recently for an underground party but the generator was positioned inside the bunker and err..... do I need to carry on? Nobody died but many went to hospital. Blimey it's a good job we don't do underground socials where I live here in Wiltshire... sounds dangerous!
24. Nearby bunker
25. Clean and unvandalised inside. German language stencilling remains
26. Relics can be found in the area
27. Another nearby bunker is also used for underground socials and the evidence remains. Looks semi-official and tolerated as 'fire exit' signs are on the walls
28. We should copy this idea
29. And even a chill-out zone
If it is not obvious already, impossible to walk anywhere on the island without bumping into some sort of fortification. This report has been just scratching the surface of what is around.
BIBBETTE HEAD
The best preserved WW2 fortifications can be found at the end of the Bibbette headland located in the north-east of the island. Bibette head is dominated by Stongpoint Biberkopf. The headland was heavily armed with a 10.5cm beach defence gun, a 7.5cm field gun, four anti-tank guns, an armoured machine gun cupola, two mortars, a searchlight shelter plus numerous machine gun pits in Tobruk pits.
1. Strongpoint Biberkopf lies at the end of the headland
2. A passage inside leads to a gun position overlooking St Mary's harbour
3. The complex is huge with many rooms
4. A long passage with steps lead to the very end of the headland
5. That side door leads to a machine gun pit
6. The passage ended here
7. Exploring the headland, a searchlight bunker. It is said to be unique.
8. A 'Wakofest' Personnel Shelter
9. Entry to the shelter
10. The floor in here was lined with sand... it made for a very comfortable urbex camp. Thanks!
11. Small personnel shelter
12. And it was small in here
13. Mortar Pit
14. Gun position overlooking Saye Beach which would had been an obvious place for the Allies to invade
15. And inside...
16. 'Tobruk' machine gun pit and associated trench
LONGIS COMMON
Nearby at the eastern end of the island, a cluster of fortifications lie on the modern-day Longis nature reserve
17. 'The Odeon' naval direction-finding tower. One of five planned for the island, but only this one was completed. It was locked on my visit.
18. Several gun positions are in the area
19. With shelters underneath each gun position
LAGER SYLT CONCENTRATION CAMP
20. Workers were brought to the Island and installed in camps. The four camps by January 1942 held 6000 workers. Two of the camps held volunteer workers, Borkum holding German and other European skilled workers and Helgoland holding Russian volunteers. Camp Sylt held Jews who were treated as slaves and camp Norderney held forced labour mainly Russian and Polish POWs but including men from many other nationalities and were run by the OT until the SS took them over in March 1943. Those that survived the harsh treatment were shipped back to France to work on the Atlantic Wall when that became a higher priority. There are 397 known graves in Alderney but some estimates suggest that 1000s may had died. Today only the gates of Lager Sylt remain, located just to the south of the airport.
SALINE BEACH
21. Saline Beach was an obvious landing beach for any attempted Allied liberation. It was protected by a long anti-tank wall. A longer anti-tank wall can be found at Longis Beach. It has been suggested that the bullet holes seen in these anti-tank walls were because they were used as places of execution. Now proven to be wrong and the bullet holes are in fact from target shooting.
22. Well preserved trench systems can be seen here
THE GANNETS
A cluster of three gun positions and associated bunkers exist at the western end of the island at a place called The Gannets
23. This bunker was locked and with good reason. It was used recently for an underground party but the generator was positioned inside the bunker and err..... do I need to carry on? Nobody died but many went to hospital. Blimey it's a good job we don't do underground socials where I live here in Wiltshire... sounds dangerous!
24. Nearby bunker
25. Clean and unvandalised inside. German language stencilling remains
26. Relics can be found in the area
27. Another nearby bunker is also used for underground socials and the evidence remains. Looks semi-official and tolerated as 'fire exit' signs are on the walls
28. We should copy this idea
29. And even a chill-out zone
If it is not obvious already, impossible to walk anywhere on the island without bumping into some sort of fortification. This report has been just scratching the surface of what is around.
