Hello all,
I was going through my Soldbücher and found this interesting one for some research. He guarded the Channel Islands, what is already special, but even more special that he was one of the few German soldiers who was based for some time on the small Channel Island Sark.
It had a garrison between the 200-500 Germans. This small Island is only 5,45 km2. It had 475 inhabitants and towards these days cars are banned.
I made a short story of Karl Pohlmann and about the German occupation of Sark. After a month on Sark he was posted towards Guernsey, an other Channel Island.
Hope you like it. Comments are welcome!
Occupation of Channel Island Sark
Pohlmann, a married man born in 1901, was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1939. Through different trainingsunits he became member of the Landesschützen-Bataillon 839 in France and later the Infanterie-Regiment 852 of the 343. Infanterie-Division in Bretagne. His career switched when he was send to the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 583 of the 319. Infanterie-Division. This 10th Company guarded the small Channel Island Sark according to Lexikon. The 319. Infanterie-Division had the task to defend the Channel Islands, these Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Wehrmacht during the war. They were important for propaganda.
What happened during the war on Sark?
Offered the opportunity to evacuate the island in June 1940, most locally born islanders decided to stay. The remaining 470 civilians would be subject to German rule for the next five years, until Sark was liberated on 10 May 1945. The main contact between the Sark residents and the German authorities in 1940 was 56-year old Sibyl Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, who was Seigneur of Sark (feudal lord) from 1927 until her death in 1974. The soldiers were regularly rotated and additional soldiers arrived bringing the total to 200 in 1941.
Islanders found they could argue with Germans about where they did or did not put barbed wire and machine gun positions, and win, fearing that Sibyl Hathaway might appeal to her “friend” German commandant Colonel Rudolf Graf von Schmettow.
Shortages in shops became very noticeable and everyone concentrated on producing food. Trying replacements for missing items like tea and tobacco. It was hard work to carry salt water all the way from Creux Harbour so vegetables could be boiled in it as salt was not available. People are hungry and losing weight.
The year progressed with a fair amount of fraternisation, evenings in pubs and dances with local girls created a relaxed atmosphere. The Germans would play soccer against a Sark team. Sark was still open to tourists, be it now limited to just Guernsey holidaymakers. Identity cards were introduced in July.
The Channel Island “purchasing commission” based in Granville acquired what goods they could for Sark, based on their urgent shopping lists of essential supplies, what was available in France and the amount of cash they had been given.
German anti-Semitic orders only applied to one person on Sark, the Czech Juwish Annie Wranowsky. She became the German language teacher on Sark, avoided deportation, and continued with her job.
The Germans imported a few motor vehicles as well a draught horses as they began work on fortifying the island. Minefields were gradually established on beaches and cliff paths. Germans ordered anyone with a horse and cart to help transport military goods around the island. Brecqhou had been evacuated. A number of houses were demolished, or as they were of wooden construction, taken down and moved elsewhere.
With fishing the main source of food, one resident complained of having to eat lobster every day. There were 120 cattle so milk was sufficient for half a pint per person per day, farmers were also growing produce on 200 acres (81 hectares) and kept chickens and rabbits. All this and more was needed to feed the 400 islanders and the quota that went to the 500 soldiers. Most meat, apart from pork and rabbit had to come from Guernsey. In the next years many civilians who were not born on the Islands or British WWI veterans were deportated to camps in Germany. In September 1943 the German garrison on Sark was reduced by 150.
In this period also Pohlmann is transferred to another unit. Kraftfahr-Kompanie 319 based on Guernsey. He spend one month on the small island of Sark.
He never get any awards. The last entry is made on 19.03.1945. Most probably Pohlmann was taken prisoner of war after the German surrender of the Channel Islands in May 1945.
I was going through my Soldbücher and found this interesting one for some research. He guarded the Channel Islands, what is already special, but even more special that he was one of the few German soldiers who was based for some time on the small Channel Island Sark.
It had a garrison between the 200-500 Germans. This small Island is only 5,45 km2. It had 475 inhabitants and towards these days cars are banned. I made a short story of Karl Pohlmann and about the German occupation of Sark. After a month on Sark he was posted towards Guernsey, an other Channel Island.
Hope you like it. Comments are welcome!
Occupation of Channel Island Sark
Pohlmann, a married man born in 1901, was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1939. Through different trainingsunits he became member of the Landesschützen-Bataillon 839 in France and later the Infanterie-Regiment 852 of the 343. Infanterie-Division in Bretagne. His career switched when he was send to the 10./Grenadier-Regiment 583 of the 319. Infanterie-Division. This 10th Company guarded the small Channel Island Sark according to Lexikon. The 319. Infanterie-Division had the task to defend the Channel Islands, these Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Wehrmacht during the war. They were important for propaganda.
What happened during the war on Sark?
Offered the opportunity to evacuate the island in June 1940, most locally born islanders decided to stay. The remaining 470 civilians would be subject to German rule for the next five years, until Sark was liberated on 10 May 1945. The main contact between the Sark residents and the German authorities in 1940 was 56-year old Sibyl Hathaway, the Dame of Sark, who was Seigneur of Sark (feudal lord) from 1927 until her death in 1974. The soldiers were regularly rotated and additional soldiers arrived bringing the total to 200 in 1941.
Islanders found they could argue with Germans about where they did or did not put barbed wire and machine gun positions, and win, fearing that Sibyl Hathaway might appeal to her “friend” German commandant Colonel Rudolf Graf von Schmettow.
Shortages in shops became very noticeable and everyone concentrated on producing food. Trying replacements for missing items like tea and tobacco. It was hard work to carry salt water all the way from Creux Harbour so vegetables could be boiled in it as salt was not available. People are hungry and losing weight.
The year progressed with a fair amount of fraternisation, evenings in pubs and dances with local girls created a relaxed atmosphere. The Germans would play soccer against a Sark team. Sark was still open to tourists, be it now limited to just Guernsey holidaymakers. Identity cards were introduced in July.
The Channel Island “purchasing commission” based in Granville acquired what goods they could for Sark, based on their urgent shopping lists of essential supplies, what was available in France and the amount of cash they had been given.
German anti-Semitic orders only applied to one person on Sark, the Czech Juwish Annie Wranowsky. She became the German language teacher on Sark, avoided deportation, and continued with her job.
The Germans imported a few motor vehicles as well a draught horses as they began work on fortifying the island. Minefields were gradually established on beaches and cliff paths. Germans ordered anyone with a horse and cart to help transport military goods around the island. Brecqhou had been evacuated. A number of houses were demolished, or as they were of wooden construction, taken down and moved elsewhere.
With fishing the main source of food, one resident complained of having to eat lobster every day. There were 120 cattle so milk was sufficient for half a pint per person per day, farmers were also growing produce on 200 acres (81 hectares) and kept chickens and rabbits. All this and more was needed to feed the 400 islanders and the quota that went to the 500 soldiers. Most meat, apart from pork and rabbit had to come from Guernsey. In the next years many civilians who were not born on the Islands or British WWI veterans were deportated to camps in Germany. In September 1943 the German garrison on Sark was reduced by 150.
In this period also Pohlmann is transferred to another unit. Kraftfahr-Kompanie 319 based on Guernsey. He spend one month on the small island of Sark.
He never get any awards. The last entry is made on 19.03.1945. Most probably Pohlmann was taken prisoner of war after the German surrender of the Channel Islands in May 1945.
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