Shortage of food, medicals and clothes made the German commander to agree with the humanitarian

help by International Red Cross. Swedish SS Vega arrived in the middle of December 1944.

south west of Guernsey the German officer

commissioned to negotiate the capitulation

conditions, transferred from the German minelayer to Bulldog. He was not however authorized to sign the capitulation. Having received

the conditions, the vessels separated. Bulldog

and Beagle retreated to the safe distance from

the coast artillery range because the official

end of hostilities was to come in effect at midnight of May 8. The Germans agreed to meet

at midnight and the deputy commander, General Major Siegfried Heine arrived on M4613

minelayer and on the board of Bulldog agreed

to the unconditional surrender. At 7:15 morning

Bulldog anchored in St. Peter’s port in Guernsey. All German flags were removed from the

buildings and German vessels were used for

transportation of British soldiers to the island.

The first group of four officers and 21 soldiers

arrived and at 11:00 General Stoneman, commander of the operation Omelette, established

his headquarters in the hotel Royal where he

met the Bailiff of Guernsey. At 10:00 General

Snow sailed to Jersey on board of Beagle. All

necessary capitulation documents were signed at 14:00. The celebrations in the streets

started at 14:30. The operation Nest Egg continued until May 16. The vessels kept arriving

with supplies and more soldiers. Before May

20, most German soldiers were transferred

and joined 400,000 prisoners of war on British

soil. Some 3,300 Germans remained on the

Channel Islands to help cleaning up, dismantling barriers and removing mines from the

beaches. Almost 66,000 mines were defused,

and several Germans were killed during this

dangerous service. The return to pre-war

life on the Islands was rather slow. The first

inhabitants were allowed to come back home

in December.

Air cover

Even though the combat on the ground and

even less in the air was anticipated it was

decided to provide air cover for the operation

Omelette in the case of the isolated German

Photo: Imperial War Museum

they feared the occupiers‘ reaction. German

soldiers were rather nervous, and this state

of mind could trigger atrocities. In the morning

of May 7, German commander, Viceadmiral

Friedrich Hüffmeier received the dull dispatch

that the Allied vessels would arrive soon,

and German garrison surrender is expected. German commander answered he only

accepts orders from the German command.

Regardless, he released all captured citizens

on the Islands and people flooded the streets.

Up until now concealed radio receivers were

connected to the public radio station and the

population could listen to Churchill’s speech

in which he, among other things, announced

the upcoming liberation of the Channel Islands.

In the late afternoon of May 7 Hüffmeier promised in another radio broadcast that the German forces on the islands would not resist.

So, on May 8, at 9:45 destroyers HMS Beagle

and HMS Bulldog set sail to transport scout

units to the area of the opening stage of the

landing operation named Omelette. Four miles

British soldier checking the identity of General Major Siegfried Heine at the

entrance to the HMS Bulldog board. In the moments following, Heine signed

the capitulation.

Photo: Imperial War Museum

Photo: Imperial War Museum

HISTORY

HMS Bulldog anchored in St. Peter´s Port on May 8 at 0715.

INFO Eduard - May 2021

eduard

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