Island at War picspam - part I
Spoilers for the first three episodes
A few weeks ago I watched this engaging BBC miniseries from 2004 about the German occupation of the Channel Islands. I found out that it was not very well known and I thought it deserved some LJ attention. The occupation of the Channel Islands, the only part of Brittain to be occupied by the Germans, is a relatively unknown chapter of WWII and the series had some great performances from well-known British actors like Philip Glenister, Claire Holman and Laurence Fox. As we've come to expect from the BBC, a lot of attention was payed to period details.
Island at War takes place on the fictional Channel Island of St. Gregory and follows the lives of three families who try to adapt to the occupation in various ways. James Dorr, senator of the island, works hard to make the occupation as painless as possible for the islanders, while his wife Felicity worries about their son Philip. Cassie Mahy looses her husband in the German attack on the island and therefore logically enters the war with a deep hatred against every German. She tries to keep her grocery store running while watching her young daughters Angelique and June struggling with how to behave towards the many young German soldiers. Wilf Jonas is a policeman who is forced to work for the Germans. His wife Kathleen works hard at their farm and tries to keep her son and mother-in-law safe.
EPISODE 1
It's the summer of 1940. Brittain has just lost the battle at Dunkirk and the Channel Islands are just 8 miles from occupied Germany. Senator James Dorr is angry the British troops are withdrawn from the island. Many people, including the Mahy family, wonder whether to evacuate or not, as a German invasion seems unavoidable. Kathleen and Wilf Jonas take the difficult step to sent their children to the safety of Brittain. The Luftwaffe attacks the pier of the island, killing several dozen islanders. Baron Von Rheingarten establishes himself as the new leader of the occupied island.
EPISODE 2
The Mahy's bury their husband and father, victim of the German air raid. The Baron and James Dorr explore the island and the Baron takes up residence in the Dorr's villa. Both Cassie and her daughters face the choice whether to sell to Germans in their shops. Philip Dorr unexpectedly returns to the island to spy on the Germans, pretending to be the Dorr's gardener Mr. Brotherson. In the evening, Philip and Eugene LaSalle, another spy, try to leave the island, but encounter and shoot a German soldier, sending them into hiding at the remote farm of the Jonas family.
EPISODE 3
The Baron announces reprisals for the death of the soldier. Cassie Mahy is lured into a black market deal by the islander Sheldon Leveque and the German Oberwachtmeister Wimmel. June and Angelique befriend Zelda Kay, who hides her Jewish identity. She has caught the eye of the Oberleutnant Walker and tries to reject his advances. James Dorr visits his son and Eugene in their hiding and convinces Eugene to give himself up to the Germans, pretending to be a British pilot, so he will be taken as a prisoner of war. Angelique struggles with her feelings for the friendly German pilot Bernhardt Tieleman.