Film about the 1940 Luftwaffe bombing of Guernsey

[Peter Gillson]

Hi all

A little historic background; in the days before the 1940 invasion of Guernsey some Luftwaffe planes flew over Guernsey and saw a line of trucks at the harbour, thinking they were army ammo truck the line was bombed resulting in 34 dead and 33 injured.

Here is a link to a short local news item about a film currently being made about the event. Link

https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2021-01-13/behind-the-scenes-of-the-guernsey-film-occupied

The two lads behind this were at school with my son and like Joseph both finished they film related degrees last summer; due to COVID there is no work around, but rather than do nothing, they wrote the film and arrange the financing and crewing to make the film. Full credit to them to this.


by the way; the long haired lad in the fluerescent jacket and light bobble hat sweeping sand is my son.

Peter

[Defiant911]

Hi all

A little historic background; in the days before the 1940 invasion of Guernsey some Luftwaffe planes flew over Guernsey and saw a line of trucks at the harbour, thinking they were army ammo truck the line was bombed resulting in 34 dead and 33 injured.

Here is a link to a short local news item about a film currently being made about the event. Link

https://www.itv.com/news/channel/2021-01-13/behind-the-scenes-of-the-guernsey-film-occupied

The two lads behind this were at school with my son and like Joseph both finished they film related degrees last summer; due to COVID there is no work around, but rather than do nothing, they wrote the film and arrange the financing and crewing to make the film. Full credit to them to this.


by the way; the long haired lad in the fluerescent jacket and light bobble hat sweeping sand is my son.

Peter

These WW2 stories are very interesting and I’d certainly not heard this one. I‘ve been to Guernsey on holiday a few times and find the various sites of German occupation from the war very interesting to visit and learn about.
Wasn't the last film to come out of Guernsey, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, also based during the German occupation?
Carl

[Peter Gillson]

Hi Carl

it is a story little known outside Guernsey. Part of the problem was that the Island was demilitarized but Churchill decided not to tell the Germans! The Island was bombed at on at least 2 further occasions; once the harbour was bombed by the USAAF in an attempt to hit a U-Boat which had left before their raid. The other occasion was on D-Day minus 1 when the RAF bombed some of the German radar stations before the US paratroops were sent to Normandy. Their route would have been picked up by the Guernsey based radar. In fact the first German shots relating to D-Day were some of their Alderney based anti-aircraft guns firing on those para carrying aircraft.

Yes the last film was the GLPPPS. A reasonable film but it is fictitious story which was, unfortunately not filmed in Guernsey.

Peter

[Si Benson]

Interesting story Peter.
I watch a lot of Mark Felton on you tube, he covers story’s like all the time

[Graeme C.]

I had heard about the bombing of Guernsey, but not in any detail, this brings it to life.

[Peter Gillson]

Hi all

Si - just checked out Mark F; some interesting videos.

Graeme - the film shoud be interesting when it is finished. They have spoken to a number of people who were there so have a good idea of what happened.

My son spent another day helping on the set today, mostly interior shots - fortunate since it rained all morning. They were very lucky with costumes - for the German uniforms and equipment they borrowed some original WW2 uniforms, uniforms which were actually used by Germans while in Guernsey - cannot get more accurate than that!

Peter