10. Adolf Hitler Wanted to Fortify The Channel Islands
Adolf Hitler was determined not to lose the Channel Islands, but it wasn’t so he could have a vacation home with beach-front property. He was extremely proud that he was able to get any British territory, especially since he wanted Germany to become the next worldwide empire. So he ordered the creation of concrete walls, bunkers, and barbed wire to line the coasts to ensure that no one could possibly liberate them so long as World War II was still going.
The citizens of the Channel Islands were considered to be prisoners of war. Hitler wanted to trade ten German prisoners for every one British citizen that had been captured in the Channel Islands. However, the United Kingdom did not want to negotiate with them, especially since they had already given everyone the opportunity to evacuate ahead of time. Some of the German soldiers actually believed that they had landed on the Isle of White, and that they were already living in England.