This quiet British island was once the site of Nazi atrocities. A new inquiry reveals its truths

Alderney, a quiet British island in the English Channel known for its outstanding natural beauty, was once the site of the only Nazi camps on British soil – and a hell on Earth for its thousands of inmates.

Alderney, a quiet British island in the English Channel known for its outstanding natural beauty, was once the site of the only Nazi camps on British soil – and a hell on Earth for its thousands of inmates. A fresh inquiry, ordered by the UK’s Special Envoy for Post Holocaust Issues, Eric Pickles, and led by a panel of experts, has sought to determine the exact death toll of prisoners and laborers on Alderney, while also bringing an end to the conspiracy theories and misinformation surrounding the island. The findings were published on Wednesday and determined there were a greater number of deaths than initially documented following liberation, but found no evidence of a “mini-Auschwitz.” The inquiry also explored why the Nazi perpetrators – most of whom evaded justice – never stood trial in Britain. Stretching for three square miles, the island was occupied by the Nazis for most of World War II. During that time, three forced labor camps and a concentration camp called Lager Sylt were built. Nearly eight decades later, the fingerprints of Nazi occupation are still visible on the picturesque island, including bunkers, anti-tank walls and the notorious Water Lane tunnels constructed by the occupying forces to store munitions and fuel.