In March 2022, Professor Sturdy Colls and Kevin Colls published their book ‘Adolf Island’: The Nazi Occupation of Alderney.
‘Adolf Island’ offers new forensic, archaeological and spatial perspectives on the Nazi forced and slave labour programme that was initiated on the Channel Island of Alderney during its occupation in the Second World War. Drawing on extensive archival research and the results of the first in-field investigations of the ‘crime scenes’ since 1945, the book identifies and characterises the network of concentration and labour camps, fortifications, burial sites and other material traces connected to the occupation, providing new insights into the identities and experiences of the men and women who lived, worked and died within this landscape. Moving beyond previous studies focused on military aspects of occupation, the book argues that Alderney was intrinsically linked to wider systems of Nazi forced and slave labour.
The book is available to purchase from many online retailers and directly from the publishers, Manchester University Press.
Virtual Book Talk, hosted by the Wiener Holocaust Library in April 2022.
‘Adolf Island’ TV Documentary
Adolf Island premiered in the UK on Tuesday 18 June 2019 and in the US on Sunday 23 June 2019 on Smithsonian Channel
See UK TV listings for details of repeats
See US TV listings
Forensic investigation offers the possibility to uncover the truth about the fate of these victims, to tell their stories and finally offer a voice to those who suffered and died on Alderney so many years ago.
Caroline Sturdy Colls, Professor of Conflict Archaeology and Genocide Investigation
In 2019, the Smithsonian Channel aired a TV documentary about the Centre of Archaeology’s work in Alderney. ‘Adolf Island’ sees forensic archaeologist Caroline Sturdy Colls, Professor of Conflict Archaeology and Genocide Investigation, go in search of a Nazi SS camp constructed in secrecy on the British Channel island of Alderney during World War II.
Years of research and forensic investigation the team to examine remnants of concentration and labour camps on the quiet island, and to official SS archives in Germany, where clues emerge that lead Caroline to suspect that Alderney was the scene of Nazi mass murders.
“The story of what happened to the thousands of forced and slave labourers who were sent to Alderney during World War II needs to be told,” explained Caroline.
“For decades, many have tried to downplay the crimes committed by the SS and other Nazi groups on the island. Forensic investigation offers the possibility to uncover the truth about the fate of these victims, to tell their stories and finally offer a voice to those who suffered and died on Alderney so many years ago.”
“Shining a spotlight on forgotten or misinterpreted history is the essence of what we try to do at Smithsonian Channel,” said David Royle, Chief Programming Officer, Smithsonian Channel. “Unearthing the truth is even more important when it involves the horrendous treatment of thousands of people and a long-standing conspiracy of silence.