This is an account of the German occupation of the Channel Islands in World War II, involving collaboration, resistance, slave labour and the relentless struggle for survival. The recent Home Office release of documents pertaining to the German occupation of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney and Sark has led the author to inspect the records to identify key individuals on the islands, whom she has interviewed at length about their wartime experiences. Following the end of the Cold War, she has also - for the first time ever - interviewed Russians about their horrific experiences in the "death camp" on Alderney.