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The Only British Territory Taken By The Nazis In WWII
Obtaining British territory was frightfully difficult for Germany
After the Fall of France in 1940, Hitler’s Germany was hoping to negotiate peace with Great Britain. Germany had long had Anglophiles in its government and there were many, including Hitler himself, who did not want to come to blows with the United Kingdom. However, Winston Churchill refused to consider peace so the war continued.
Following a stunning loss in the Battle of Britain, Hitler had to cancel Operation Sealion, the proposed plan for an amphibious invasion of Great Britain. However, the Germans did manage to take British territory during this time. In fact, it was the only British territory to be officially occupied by Germany during the whole course of the war.
The territory was a series of islands in the English Channel off the coast of France.
A word on definitions
Obviously, Britain had territory occupied during World War II but they were all colonial territories. The colonial territory did not count as home territory, or what we in the business call de jure land. The homeland of Great Britain is a much smaller territory than its vast colonial empire.
