The Channel Island Military Museum

With the temperatures rising outside the Museum it is proving more popular than usual. Being somewhat cooler inside those that visit have been taking longer than usual reading all of the stories and information that is there. We really are getting the thumbs up from our visitors as the place to visit and get a real feeling of what it was like for those who endured the five years of German Occupation.
If you want to have a real authentic experience of what it was like then come down to the museum for a visit.
There is no tech wizardry, just original items from the time displayed in a German bunker.
Oh, and if you have questions we are on hand to answer them and add to your visit.

Tuesdays item of interest, a nice example of an Mp.40. This one was picked up at the end of the Occupation by the chap I got it from. It had had the conversion to make it semi auto only and fully legal as required by our laws here on Jersey.
Made by ERMA - Erfurter Maschinenfabrik B. Geipel GmbH, Erfurt, denoted by the “ayf” code in 1941.

Below is some further information on the Mp.40 taken from the internet which may be of further interest.

The MP 40 (Maschinenpistole 40) is an iconic 9mm German submachine gun developed in 1938 by Heinrich Vollmer and widely used by the Axis powers during World War II. Often mistakenly referred to as the "Schmeisser", it revolutionized small arms manufacturing as one of the first weapons designed specifically for cheap, rapid mass production using stamped sheet metal and early plastics (Bakelite).
Caliber 9×19mm
Action open-bolt, straight blowback
Rate of fire 500–550 rounds per minute (highly controllable)
WeightApproximately 8.8 lbs (4 kg) empty.
Capacity 32-round detachable box magazine.
Effective range 100–200 meters.
Design & Tactical InnovationInnovative Engineering:
Transitioning from its predecessor (the MP 38, which used an expensive milled steel receiver), the MP 40 relied heavily on stamped steel and spot welding. This drastically reduced skilled labor needs and production costs.Compact Portability: It was one of the first military small arms to feature a metal under-folding stock. This made it highly compact and ideal for paratroopers (Fallschirmjäger), tank crews, and squad leaders.Controllable Fire: Because it lacks a semi-automatic fire selector, it fires exclusively in full-automatic mode. However, its slow cyclic rate of fire makes it so stable that shooters can easily squeeze off single rounds with basic trigger discipline.Under-Barrel Resting Bar: A unique resting ledge (or bar) was added under the barrel. This allowed soldiers to hook the weapon over the side of open-topped armored vehicles (like halftracks) to fire accurately without the recoil bouncing the gun out of position.
Known weaknesses Stoppages: The MP 40 utilized a double-column, single-feed magazine. This design forced the two columns of bullets to taper into a single line at the top, making the magazine highly sensitive to dirt, mud, and debris, which frequently caused feeding jams.
Wobbly Stock: While highly innovative, the under-folding stock mechanisms were prone to wearing down over time, becoming loose and unstable during extended combat use.

Mondays items of interest are some of the items on display in the Medical cabinet display.
German Medic items have always been of interest and whenever they turn up they have always been added to the collection.

Sundays item of interest is this 9mm Luger and holster.
Having fired the Luger in the week it needed a good clean before being put away.
Although used in Jersey and acquired at Liberation time the pistol is a 1913 DWM version which is also regimentally stamped on the front of the grip frame.
2MG KJ R344 N 56. The holster was added to the pistol but also came locally and is unit stamped.
The Luger functioned flawlessly despite being 113 years old.

Below is a decode of the stamping of the front grip strap, this was produced by AI, so I am yet to be convinced of its accuracy but am sure some followers of the Museums page will know.

This Imperial German marking indicates a specific weapon or piece of equipment issued to a machine gun unit. It decodes as: 2nd Machine Gun Company, Infanterie Regiment 344 weapon number 56, registered in 1914.Here is the exact breakdown of the abbreviations and numbers:2MG: 2. Maschinen-Gewehr-Kompanie (2nd Machine Gun Company)K.J.R.: Kaiser Alexander Garde-Grenadier-Regiment No. 3 (This famous Prussian regiment was part of the elite Garde-Korps)344: Stand/Rack Number, or the specific inventory identifier for this weapon within the company.N: Normal (Denotes the standard black powder/ammunition specification after the German military updated their cartridges)56: The year of registry or issue, corresponding to 1913.

Saturdays items of interest are a few photos of a collection I was able to acquire from Guernsey a couple of years ago. It was collected by a young chap in Guernsey at Liberation time and then put away and kept for years. I was offered it all with the exception of the funeral sash which went elsewhere.
Very nice to get the offer from our sister Island and happy to have acquired this lot for the museum collection.

Fridays item of interest is this German leather Sanitats/Medics pouch. Usually worn as a pair attached to the man’s service belt. This example was made by the firm of Paul Klopfer in Austria and is dated 1938. It still retains its internal dividers and most of its contents. The pouch and contents are still in very nice condition. Please note the O***m container is empty of its contents.

Below is some additional information on the pouch’s taken from the internet which might be of interest.

The German WWII Medic Pouch (Sanitätstasche) was a specialized, heavy-duty leather pouch worn on the combat belt by German army (Wehrmacht) medics (Sanitäter), doctors, and stretcher-bearers (Träger).
Medics wore these pouches in pairs on the equipment belt. They sat on either side of the standard belt buckle.
The pouches were specifically contoured and stamped for either the left or right side of the body. The back leather was stamped L (Links for left) or R (Rechts for right).
The reverse was also stamped with letters indicating the user's role—most commonly S for Sanitäter (Medic) or T for Träger (Stretcher Bearer).
Typically constructed from heavy pebble-grain or smooth leather (in brown or late-war black) with a prominent top flap, closure straps, and rear belt loops.
Every pouch featured a detailed paper packing list (Inhaltsverzeichnis) glued to the inner side of the top lid, outlining exactly what medical supplies belonged inside.Interior
The inside featured specialized loops, pockets, and a pull-up cloth herringbone twill (HBT) tape tab to help pull out tightly packed bandages quickly.
The pouches were packed with field dressings, compressed gauze packages (Kombiniertes Preßstück), tourniquets, safety pins, and medical scissors.
They often contained specific small tins for soap (Seife) or antiseptic ointments, along with glass bottles for liquid stimulants, ammonia, or pain management.

Thursdays item of interest is this large framed litho print that was removed from the Pomme d'Or Hotel in St.Helier on Liberation day. I don't believe it was removed for the lithograph, more likely it was taken for the frame.
The original drawing was done by Otto von Kursell in 1938 and is very well done. Although it has a proven track record of local provenance it has not been possible to ascertain where exactly it was hung in the Hotel. But we are hopeful that as we collection original German photos from the time that in future photos it may appear. The frame is quite large, roughly 80cm x 50cm.
It was hidden away until 2014 when my Father managed to acquire it from the son of the man who had removed it..
At this time it resides in the Museum archive but there are plans to display it in the not too distant future.

Wednesdays item of interest is this wooden sign which was once nailed to the entrance of the General Hospital in Gloucester Street in St.Helier.
Whe the sign was acquired a number of years ago it was apparent that at some point post liberation it had been removed from the entrance of the Hospital and thrown on a fire. Luckily the sign was made as a double sided sign, and only the front face has suffered from fire damage.
The nails which secured the sign to the wall were still in place and when local historian Colin Isherwood and I took the sign back to the Hospital we were able to off the sign back up to its original position as the holes were still visible in the cememnt grout.
The attached photos show some of the Hospital Nurses on the steps with a member of Force 135 who was one of the Liberating troops. Also included is a Nurse and a couple of German soldiers who may well have worked within the Hospital.
It must be a rare occurance to be able to go back and put something like this back on the very spot where it came from.
I have shown both sides of the sign in the photos so the Red Croass symbol appears at different ends in the pictures.

With Fathers Day coming up, if you are looking for something different to give yours this year, then why not bring him down to visit the Museum and get him one of 3 fantastic books (or all 3) written by local author and historian Paul Burnal.
Defence Sector East, Defence Sector North and Batterie Lothringen really are the pinnacle of local Occupation history books.
Full of photos, detailed drawings and all the facts and figures that go with them.
These books are only available at the museum.
East and North are £35 each and Lothringen is £20
All 3 books had a limited print run so when they are gone that’s it, don’t miss out.
The Museum is open from 10.00am every day, last entry is at 4.30pm.

Todays item of interest is a couple of photos I took some years ago of the then collection of Luger pistols, all of which come from the Island haveing been used here duing the Occupation by the German armed forces. Thes pistols all have their holsters, spare magazines etc. Some of them are WW.I pistols that saw service in both World Wars. This winter I will take a new photo of the collection as it is today. But that will have to wait until the season is over in the museum.