Entrance to the German Underground Hospital

Hohlgangsanlage 8 (often abbreviated to Ho8, also known as the German Underground Hospital or the Jersey War Tunnels) was a partially completed underground hospital complex in St. Lawrence, Jersey, built by German occupying forces during the occupation of Jersey during World War II. Saint Lawrence ( Jèrriais: St Louothains is one of the twelve Parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Occupation of the Channel Islands refers to the Military occupation of the Channel Islands by Germany during World War II which lasted World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Over one kilometer of tunnels were completed. After the liberation of the Channel Islands, the complex was converted into a museum detailing the occupation and remains a tourist attraction. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands

History

After Hitler's October 1941 order to fortify the Channel Islands (as part of the Atlantic Wall), work began on a string of fortifications all around Jersey. The Atlantikwall ( English: Atlantic wall) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich Ho8 was intended to be a vast network of underground tunnels that would allow the German occupying infantry to withstand Allied air raids and bombardment (in preparation for an invasion). The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. Forced labourers from the Organisation Todt (as well as paid labourers and skilled workers) were shipped in to Jersey and put to work building the complex. The Organisation Todt (OT was a Third Reich civil and Military engineering group in Germany eponymously named for its founder Fritz Todt, an Many of the workers were Polish, French, Russian or Republican Spaniards. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Second Spanish Republic was the system of government in Spain between April 14 1931, when King Alfonso XIII left the country Conditions were terrible, although Russian and Ukrainian POWs were treated the worst, with cases of malnutrition, death by exhaustion and disease among them becoming common. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly On the other hand, the voluntary workers often had much better conditions, being offered over four times the wages that they would have earned working in similar jobs for the States of Jersey, and often receiving extra food rations. The States of Jersey ( French: États de Jersey) is the Parliament of Jersey.

In late 1943, with the threat of an Allied invasion of Europe (D-day) becoming clear, Ho8 was to be converted into a casualty clearing station and emergency hospital. The hospital had 500 beds for patients, with a full heating and air conditioning system (although the rest of tunnel complex usually maintained a constant temperature of about 17 °C, due to its being built deep into the hillside). A system of gas-proof doors was installed to maintain a clean airflow in the tunnels, and a fully-equipped operating theater was installed. The hospital was intended only for German military casualties in an invasion — no civilian casualties would have been treated. Unfinished tunnels were sealed off.

Despite the huge preparations and fortifications made to the Channel Islands, none were ever put into practice. The occupying forces in the Channel Islands surrendered on 9 May 1945 (one day after the rest of the German forces surrendered). Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Ho8 fell into disuse, with British soldiers and souvenir hunters stripping the tunnels of equipment.

Post-liberation & Present Day

In July 1946, the States of Jersey opened the tunnels to the public. In 1961, the Royal Court ruled that the subterranean complex belonged to the private owners of the land above it, and Ho8 fell under private ownership. The complex was restored, with a collection of Occupation memorabilia and a museum and memorial to the occupation being set up. In 2001, a permanent exhibit called "Captive Island" was unveiled in the tunnel complex, detailing everyday life for civilians in Jersey before, during and after the occupation of Jersey. Today, Ho8 is generally referred to as the "Jersey War Tunnels".

External links

• The Jersey War Tunnels official site
• The Underground Hospital on the BBC's site
• The War Tunnels at Jersey's tourism site