June 30, 1940: The Nazis Invade the Channel Islands

June 30, 1940: The Nazis invade British soil for the first time, the Channel Island of Guernsey. Before they arrived, the combined population of the Channel Islands, mostly on Guernsey and Jersey, was around 92,000. About 59,000 failed to get out in time.

Officially, the Channel Islands are not a part of England, or Great Britain, or even the United Kingdom. Rather, they are British Crown Dependencies, as is the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea. They have the status of "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible," rather than sovereign states. As a result, they are not member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. However, they do have relationships with the Commonwealth and other international organizations, and are members of the British-Irish Council. They have their own teams in the Commonwealth Games.

The Nazis occupied the Islands until V-E Day, May 8, 1945. By that point, they had sent 2,000 residents to concentration camps.

The Channel Islands ended up as the only British territory that the Nazis would ever hold. Today, their population is estimated at 172,000. English, French, and the Guernésiais and Jèrriais dialects of French are recognized as official languages.

Ferries connect St. Peter Port in Guernsey with Poole in Dorset, Portsmouth in Hampshire; and Diélette, Carteret and Saint-Malo in France. They connect St. Helier in Jersey with Portsmouth; and Carteret and Granville in France. And, as you might guess, they connect St. Peter Port and St. Helier with each other.

The American State of New Jersey was named for the island of Jersey. On the 1966-68 Batman TV series, as Gotham City was a stand-in for New York City, their equivalent of New Jersey was named "New Guernsey."

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June 30, 1940 was a Sunday. Everybody in baseball played a doubleheader:

* There was a split at Yankee Stadium. The New York Yankees won the opener, 4-3. Marv Breuer outpitched Porter Vaughan. The A's scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th. But in the bottom of the 9th, Charlie Keller singled Buster Mills home to win the game.

The A's won the nightcap, 3-2. Frankie Hayes singled Dick Siebert home in the top of the 10th. Johnny Babich outpitched Monte Pearson. Over the 2 games, Joe DiMaggio went 0-for-6 with 2 walks.

* There was another New York-vs.-Philadelphia split at Shibe Park. The New York Giants lost the 1st game to the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-4. Cy Blanton outpitched Paul "Daffy" Dean, brother and former St. Louis teammate of Jay "Dizzy" Dean. The Giants won the 2nd game, 7-3.

Over the 2 games, Mel Ott went 3-for-6 with 2 walks, Jo-Jo Moore went 4-for-9 with an RBI, and Tony Cuccinello went 3-for-8 with a home run and 5 RBIs. For the Phils: Chuck Klein went 2-for-8 with a walk, and Emmett Mueller went 3-for-7 with a home run, a walk and 4 RBIs.

* There was a split at Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn Dodgers won the 1st game, 9-2 over the Boston Bees, in the 5th and what turned out to be the last year of the Boston Braves' rebrand. "Fat Freddie" Fitzsimmons went the distance for the win, and went 1-for-3 with a walk. The Bees won the 2nd game, 7-2.

* The Boston Red Sox swept the Washington Senators, 6-5 and 5-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. Jimmie Foxx went 2-for-5 with 3 walks. Ted Williams went 2-for-7 with a walk and 2 RBIs.

* There was a split at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st game, 1-0. Mort Cooper pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching Bob Klinger. The only run came in the 2nd inning, when Marty Marion grounded into a double play, but Johnny Mize still scored.

The Pirates won the 2nd game, 2-0. Max Butcher pitched a 4-hit shutout, outpitching Clyde Shoun. Lloyd Waner did not appear in either game, and Paul Waner only appeared as a pinch-hitter in the 1st, and did not reach base.

* The Cincinnati Reds swept the Chicago Cubs, 7-4 and 7-6 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

* There was a split at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Cleveland Indians won the 1st game, 7-5. Al Smith outpitched Ted Lyons. The Chicago White Sox won the 2nd game, 3-1. Eddie Smith outpitched Al Milnar.

* And there was a split at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The St. Louis Browns won the 1st game, 7-6. George McQuinn singled Roy Cullenbine home with the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning, to make Alfred "Roxie" Lawson a winning pitcher. Hal Newhouser went the distance in defeat.

The Detroit Tigers were leading the 2nd game, 10-1 in the 7th inning, when it was called due to darkness. Over the 2 games, Hank Greenberg went 3-for-7 with a home run, 3 walks and 4 RBIs.